[gregeas]

Just got the 45e to replace our 2017 X5 hybrid, which I could fully charge overnight via a standard 110v outlet and the included charger.

The new 45e as a much larger battery and cannot be fully charged overnight, obviously.

Any recommendations for dedicated level-2/240v chargers to install in the garage?

[paul325740]

Originally Posted by gregeas

Just got the 45e to replace our 2017 X5 hybrid, which I could fully charge overnight via a standard 110v outlet and the included charger.

The new 45e as a much larger battery and cannot be fully charged overnight, obviously.

Any recommendations for dedicated level-2/240v chargers to install in the garage?

https://www.amazon.com/b?node=19781784011

[eladoppel]

Originally Posted by gregeas

Just got the 45e to replace our 2017 X5 hybrid, which I could fully charge overnight via a standard 110v outlet and the included charger.

The new 45e as a much larger battery and cannot be fully charged overnight, obviously.

Any recommendations for dedicated level-2/240v chargers to install in the garage?

I got the Clippercreek AmazingE Fast with the 14-50 plug, the cable holder and the holster for the J1772 plug. It charges my X5 45e from zero to full in 6-7 hours. The unit is small so it is portable, and it was easy to install in my garage. The cable holder and holster make for a less messy garage. I did not want all of the connected do-dads and this charger is doing nicely. Their staff answered all of my questions quickly. I am sure other chargers work well. I went with Clippercreek because they have been around a long time.

[TXSchnee]

I just installed the Siemens Versicharge Gen 2. Haven't had a chance to use it yet, but decent price and Siemens has a good reputation. I have a NEMA 6-50 plug already in the garage (installed a few months ago while waiting for my vehicle) and you can do the VersiCharge either hard wired or plugged in. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Siemens-...GRYU/205491633

[X5 45e]

Originally Posted by eladoppel

I got the Clippercreek AmazingE Fast with the 14-50 plug, the cable holder and the holster for the J1772 plug. It charges my X5 45e from zero to full in 6-7 hours. The unit is small so it is portable, and it was easy to install in my garage. The cable holder and holster make for a less messy garage. I did not want all of the connected do-dads and this charger is doing nicely. Their staff answered all of my questions quickly. I am sure other chargers work well. I went with Clippercreek because they have been around a long time.

I wonder if the official published net capacity of the US Battery is correct.

Your charging time and your range (from your other post) are similar as in Europe.

What is the typical electric range it displays after a full charge when you start the car? Somewhere between 40 and 50 mi?

You can't install the new My BMW app yet but once it is available in the US you can see how many KwH were used to charge the Battery.

First posted here was 23 KwH for a 1-100% charge. It is always more than the actual charge.

[eladoppel]

Originally Posted by X5 45e

I wonder if the official published net capacity of the US Battery is correct.

Your charging time and your range (from your other post) are similar as in Europe.

What is the typical electric range it displays after a full charge when you start the car? Somewhere between 40 and 50 mi?

You can't install the new My BMW app yet but once it is available in the US you can see how many KwH were used to charge the Battery.

First posted here was 23 KwH for a 1-100% charge. It is always more than the actual charge.

My screen usually shows 41 to 45 miles of electric range when charged to 100% so it sounds like the European and US real world performances are pretty similar.

[X5 45e]

Originally Posted by eladoppel

My screen usually shows 41 to 45 miles of electric range when charged to 100% so it sounds like the European and US real world performances are pretty similar.

I think so too.

The advertised electric range in the US is worse than in Europe but this is (at least partially) due to too optimistic measuring in Europe with NEDC in the past but even now with WLTP.

The Tesla model S has a much higher range with NEDC measuring than what is published in the US.

And the US one is closer to reality. We never get the range or fuel economy that is published by the manufacturer

[IS350]

Will the stock cord work on an outlet that's 220v?

[jad03060]

Originally Posted by IS350

Will the stock cord work on an outlet that's 220v?

No. I think I've read some that have modified it so that it could, but the OEM one does not as sold in the USA (and Canada where 120vac is the norm).

The power components should be fine as the current level would be the same, but power transmitted would be double. The hassle is the logic control board is not designed with a universal power supply. There are interlocks and the pilot signal that are generated and interpreted on the board, so to ensure you didn't damage the vehicle or the box, those would need to be tweaked to work with a universal power supply.

[r20]

Originally Posted by paul325740

https://www.amazon.com/b?node=19781784011

wow thanks!

[Paperlaw]

I have two ChargePoint Home Flex chargers (we have 2 BEVs in addition to 45e). Highly recommend. Even though the Amazon link says up to 32 amp, the ChargePoint is capable of up to 50 amp charging (40 amp if not hardwired). Not relevant for the 45e with max 16 amp charging, but might be in the future.

[Aiki7]

I'd go with the either the JuiceBox or ChargePoint. Both highly recommended.

[Silver64]

I went with this charger… https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Using 110, but getting the full 16A. It’s portable, long cable and can be used on both 110 & 240. I’ve had it about 10 days, been great so far.

[neocryte]

Originally Posted by Silver64

I went with this charger… https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Using 110, but getting the full 16A. It’s portable, long cable and can be used on both 110 & 240. I’ve had it about 10 days, been great so far.

Agree, I have something very similar to tide me over until my level 2 hardwired charger is installed.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[bigeks357]

I installed a 40A JuiceBox. It’s been outside in the elements for a year and looks brand new. I’d suggest checking with the power company you use — I see you’re in CT and may use Eversource, as I do as well. They support two specific smart chargers, and will send you a rebate and also pay you to let them see the charger on the network, which allows them to potentially throttle the power during high usage periods. My Power company supports ChargePoint and JuiceBox, and sent me a check for $300.00 to enroll in the ConnectedCharge program, which certainly defrays a good chunk of the expense to purchase one. In addition, they will send you a rebate up to $1,000.00…and FWIW, I don’t live in an area that has variable pricing, and have never noticed any reduction in charge capacity — living in the NE USA, we only have high demand during A/C peak load periods, like the middle of summer.

Go here:

https://www.eversource.com/content/c...emand-response

[bertocolon]

https://ev-lectron.com/collections/e...ema-14-50-plug

https://ev-lectron.com/collections/e...el-2-brand-new

[chbmw]

If you just want a good, solid, inexpensive Level 2/Level 1 16a charger, I recently bought the Schumacher SC1455, and I can recommend it. It’s currently on sale at Napa Auto Parts online for $149.99 with free shipping (https://www.napaonline.com/en/search...455&referer=v2). You can knock another $5 off by signing up for emails.

Why this unit instead of the $219 BougeRV, or the $199 Lectron, or other similar 16a Level 2/Level 1 combo chargers?

1. 28’ cord, unlike Lectron’s 21’ and BougeRV’s 25’.
2. Delivers full 16a charging power to my 45e, using regular outlet (110v) on a 20a circuit breaker. Confirmed full 16a (unlike chargers rated for 16a that only seem to deliver 12/13a).
3. Price is at least $50 less than the cheapest other similar 16a chargers right now.
4. Looks to be same exact charging box as Lectron and BougeRV.
5. Comes with adapter cord to plug in to regular outlet. It has a 6-20 plug (dryer outlet) if you want to use it for Level 2 (if you have a 6-20 outlet, wired for 220v).
6. Dust cap, and a hole for padlocking the J1772. Sure the vehicle locks it, but if you worry about theft from when it is not attached to your car, might come in handy to be able to lock it up.

(I am new to posting after reviewing the helpful posts on this site, apologies if I’m not supposed to post the same info in two different threads about selecting a charger for 45es.)

Love this vehicle. Enjoy!

[-JLT-]

Originally Posted by chbmw

If you just want a good, solid, inexpensive Level 2/Level 1 16a charger, I recently bought the Schumacher SC1455, and I can recommend it. It’s currently on sale at Napa Auto Parts online for $149.99 with free shipping (https://www.napaonline.com/en/search...455&referer=v2). You can knock another $5 off by signing up for emails.

Why this unit instead of the $219 BougeRV, or the $199 Lectron, or other similar 16a Level 2/Level 1 combo chargers?

1. 28’ cord, unlike Lectron’s 21’ and BougeRV’s 25’.
2. Delivers full 16a charging power to my 45e, using regular outlet (110v) on a 20a circuit breaker. Confirmed full 16a (unlike chargers rated for 16a that only seem to deliver 12/13a).
3. Price is at least $50 less than the cheapest other similar 16a chargers right now.
4. Looks to be same exact charging box as Lectron and BougeRV.
5. Comes with adapter cord to plug in to regular outlet. It has a 6-20 plug (dryer outlet) if you want to use it for Level 2 (if you have a 6-20 outlet, wired for 220v).
6. Dust cap, and a hole for padlocking the J1772. Sure the vehicle locks it, but if you worry about theft from when it is not attached to your car, might come in handy to be able to lock it up.

(I am new to posting after reviewing the helpful posts on this site, apologies if I’m not supposed to post the same info in two different threads about selecting a charger for 45es.)

Love this vehicle. Enjoy!

How long does it take for a full charge on Level 1 and Level 2?

[chbmw]

I haven’t timed a full charge from zero yet. But so far I can tell it goes way faster than the supplied 10a-limited OEM charging cord, when using 110v regular outlet on a 20a circuit breaker.

If you’re wondering whether the extra 6a (16a compared to 10a-limited) is worth buying an upgrade from the OEM, of course that’s a matter of personal preference but for me what made it an easy decision was that the configuration of my garage outlet set up meant my OEM (shorter) cord could only reach if draped over the hood (couldn’t back in to garage due to hanging bicycles), but the 28’ cord length meant I could run it hanging up, over, and across the vehicle, and hang it up easily in place when I was done.

If your question was instead about whether this charger is any faster than others, I think the best answer would be, BMW limited the charging power to 16a coming in on the 45e, so whether your charger is the fastest will just depend on whether you’re getting the full 16a coming in. This one does that, others do too, but some reviews on certain other chargers say that they advertise 16a but even when the 45e is set to 16a they only deliver around 12a or 13a.

[Eugene M Stoner]

Originally Posted by -JLT-

How long does it take for a full charge on Level 1 and Level 2?

These are estimates and times will vary based on many factors with temperature being the most obvious.

Level 1 10a @120v model is capable of 1.2 kW. If the onboard charger were perfectly efficient with zero loss it would take 14.25 hrs. Based on the efficiency numbers in another thread it can take upwards of 21kWh to charge from 0 to 100% of the usable battery pushing times closer to 17.5 hours. Factor in dips in power and other losses of speed and you could see the 20hr estimate people mention in previous threads.

Level 1 16a @ 120v like chbmw mentioned, you can expect something in the neighborhood of 11hrs. It can push 1.92 kW.

Level 2 16a or higher @ 240v will all be hitting the car's max of ~3.7 kW. Could be in the range 6hrs.

The take aways for new owners who find this discussion later are:
- It takes more than 17.1 kWh to charge from 0 to 100%
- You can use an EVSE that exceeds the X5's capacity. Get a Jukebox that uses 240v and 50a or a Telsa charger with adapter if you wan to prepare for future BEV ownership. The X5 controls the charge. It's the same as using a MacBook USB-C charger to charge a phone or tablet.
- EVSE you choose should be no more than 80% of the breaker rating. 20a breaker=16a EVSE
- There is a big difference between 16a 240v and 16a 120v. The X5 can use 16a 240v. The former produces up to 1.92 kW and the latter can produce 3.84kW.


For fun.
This study on BEVs implies l2 charging is associated with less battery degradation than L1 which I'll admit is counter to how I would have guessed. Keep in mind this is BEVs not PHEVs and limited to 6k samples.

https://www.geotab.com/blog/ev-battery-health/

Hope this helps.

[jad03060]

120vac sources end up being less efficient than a 240vac one because of how the power supply IN the X5 works. Remember, the EVSE is just a smart power cord, all of the charging is done in the vehicle from AC-DC conversion.

Power=volts*amps, so increasing either can produce more power (watts) into the X5. The max it can handle is 3700W, just like say a 100W light bulb...it doesn't draw more power than it needs, but the vehicle is smart enough to recognize what the EVSE says it has, and not overload it.

I'd get as large of an EVSE as my unmodified power panel can provide to future-proof things for your next PHEV or EV.

[chbmw]

Originally Posted by -JLT-

How long does it take for a full charge on Level 1 and Level 2?

Finally tested it from zero to full charge - took 10.5 hours using Level One (110v outlet, Schumacher SC1455, 16a).