Picking up i4 M40 this week. I had 240v w 14-50 (at 40 amp) installed. Dealer says I don't need a home charging station because the OEM cable and app will make it redundant. That is contrary to what I read so far. Opinions?
Do I need a charging station
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PCity
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2023 M50 Brooklyn Grey, 19" 861M wheels, Tacora Red Vernasca Leather, all options without Carbon pk
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They are correct. I bought a juice box prior to taking delivery of my M50. Then found out the Charger come with the car can do basic the same charging speed. So now I have 2 level 2 chargers but only 1 240v plug.
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We've had our i4 for 5 months now, and we just use the mobile charge cord with the 14-50 outlet.
I personally don't see the Return On Investment by spending $500-$1,000 for a Wallbox that charges SLIGHTLY faster. Start with the mobile cord, and upgrade to the Wallbox in a minth if you think you'd prefer it.
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There is a 110 volt level 1 cable and 240 volt level 2. If you already have the 240 volt outlet you will be okay with home charging since it's similar rate as a home charging station. The home charger is convenient since as others have commented you can leave the flex charger and adapters in the trunk.
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If we’d had a 240 outlet in our garage I probably would be using the bmw charger but we didn’t. So I called our trusted electrician who has installed a lot of 240s and wall chargers and I was convinced by the safety and reliability argument for wiring a wall charger directly to the box. Over the long term, I think having a robustly safe car charger in the garage of the home we plan to live in for the next 10+ years makes sense. We were going to spend hundreds getting the new outlet anyway so that factored in, but with tax incentives and the idea that cheaping out means eventual failure and replacement, we decided $2000 was a good investment. I’m very happy we did it.
I’m guessing having a dedicated charger is probably worth something for housing resale as well.
I’m guessing having a dedicated charger is probably worth something for housing resale as well.
2015 i3 Rex, i4 M50 Spartanburg PC delivery 8/4/22 traded in Volvo XC40 EV
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Your dealer is correct. My 6 year old level 2 charger is having issues and I am currently using the one supplied with the car. You just need to install the correct NEMA outlet.
Pulled into my garage last night at 1am or so. left for work at 7am Charged 62 kWh from 10% - 80% in 6 hours. Hit 80% mere minutes before departing. Only way to do that is with 48A direct wire wall charger (Chargepoint Flex for me). It is worth it to me since I do that a couple nights a week. Most people probably are fine with the supplied bmw charger... what's your use case? is the extra speed worth it to you even though it's small? It was worth it to me....
E-drive 40 Dravid grey/cognac M-sports package with all options.
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Thank You for the correction. Yeah I saw that separate plug for 240v so indeed, it could work for some to just use this instead of a dedicated home charger.
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technically don’t need a home charger but it’s just convenient. Also government isn’t giving tax incentive this year for it since I just did my taxes.
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Technically speaking you do not need it.
you can do 40 Amp charging from the outlet, will take 20% longer vs 48 amp.
car will let you know when it is charged, just install an app.
Unless your state gives you tax credit for a charger, you are looking at at least $2000
to put one. Charger plus labor and material and may be permit and inspection.
It is convenient to have one, makes it simpler, (I have installed one) if you do not mind spending some money.
Huh? You may have missed something. There definitely is a federal tax credit for EVSE install.
The EV Charger Tax Credit Gets A 10-Year Extension—And A Few Upgrades
A recently expired federal tax break for electric vehicle (EV) chargers got new life under the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act—a move that will give taxpayers up to $1,000 in a tax credit. The section 30C tax credit–officially referred to as the Alternative Fuel Vehicle Refueling Property
www.forbes.com
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I have same installation as you. I had a home charging station and returned it as the standard 240v 40 amp charges quick enough. For example, just plugged in at 59%, will be at 80% in 2 hours. If you need the BMW supplied charger somewhere else, you just unplug and take it along.
Aloha George.
I ran a relay race around Oahu a couple of times in my younger years (7 runners splitting up 134 miles), but six miles of that is a dirt trail, so you cannot actually drive all the way around. Unfortunately there is too much traffic to make any of the longer loops much fun, certainly for doing laps. I have had it near 100 on a winding road to one of my favorite restaurants to pick up take-out though (My wife wonders why I suggest that place and offer to pick up every few weeks!).
We had an inter-island ferry, but they were shut down because the Hawai'i Supreme Court ruled the State Law that allowed them to operate without a second Environmental Impact Statement was unconstitutional (a bunch of special interest groups used this to kill it for their own selfish reasons IMHO as the Super Ferry was clearly less impactful than our big shipping companies and airlines flights between the islands). The company went bankrupt as a second EIS was not in the origial plan the State bought off on. Sure would be nice to take the i4 to the Big Island where there is a little more distance to cover.
Dealer is right. There is no need to spend the extra money for an "home charger". Those devices do not charge your car, They just look cool and have a display that does a lot more than one really needs, and require one more app on your cell phone. A 50 amp outlet is all you need. The charging cable of the car, and the car app provide all you need and more. After a lot of research, and some good suggestions in this forum, I did exactly that, and I am very happy with the set up, I do not have another bulky device in my garage, no worries about it breaking (it is not there), one less app on my already crowded cell, and I easily saved 500 bucks. Try it, and if you do not like it you can always add the "home charger" later.
That’s a little extreme… it’s convenient, and for those with TOU rates, it’s very helpful since the car is much more difficult to manage. I’m grateful for mine…
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