[SDDent]

Hi all! New here!

I am expecting to pick-up the X5 hybrid soon. I have not seen it or inspected the charger it comes with. I believe it comes with a Level 1 110V (standard home outlet) cable...right?

I see a lot of posts regarding people installing wall chargers. I do not plan to do this. Alternatively, we have a 240V 30A receptacle in which we can charge a Tesla with the NEMA 14-30 adapter. We just use the outlet with the NEMA adapter and Tesla cable.

My questions are:

1.) Does the cable the car comes with literally plug into any standard USA home outlet (110v?)

2.) If I want to use Level 2, can I buy a charging cable that fits the NEMA 14-30 that is compatible with the X5?

3.) If I want to use my Tesla cable (with NEMA 14-30 adapter), do I just get the adapter to convert the plug to be BMW-compatible?

4.) I have read 15+ hours for full charge with 110v, and 5-7 hours with 240v. Does that sound about right?

5.) If you had the 14-30 outlet with the Tesla cable, and also access to a standard outlet to use the provided BMW cable, what would you do? Use the 110v provided cable, buy a new separate cable that fits the NEMA 14-30 outlet to charge BMW, or buy the adapter that converts the Tesla plug to BMW-compatible. I have slight concern that adapter would damage the Tesla charger....? Not sure...

I am definitely a rookie here and appreciate all help. Thank you!

[45e21]

Since you already have 240V, 30A outlet - that is your best option. The included cable is pretty useless if you want to charge it on daily basis.
People on this forum have used Tesla adapter, so that might be the way to go.

[allinon72]

1. Yes
2. Yes
3. Yes
4. Yes
5. You should definitely use the power since you already have it, but keep in mind you can't charge at the same time, which could be an issue with the Tesla. Regardless, I wouldn't own a 45e without a level 2 charger.

[nZtiZia]

i'm not clear on something. you keep saying NEMA 14-30 adapter which is the plug that goes into the outlet. my answers below assume you have a Tesla Wall Connector that isn't hardwired, but that its power supply cable has a NEMA 14-30 plug fitted onto it.

for US-spec 45e (17.1kWh usable capacity), answers highlighted below:

Originally Posted by SDDent

1.) Does the cable the car comes with literally plug into any standard USA home outlet (110v?) [COLOR="Red"]yes. is your circuit 110V or 120V?[/COLOR]

2.) If I want to use Level 2, can I buy a charging cable that fits the NEMA 14-30 that is compatible with the X5?[COLOR="red"] yes. too bad, i have a NEMA 14-50 EVSE i'm trying to sell. :P [/COLOR]

3.) If I want to use my Tesla cable (with NEMA 14-30 adapter), do I just get the adapter to convert the plug to be BMW-compatible? [COLOR="red"]yes, you need a Tesla to J1772 adapter. many folks use the Lectron though it doesn't have a published waterproof rating and has been reported to fail in the rain. another option is the TeslaTap Mini which has an IP-67 waterproof rating.
[/COLOR]
4.) I have read 15+ hours for full charge with 110v, and 5-7 hours with 240v. Does that sound about right? [COLOR="red"]on 110/120V), full charge using included level 1 EVSE:
- 6A setting (default) takes 24h+
- 10A setting takes 16-17h
**keep in mind if your current home circuit wiring is rated for this load for this long! (many aren't)
- 5-7h at 16A 240V sounds about right. i average under 6h.
**the longer charging times are usually due to prolonged cooling or heating of the HV batteries before charging actually starts in addition to balancing the cells that occurs at the end of the charging cycle.[/COLOR]

5.) If you had the 14-30 outlet with the Tesla cable, and also access to a standard outlet to use the provided BMW cable, what would you do? Use the 110v provided cable, buy a new separate cable that fits the NEMA 14-30 outlet to charge BMW, or buy the adapter that converts the Tesla plug to BMW-compatible. I have slight concern that adapter would damage the Tesla charger....?
[COLOR="red"]- do you need a "full tank" of electric power every day? if so, then get a second level 2 EVSE or just the Tesla to J1772 adapter for use with your existing Tesla wall connector (IMHO, the latter is cheapest and most convenient option though can't charge two vehicles at the same time)
- if you decide to purchase a second EVSE, would you want to share your existing NEMA 14-30 outlet or install a second dedicated outlet? as an addendum to this is if you purchase a second Tesla wall connector, don't they have a Power Sharing feature where they share the power from one outlet instead of having to install a second dedicated outlet? if you purchase a second non-Tesla EVSE, you can use something like the NeoCharge Dual Car Smart Splitter to share the same outlet.[/COLOR]

[Silver64]

nZtiZia

NEMA 14-50 EVSE i'm trying to sell. :P … more details please

[nZtiZia]

Originally Posted by Silver64

more details please

PM sent

[jad03060]

A level 2 device is more convenient, but unless you deplete your battery on a daily basis, and the vehicle can sit long enough at home, the supplied level 1 device sold with it in the USA will work. Those where 220-240-vac is the standard, get a 10A, 220-240 device which is twice as fast, but still not as fast as one that can provide the full 16A the vehicle can pull. AC charging on any EV today is maximum current restricted both by the EVSE you have, or the draw in the vehicle (think of it like a light bulb...using a 75W light bulb pulls a certain amount, while a 100W one will pull more, but they both work fine plugged into the same circuit). The EVSE and vehicle are smarter as the EVSE sends out a signal that tells the vehicle the max it can pull, and it adjusts (the vehicle, not the EVSE). The EVSE is a smart on/off switch...all of the AC-DC conversion and smarts about what it will use is determined in the vehicle.

[SDDent]

If I decided I wanted to park the x5 in my driveway more regularly.

1. Do you guys see a problem with running the charging cable under the garage door letting the garage door close on the cable, with the rubbery weather strip pushing on the cable?

2. I have an outdoor weather-protection covered outlet that I can use the level 1 charger with. Is the stock level 1 charger safe to use outdoor left overnight like this? I wouldn’t do it in rain…I’m in cali.

Thank you!

[jad03060]

1. If locking your garage door isn't a problem, I suppose. If using a garage door opener, you might want to find a board that was the right thickness to allow the cable to not be compressed. What I did is I put a box you might use to have the paper put into on the wall (if you could find one that would!) on hinges, and a hole through the wall behind it, and ran the cable through the wall. When it wasn't being used outside, from the inside, I had fashioned a foam plug to close it off and had a second one with a notch cut out of it to go around the cable to keep wind and bugs out. I did this when I had an ICE in the garage and an EV parked outside. Now, I got rid of the ICE and EV, and just have the PHEV, so I park that in the garage.
2. the unit shouldn't be left where it could end up submerged, but it shouldn't be hurt by being wet.

[91Eunos]

Originally Posted by SDDent

Hi all! New here!

I am expecting to pick-up the X5 hybrid soon. I have not seen it or inspected the charger it comes with. I believe it comes with a Level 1 110V (standard home outlet) cable...right?

I see a lot of posts regarding people installing wall chargers. I do not plan to do this. Alternatively, we have a 240V 30A receptacle in which we can charge a Tesla with the NEMA 14-30 adapter. We just use the outlet with the NEMA adapter and Tesla cable.

My questions are:

1.) Does the cable the car comes with literally plug into any standard USA home outlet (110v?)

2.) If I want to use Level 2, can I buy a charging cable that fits the NEMA 14-30 that is compatible with the X5?

3.) If I want to use my Tesla cable (with NEMA 14-30 adapter), do I just get the adapter to convert the plug to be BMW-compatible?

4.) I have read 15+ hours for full charge with 110v, and 5-7 hours with 240v. Does that sound about right?

5.) If you had the 14-30 outlet with the Tesla cable, and also access to a standard outlet to use the provided BMW cable, what would you do? Use the 110v provided cable, buy a new separate cable that fits the NEMA 14-30 outlet to charge BMW, or buy the adapter that converts the Tesla plug to BMW-compatible. I have slight concern that adapter would damage the Tesla charger....? Not sure...

I am definitely a rookie here and appreciate all help. Thank you!

Yes to all…

If you already have a level 2 Tesla charger, just get the Tesla-to-J1772 adapter. The one that came with my Level 2 ‘bundle’ from Lectron works great…tried it on a public Tesla charger the other night.

https://www.amazon.com/Lectron-Adapt...461867119&th=1

[GS2019]

Originally Posted by 91Eunos

Yes to all…

If you already have a level 2 Tesla charger, just get the Tesla-to-J1772 adapter. The one that came with my Level 2 ‘bundle’ from Lectron works great…tried it on a public Tesla charger the other night.

https://www.amazon.com/Lectron-Adapt...461867119&th=1

Has anyone ever try to charge your 45e on Tesla Supercharger - I assume it won't work as it's only for Tesla.

[nZtiZia]

Originally Posted by GS2019

Has anyone ever try to charge your 45e on Tesla Supercharger - I assume it won't work as it's only for Tesla.

DC charging is not supported on the 45e. whoever were to use the Tesla to J1772 adapter and plug a 45e into a Tesla Supercharger will have a bad day!

[Flying Ace]

Originally Posted by SDDent

If I decided I wanted to park the x5 in my driveway more regularly.

1. Do you guys see a problem with running the charging cable under the garage door letting the garage door close on the cable, with the rubbery weather strip pushing on the cable?

2. I have an outdoor weather-protection covered outlet that I can use the level 1 charger with. Is the stock level 1 charger safe to use outdoor left overnight like this? I wouldn’t do it in rain…I’m in cali.

Thank you!

This is what I do:

[jad03060]

The X5 only supports ACV inputs in either level 1 or level 2 through it's J1772 connector and protocol. It supports about 110-250vac inputs. The Supercharger network supports DCV inputs at approximately 400VDC...i.e., not compatible!

There are three different DC, fast charging standards:
- CCS
- Tesla
- CHAdeMO
and basically one ACV standard, in level 1 or level 2 which is basically 120 or 240 vac respectively.

Tesla's destination chargers are ACV devices, and there are conversion cables for it, and from a standard EVSE to Tesla, but you can't change DCV to ACV devices.

[M4evermore]

Anyone seen the new BMW Flexible Fast Charger? It seems to be dual level 1/2 with detachable plug adapters. Wondering if the Hybrid models will come with this as well or just the fully electric models.

[jad03060]

If you want to stay with a BMW device, BMWUSA has this level 1/2 device. https://www.shopbmwusa.com/product/5...boCord-Charger.

[bceye]

#4) I get 4-4.5hrs to fully charge on 16A 240V.

[nZtiZia]

Originally Posted by bceye

#4) I get 4-4.5hrs to fully charge on 16A 240V.

on a U.S. 45e from 0-100%? that's literally (physically) impossible. cap

[groundgrid]

As an engineer and master electrician I would highly recommend a hard wired Level 2 charger. An outlet will work initially. However, over time, oxidation will build up on both the plug prongs and the outlet's internal contacts. Combine that with being in a non-temperature stable garage and the possible exposure to road salt etc, the outlet is guaranteed to fail at some point. Very nasty things can happen when you try to pull 40+ amps through a bad connection. If the 240 VAC circuit is already in the garage it is very easy to wire in a wall mounted charger.

[jad03060]

The units between wired and plug-in are identical, and in a worst case scenario, it wouldn't be hard to add a plug to the hard-wired version if you needed it (probably easier to add a pigtail with a plug already on it).

Installing the hard-wired unit one, the wires are run is a few minute operation to connect three wires and put the cover back on.

So, unless you're planning on taking the EVSE with you on a regular basis, there's no good reason to buy it with a plug.

[allinon72]

Originally Posted by groundgrid

As an engineer and master electrician I would highly recommend a hard wired Level 2 charger. An outlet will work initially. However, over time, oxidation will build up on both the plug prongs and the outlet's internal contacts. Combine that with being in a non-temperature stable garage and the possible exposure to road salt etc, the outlet is guaranteed to fail at some point. Very nasty things can happen when you try to pull 40+ amps through a bad connection. If the 240 VAC circuit is already in the garage it is very easy to wire in a wall mounted charger.

Yeah that's a little dramatic.

[Outack]

Originally Posted by allinon72

Yeah that's a little dramatic.

Agreed -- with a decent outlet, such as an industrial grade Hubble, there is almost no risk of this happening in many years of use.