I believe the neutral wire is not needed for charging.

 

The neutral on a 14-50 is not used for L2 charging, but it IS required to be in the connectors as 14-50 cna also be used to provide wo separate 120VAC "legs".

Take the plate off and see if there's a neutral wire, if Yes, install a different outlet such as one that fits the adapter you already have.

 

You can get a different pigtail from BMW that will plug directly into the wall and your charger. It does have the BMW surcharge, though.

(Pigtail-the short cable between an outlet and transformer for a device)

 

To be clear, this is a not an approved configuration. It is dangerous and not worth the risk. You cannot use an additional adapter with the charging cable provided by BMW and charge at 40 Amps.

Source: https://www.bmw.gr/content/dam/bmw/...nation-bmw/electrmobility/bea-01295A02C10_2.2_en_en.pdf.asset.1645004418792.pdf

Having said this and knowing under no circumstance you should do this here are the ways to minimize the inherent high risk:

• Limit charging power to ~24A or less
• When making the connections, make sure the outlet is turned off so no arc is possible.

 

Thats the BMW lawyers trying to CYA the company.

Its easy to tell if the adapter itself can handle the 40-48 amp full current charge. After 20 minutes of use, examine the adapter for heat... If its too hot to hold, then its not a good adapter and probably skimped on the wire gauge or the prongs.

 

The FFC brick is neutral agnostic and should work with the adapter and all components are rated 50A. IMHO, it's really lousy practice, as the adapter presents a neutral at the 14-50R end that is not present. I will admit that my travel bag contains similar adapters, but for emergency use only. For regular use, i would get a correct NEMA 10-50 dongle for the FFC.

 

I don't think BMW makes a 10-50p dongle for the FFC that I could see but if it were me, I'd use a properly rated "adapter" and be done with it. Alternatively, it's a long shot but maybe the apartment manager would consider switching it to a 14-50r ... have you tried?

 

The standard EV plug for North America is the 14-50. It is really stupid because most chargers don't use the neutral so everyone is paying for extra wires they don't use. The 14-50 is a high volume seller for RVs and Stoves so it is readily available and cheaper than other plugs.

Nema 10-50. Doesn't technically have a ground and a poor choice for EV plugs. It combines neutral and ground. You didn't state if you have your own dedicated outlet and if it was in a public place. Will you be removing your charger daily? Plugs wear out.

Cannot modify plug. Hopefully in a private place where you don’t have to remove daily.
Option 1. Most dangerous option but most people still do it anyway. Buy the 10-50 to 14-50 adapter from Amazon. The reason it isn't recommended is the charger plug has a temperature sensor and will shut off or reduce power if the plug gets hot from wear. If you add an dummy adapter, things can get hot and the charger will not turn off something bad could happen but unlikely.
Option 2. See if there are EVSEs that have a 10-50 plug. This removes a failure point.

Can Modify:
Option 1. If it is in a private spot just for you. I’d hardwire a charger. Why mess with plugging and unplugging daily. Safest option.
Option 2. Change plug to a 6-50 and buy a BMW adapter for 6-50. Or change to 14-50 if neutral and ground are there. The metal box should be grounded. But I need a licensed electrician to check.

 

The standard EV plug for North America is the 14-50. It is really stupid because most chargers don't use the neutral so everyone is paying for extra wires they don't use. The 14-50 is a high volume seller for RVs and Stoves so it is readily available and cheaper than other plugs.

Nema 10-50. Doesn't technically have a ground and a poor choice for EV plugs. It combines neutral and ground
.

Agree on the first part - that’s a good reason for hardwire - save copper. Under NEC prior to the 2023 edition, you could also skip the GFCI, but new Code seems to require it.
Although Neutral and ground are at the same electrical potential, the Equipment Grounding Conductor (EGC) should never be equated/confused with or used as a current carrying conductor (Neutral) in a split phase application. NEMA 10-50 has two “hots” and a ground (EGC). The 14-50 adds the neutral.

 

You dont need to charge at 48 amps all the time. I usually cap the current on my Emporia at 30 amps, and that means everything from the breaker to the receptcle stay cool to the touch. The i4's internal charger can also limit the current, controlled via the Charging screen in iDrive.

When I need the full 48 amp, the 60 amp breaker gets a bit hot, and other bits get hot but not enough to worry about. However, capped at 30 amps means it adds one extra hour. So 15%-80% takes 5.5 hours instead of 4.5 hours.

 

You sure about your charging times? At 40 amps I put almost exactly 10% into the battery per hour which would mean 15-80 takes me 6.5 hours.

 

This is the answer to your question, @salant76 : The link is tobuy the adapter you are looking for, from shop.BMWUSA.

 

This is the answer to your question, @salant76 : The link is tobuy the adapter you are looking for, from shop.BMWUSA.

He is trying to go to 10-50P from 14-50P so no that's not going to help him.
OP I checked the list of available adapter cable for your BMW mobile charger but there is no 10-50P, they list a 6-50P as another 50Amp one but that's all I saw. Rest were 16-20, etc but still no 10-xxx cable.

 

I think it’s that mine was built in March 2023 with the earlier version that can’t receive the update that includes the 24a setting.

 

There is no 10-50p pigtail for the BMW FFC, that I could find. If there is one, please share the BMW Part ID so we can help the OP and others out....Unless I've grossly misunderstood, picture 2 of the initial post shows a 10-50r (very clearly) is needed, thus the entire discussion about the adaptor, lol...

 

@i4eD40 A lot of people ask about 24A charging. NEMA 14-30 would be useful for a lot of people, but it got discontinued. I think BMW had hopes but poor sales of adapters made them discontinue and not develop a lot of them for the V2 Fast flexible charger. Sad.

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-mini-parts/adapter-cablenema-14-30-24a/61905a13a60/

 

Not surprised. When I first saw the list of the adapters my first thought was, wtf why so many

 

Thank you for the feedback everybody! This is what I ended up doing:

Here are the components I ended up using:
Amazon.com

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CQP46NQG?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B25KGG4Y?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

Maybe there is a very small market for EVSE cradles attached to Tripods. I ended up zip-tie the crap out of the supplied EVSE.

 

You gotta do what you gotta do!

 

Any reason why not just call an electrician to put in the correct outlet? I mean, that's a minimum service charge appointment if ever there was one. Yes, I know there's a landlord involved, but this is a solution just begging for an H&S violation ticket.

 

This is just an apartment building I rent from not a townhouse. I would rather just just do it then ask. Since my solution isn't modifying anything I figured there is no reason for anyone to care.

 

My favorite part is the tripod.
You'd think if the apartment complex went through the effort of putting in these outlets they could have put some hooks or shelves or something for you to attach the brick to so it doesn't just hang from the outlet.

 

I agree. I know that most of the other people with EVs are hanging their chargers from the plugs. The BMW charger with adapter cable is to heavy (which is good thing to me) to really hang. At the end of the day the cost wasn't that much. It was more of a time issue.

The biggest issue is, what happens when you are just an average car owner. How would they handle this? Maybe they would ask the apartment complex for help.