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      10-24-2020, 05:10 PM   #1
Witney
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Uk X5 45e charging options

I have just ordered a 45e and wondered if owners might share any recommendations on best charging units for home? Is there any benefit in BMW Wallbox over say Podpoint / BP Chargemaster / Zappi with BMW apps?

Waiting for build date so have more than a few months to sort this out!

Thanks
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      10-24-2020, 05:19 PM   #2
jad03060
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An EVSE is a pretty simple device. Adding WiFi or other features will make it more expensive, but for most people, doesn't really buy you anything. Unless you get a break on price for bundling one of their units with the car, it tends to be one of the more expensive options out there. It does look nice.

FWIW, given the nominal 220vac mains there, the supplied device will recharge the vehicle overnight without issues. Yes, other units will be faster. Depends on where you park and how fast you really want/need the battery fully charged whether you need to buy anything at all.

In the USA, with the supplied 10A, 120vac device, you cannot reliably recharge the vehicle overnight if the battery is nearly exhausted, so for many people, another EVSE is almost required, assuming they want to keep their battery charged at all...some don't ever charge theirs (which I find is dumb, but hey).
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      10-24-2020, 05:48 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Witney View Post
I have just ordered a 45e and wondered if owners might share any recommendations on best charging units for home? Is there any benefit in BMW Wallbox over say Podpoint / BP Chargemaster / Zappi with BMW apps?

Waiting for build date so have more than a few months to sort this out!

Thanks
Hi

I'm planning on using the standard cable and charging overnight.

I take delivery in three weeks so will let you know how I get on.
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      10-24-2020, 06:22 PM   #4
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2020 BMW X5  [0.00]
BMWi Box - £450 more than the standard Chargemaster box, and its tethered. That was a direct quote from BP themselves.

I have the standard chargemaster box on our house. We had to fit a seperate fuse box unit, and had to have our house fuse upgraded from 60amps to 100amps (was supposed to be 80, but they fitted 100).

Our chargemaster is non-tethered, allowing me to take my cable anywhere I go.
We can also lock the device so others cannot use it.

Whatever chargepoint you go for, make sure its 7KW capable. The X5 45 is limited to 3.7kw, but, you are futureproofing yourself.

Also install the podpoint app. I've been able to locate charging points near me that are free to use, when I'm shopping, so free charge
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      10-24-2020, 06:44 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BryanC84 View Post
BMWi Box - £450 more than the standard Chargemaster box, and its tethered. That was a direct quote from BP themselves.

I have the standard chargemaster box on our house. We had to fit a seperate fuse box unit, and had to have our house fuse upgraded from 60amps to 100amps (was supposed to be 80, but they fitted 100).

Our chargemaster is non-tethered, allowing me to take my cable anywhere I go.
We can also lock the device so others cannot use it.

Whatever chargepoint you go for, make sure its 7KW capable. The X5 45 is limited to 3.7kw, but, you are futureproofing yourself.

Also install the podpoint app. I've been able to locate charging points near me that are free to use, when I'm shopping, so free charge
As said earlier I'm not planning on installing a wall charge point as car will be stationary for 12 hours when I get home from work.

Am I right in thinking that the standard three pin UK plug cable will charge the car so it will take about 11 hours to fully charge? What is the charge rate on this cable?
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      10-24-2020, 07:49 PM   #6
jad03060
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I think you'll find it's about 10A at your nominal 220vac, so power=volts*amps, or 2200W/hr. The conversion in the car to DCV isn't perfectly efficient, so it may drop that by 5-6% or so, and, if it needs to cool the batteries, that would add to the draw.

Sitting overnight, charging with a 220vac device delivered where that voltage is normal can work for many people. The 120vac normal in the US is not sufficient to charge the vehicle reliably overnight.

As was said, the vehicle can accept up to 16A and to max out the power supply in the vehicle at 16A would take 3700/16=231.25vac, so at 220vac, you won't be maxing out the vehicle, but obviously feeding it enough to charge overnight. If you set a departure time, the 10A device might not be enough to keep the battery charged depending on how cold or warm it is out, but most of the UK doesn't see really radical temperature extremes. Where I live, it can get to nearly 40c and down to -20c, so preconditioning can make departure time much more comfortable, and if there's any snow or ice, make cleanup much easier and faster. I have an i3 as well for the moment, and during precondtioning, I've seen it draw over 20A while the battery was already full since it's warming the battery itself and conditioning the cabin. I have a 30A/240vac EVSE that I use that can max out either vehicle.
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      10-24-2020, 08:23 PM   #7
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The BMW level 2 unit is overpriced at $1,770.

I installed a 240 volt 48 amp Tesla gen 3 unit.
It was cheaper at $500, looks better and delivers more power for other EVs in the future.

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      10-25-2020, 01:50 AM   #8
X5 45e
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rikkiokbye View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by BryanC84 View Post
BMWi Box - £450 more than the standard Chargemaster box, and its tethered. That was a direct quote from BP themselves.

I have the standard chargemaster box on our house. We had to fit a seperate fuse box unit, and had to have our house fuse upgraded from 60amps to 100amps (was supposed to be 80, but they fitted 100).

Our chargemaster is non-tethered, allowing me to take my cable anywhere I go.
We can also lock the device so others cannot use it.

Whatever chargepoint you go for, make sure its 7KW capable. The X5 45 is limited to 3.7kw, but, you are futureproofing yourself.

Also install the podpoint app. I've been able to locate charging points near me that are free to use, when I'm shopping, so free charge
As said earlier I'm not planning on installing a wall charge point as car will be stationary for 12 hours when I get home from work.

Am I right in thinking that the standard three pin UK plug cable will charge the car so it will take about 11 hours to fully charge? What is the charge rate on this cable?
From 0 range (= 5% battery charge) it takes a bit more than 10h to fully charge.

For me that is good enough. I can do it over night.

I use the "home charger" delivered with the car (max 2,3 Kw).

BMW advises to let someone check your home electric system. We renovated our electrical system 5y ago so it is ok. It pulls a lot of power for a long time electrical systems are not always ready for this.

I checked several times if the wall socket was heating up after some hours charging but it doesn't.

If you do buy a charger better buy a good one to be future proof.
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      10-25-2020, 02:35 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by X5 45e View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rikkiokbye View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by BryanC84 View Post
BMWi Box - £450 more than the standard Chargemaster box, and its tethered. That was a direct quote from BP themselves.

I have the standard chargemaster box on our house. We had to fit a seperate fuse box unit, and had to have our house fuse upgraded from 60amps to 100amps (was supposed to be 80, but they fitted 100).

Our chargemaster is non-tethered, allowing me to take my cable anywhere I go.
We can also lock the device so others cannot use it.

Whatever chargepoint you go for, make sure its 7KW capable. The X5 45 is limited to 3.7kw, but, you are futureproofing yourself.

Also install the podpoint app. I've been able to locate charging points near me that are free to use, when I'm shopping, so free charge
As said earlier I'm not planning on installing a wall charge point as car will be stationary for 12 hours when I get home from work.

Am I right in thinking that the standard three pin UK plug cable will charge the car so it will take about 11 hours to fully charge? What is the charge rate on this cable?
From 0 range (= 5% battery charge) it takes a bit more than 10h to fully charge.

For me that is good enough. I can do it over night.

I use the "home charger" delivered with the car (max 2,3 Kw).

BMW advises to let someone check your home electric system. We renovated our electrical system 5y ago so it is ok. It pulls a lot of power for a long time electrical systems are not always ready for this.

I checked several times if the wall socket was heating up after some hours charging but it doesn't.

If you do buy a charger better buy a good one to be future proof.
That is really helpful advice about getting the electrics checked.

Thanks.

Also would I set the charge in the car settings to 6amps or 10amps here in the UK when using the standard three pin cable.
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      10-25-2020, 03:11 AM   #10
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I am charging at home on 10A in Belgium without problems.

BMW advises to first try on 6A. It will almost take twice as long to charge however so that is not really an option. If it is ok you can go to 10A.

If your house is relatively new it should be ok.

If we stay with my wife's parents house I have to put it on 6A or the fuse jumps.

Our house was build in 1953, that would have been a problem too before the renovation.
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      10-25-2020, 04:00 PM   #11
jad03060
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The device supplied can safely supply 10A IF what you plug it into can support that. In the vehicle, in case say that circuit can't support the full amount, there are some settings that force the vehicle to only draw less, with 6A being the lowest. Assuming your circuit can handle it, just set the vehicle to max, and when it listens to the EVSE that announces to the vehicle how much power it can support, then the vehicle won't try to pull more than that from it. Basically, the EVSE sends out a PWM signal indicating how much power is available, and the vehicle is required never to exceed that value.

The rules are a bit different in the US. On a device that can be on for extended periods of time, the rules say the device can't pull more than 80% of the fuse or circuit breaker's capacity to protect the wiring from overheating...so, with a 10A device, the circuit would need to support at least 12A. In the US, a 'standard' receptacle is rated at 15A, but there could be other things on that same circuit, so by telling the vehicle not to pull as much, things can co-exist without popping a breaker or blowing a fuse.

You won't hurt the device or the vehicle by setting the vehicle up to maximum capacity, but the circuit it is plugged into may not support it. The control logic is identical between the Euro devices and the US ones, just the plugs are different (well, the US one is a 120vac device but the vehicle can handle 240vac as well).
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