[franxx]

Hi,

Sorry if this has been asked but I could not find any topic about it.
I'm wondering if there is a minimum recommended frequency for charging the 45e.

In my case I drive the car mainly on the weekends and if I would buy a 45e I could only charge it at a public charger (not allowed to install in my garage).

Because I don't drive much, it could be that after one drive the battery is still at let's say 40-50% and I then decide to park the car and go home (instead of leaving it charging, go home, and then go out again when it is full and park it). The next time I drive it probably the battery would end up very low and then I would charge it.

My question is: Would it be ok for the battery life if I do that? Or would it be better to charge it every single time? If I don't it could mean that 2-4 weeks pass between charges and I wonder if that is too little.

Many thanks in advance.

[eelnoraa]

I don’t see why not. Technically, you don’t even have to charge the car at all.

PHEV on public charger would be painful tho, especially 45e only take 3.8kW, the car will be at the charger for up to 5.5 hours from 0-100%.

[jad03060]

When it gets cold in the winter, it’s best not to leave the vehicle sit overnight with a low battery, but the HVB does not lose its charge much at all just by sitting. The 12vdc system can, and short hops may not recharge the 12vdc battery enough, and over time, that could be an issue. The PHEV can charge the 12vdc system, but tends to only do that when it’s doing regeneration unless the battery is below a certain point. It does not typically try to keep the 12vdc system fully charged which is one reason why they use AGM batteries on their 12vdc system. While you may not be able to recharge the HVB, you might want to periodically recharge the 12vdc system if it doesn’t get driven regularly. Without the 12vdc system, the computers won’t run, and the vehicle becomes a brick even if the HVB are full.

The thing does come with a mode 1 EVSE (US and Europe use different nomenclature on charging) that you can just plug into any socket…. Overnight with a 220vac input, you should almost be able to recharge it fully with the supplied unit unless you waited until the battery was almost empty.

[franxx]

Thanks for your answers.

To explain a bit better my case, first of all the car I'm interested is actually the 545e, although I figured I better asked the question in the G05 forum given that that model is not sold in the US and I assumed the same answers would apply (although I know that the X5 has a bigger battery than the G30).

Second, although I park the car in a garage under an apartment, any charging inside it is strictly forbidden, so I could only charge the car outside on the street.

jad03060 Thanks for your explanation. If I understand it correctly, what you say about the 12v battery applies also to non-PHEV models, right? Even those without mild-hybrid system, correct?

[jad03060]

On the mild hybrid vehicles, there’s a clutch on the alternator that only engages when you are decelerating, or when the battery is below a certain level (some have indicated it seems to be about 70%). Depending on the MY, that energy may go into the LiON battery, or maybe the 12vdc system, or both. On pure ICE vehicles, it would charge the 12vdc system.

The PHEVs don’t have a dedicated alternator…the EV motor’s mode gets switched to generator mode when you decelerate in most modes. That EV motor and HVB, in any mode, can supply 12vdc through a DC-DC inverter to replenish the 12vdc system, which is also why things keep running if your HVB runs out. Almost all of the ‘normal’ vehicle electronics run off of the 12vdc system, so that is critical all of the time. For example, the seat heaters, ICE ignition and fuel injector system, fans, lights, etc. all run off of 12vdc, so you can see why that is critical to have operational.

[Georgetheowl]

Don't buy a PHEV if you can't charge at home, period...

[sigmabody]

I don't know that I'd buy a PHEV if you don't plan to charge at home, unless you really like the make/model anyway; a normal HEV is probably better for that case.

That said, you can charge the x5 from a normal 110V outlet, and you should get ~75% charge overnight that way. This is what I do, because it was expensive to install a 220V in my garage, and charging with 110V covers 95%+ of my use-cases. I've done about 1/2 the miles on mine with electric power (per the vehicle's tracker), charging only at home on 110V, for reference.

[cellarrat]

Originally Posted by franxx

Hi,

Sorry if this has been asked but I could not find any topic about it.
I'm wondering if there is a minimum recommended frequency for charging the 45e.

In my case I drive the car mainly on the weekends and if I would buy a 45e I could only charge it at a public charger (not allowed to install in my garage).

Because I don't drive much, it could be that after one drive the battery is still at let's say 40-50% and I then decide to park the car and go home (instead of leaving it charging, go home, and then go out again when it is full and park it). The next time I drive it probably the battery would end up very low and then I would charge it.

My question is: Would it be ok for the battery life if I do that? Or would it be better to charge it every single time? If I don't it could mean that 2-4 weeks pass between charges and I wonder if that is too little.

Many thanks in advance.

I LOVE my 45e, but I could not recommend it in good conscience to someone who could not charge it regularly. The battery capacity is just insufficient to make it worthwhile.

[franxx]

Thanks for the answers again.

I live in the Netherlands in an apartment complex but the public charger network is very good here. I have probably more than 20 chargers within 2 min walk from my apartment, 4 right outside the door. And rarely they are all 4 always being used at the same time. And from what I read, even when using public chargers you save money compared to using gasoline.
My car, however, sleeps in a separate garage (which by the way stays quite warm even in winter).

Lots of people here drive PHEVs/EVs without charging them at home, but using the public chargers, and have their cars sleeping on the street because they don't have a private garage. The main difference in my case is that I don't drive my car daily, and mainly do it on the weekends for fun/family trips. After every trip I could let the car charging at least up to 80% and then go out and park it, but I assume sometimes I would be lazy to do that, hence my question.

And by the way, the reason to think of a 45e instead of a 40i is because I'm looking for a good second hand deal and there is way more offer for the 45e than for the 40i, which on top of that is WAY more expensive. Oh, and currently the road taxes are also much cheaper on the 45e.

I also understood from the dealer that lots of people here only buy 30e/45e's for the tax benefit and then they never charge their cars (stupid). I would never do that, but I simply wanted to know if charging every 2 weeks (at most) would be too bad for the battery.

[jad03060]

Unlike say the 12vdc AGM battery, when off, there isn’t any load on the HBV, so it would not run down…it has a very low self-discharge rate.

It seems like between taxes and the ready availability of public charging, the whole scheme can easily change between not only states in the US, but also different countries around the world.

It’s quite pleasant, at least for me, to just waft along on the EV motor versus even when the ICE is on in more spirited driving.

The latest mild hybrid version is nice, too, but it’s not the same. For some people, they can easily go many months in between filling the tank, but then go on a longer trip, and you have the convenience of just refilling the tank quickly. Except for longer trips, I can easily go as much as six months before I have to refill my tank.

The cost of fuel in Europe is often a LOT higher than in the USA, and using charging on the PHEV, even at a public station that tends to be higher than home, may work out cheaper, too. It depends on how far you typically drive before you can recharge, the tax advantage, and your feeling on the environment.

[eelnoraa]

Originally Posted by franxx

Thanks for the answers again.

I live in the Netherlands in an apartment complex but the public charger network is very good here. I have probably more than 20 chargers within 2 min walk from my apartment, 4 right outside the door. And rarely they are all 4 always being used at the same time. And from what I read, even when using public chargers you save money compared to using gasoline.
My car, however, sleeps in a separate garage (which by the way stays quite warm even in winter).

Lots of people here drive PHEVs/EVs without charging them at home, but using the public chargers, and have their cars sleeping on the street because they don't have a private garage. The main difference in my case is that I don't drive my car daily, and mainly do it on the weekends for fun/family trips. After every trip I could let the car charging at least up to 80% and then go out and park it, but I assume sometimes I would be lazy to do that, hence my question.

And by the way, the reason to think of a 45e instead of a 40i is because I'm looking for a good second hand deal and there is way more offer for the 45e than for the 40i, which on top of that is WAY more expensive. Oh, and currently the road taxes are also much cheaper on the 45e.

I also understood from the dealer that lots of people here only buy 30e/45e's for the tax benefit and then they never charge their cars (stupid). I would never do that, but I simply wanted to know if charging every 2 weeks (at most) would be too bad for the battery.

Don’t charge 45e is fine, HVB is never fully depleted anyway.

Location also matters a lot. Quite a few commented here about not recommending PHEV without home charging (myself included), live in US where public charging infra is very behind European countries. Not being able to charge at home is a major pain. Since you are in a different country, maybe take this as grain of salt. We have very little idea what it is like at you location.

[nZtiZia]

Originally Posted by eelnoraa

Don’t charge 45e is fine, HVB is never fully depleted anyway.

Location also matters a lot. Quite a few commented here about not recommending PHEV without home charging (myself included), live in US where public charging infra is very behind European countries. Not being able to charge at home is a major pain. Since you are in a different country, maybe take this as grain of salt. We have very little idea what it is like at you location.

there’s something to consider…

being in the Netherlands, you have very cold winters. if your usable capacity is fully discharged and vehicle sits outside overnight, the HVB can get ‘cold soaked’ meaning no electrons will flow whatsoever until it warms up. when this happens and you start your vehicle, you’ll have greatly reduced power as the electric motor is completely offline and unable to provide any assistance to the engine via eAssist. adding to this, you can’t precondition prior to entering the vehicle, and the heater will not operate immediately upon starting the vehicle, so your cabin will be very cold for several minutes.

while this may not be an issue since you keep it inside a warm garage, know this can occur if you happen to be away from your garage overnight, say on a winter weekend getaway.

because of the extreme cold temps your vehicle may be exposed to, know the HVB has an operational cold temperature limit of 21°F (-6°C), so again, electrical drive may cease even with a fully charged HVB**

**the check control message below is one example of the HVAC system being deactivated; this time because its usable capacity was fully discharged. similar check control messages will display when the HVAC is deactivated due to either being too warm or too cold

[tooloud10]

Originally Posted by sigmabody

That said, you can charge the x5 from a normal 110V outlet, and you should get ~75% charge overnight that way. This is what I do, because it was expensive to install a 220V in my garage, and charging with 110V covers 95%+ of my use-cases. I've done about 1/2 the miles on mine with electric power (per the vehicle's tracker), charging only at home on 110V, for reference.

+1

Everyone told me I should get a L2 charger installed for my 45e but I've been fine for over a year now with the L1 charging at home. The EV battery is almost always 'full' when I leave the house.

Could just be a coincidence with my schedule but it works for me.

[jad03060]

Charging with 120 vac is a bit less efficient than using 240 vac, so, over time, plus the potential US federal tax credits for installing an EVSE, the level 2 unit might pay for itself and provide shorter turnaround, should you decide you want to go out again. It’s highly likely that you may continue to use it on your next vehicle, too…they last a fairly long time…mine is now 10-years old and still going strong.