[i4_Loe]

@i4_Loe, you may want to re-check with the car's capability. Currently, it has an AC circuit only capable of 11kW on 240V (50A) bi-phased, no tri-phased in the US. Anything higher has to be DC, and the car can accommodate indeed 205kW peak. 19.2kW on 240VAC is not supported by the car, and I'm pretty sure it's hardware, not OTA software.

Yes, fully aware. Posted it more for future-state planning beyond my 1st gen i4 years.

 

[reddy_kilowatt]

Any idea how long the cable is on the included charger? I have a 14-50 plug already mounted on the wall for my Tesla, but the Tesla has the charging port on the left side of the car, versus the right on the i4. I'm hoping there's enough cable to reach. I really don't want to have to re-wire that outlet, as it is already a good distance from my panel. It doesn't look very long in the picture, but also doesn't provide any specs. (Note, US)

I had the same question in another thread and @swalt004 and @MinhSATx were kind enough to answer. See: BMW EV Flexible Fast Charger

 

[reddy_kilowatt]

I spoke with Juicebox today about their 48A charger which they say on the website is not currently available.
They said that due to the chip shortage is will not be available til March, which is the same timeframe that BMW has given for the next version of their wall charger.

Thanks for sharing. I was looking to get the Juicebox 48A, after your earlier post. Now that you confirmed it is not available for a while, I just ordered the Chargepoint Flex. Actually, after @teamzans suggestion the Pulsar Plus was my first choice, but only the Juicebox and Chargepoint are included in my electric company's incentive program, and I do not want to miss out on it. So I'll join @rollermonkey 's and @MinhSATx 's EVSE team

 

[dspevack]

I'm going to wait until March to decide which box to get. My car won't be built til March, which means I won't be needing it til April.

 

[aigarius]

11kW or 22kW chargers have the best efficiency. Mobile chargers have larger charging losses, so less of the power you paid for will actually get into the battery. That can add up really quickly if you are mostly charging at home.

 

[linerjoe]

I had the same question in another thread and @swalt004 and @MinhSATx were kind enough to answer. See: BMW EV Flexible Fast Charger

Thanks! Question answered! 20ft would be plenty for my setup, I'll just have to run it behind the car. I already have cable management there for the current charger.

 

[Xprodge]

@Algarius, you got me curious with that efficiency issue, I was planning to use the flexible charger on a daily basis. Can you share more info/resources?

Thanks,
João

 

[JToddK]

@M3HNGRY - Congrats on what looks like an early delivery! I am in NJ, so it may not be the same for you, but per (local) electrical code, if I want to install a NEMA 14-50 outlet in my garage, the breaker for this outlet would need to be GFCI protected. I am not an electrician so I cannot explain it, but it looks that several EV charger manufacturers explicitly advice against GFCI protection, as they will trip them very frequently.

Therefore, I decided against using the "Flexible Fast Charger" (or any other EV charger) with a NEMA 14-50 outlet. Instead, I'll have my EV charger hardwired. When hardwiring the EV charger, no GFCI is needed.

AFAIK, The explanation is kinda simple. In the old days (I say that a lot), dedicated receptacles did not need GFCI. There was a code change in 2020 (I think) that tightened the requirements and those receptacles in garages, even with the charger plugged in all the time, now require a GFCI. Unfortunately two GFCI devices on the same circuit (one in the panel and one in the charger) don't play well together and it leads to the false trips they caution against. Won't be the first or last time that regulatory agencies and product manufacturers have not coordinated. I'm not a licensed electrician, so just take this as my opinion FWIW.

 

[theiyer]

Going thru this decision process now. My utility has a rebate program for specific auto manufacturers and BMW is one of them, so I do not need to buy a EVSE (or at least not for a rebate), which means it is between the extra $100 for the GFCI 50amp breaker and $700 EVSE. The 20% faster charge seems interesting until I think that it is really happening overnight and I am in no rush at that time. Would it ever be needed to take the NEMA14-50 adaptor in the car? Pulling it in/out of the wall plug regularly does not advisable but I cannot see why I would want to carry that with me since it is not useful at charging stations. That said, my first EV, so maybe I am missing something super obvious?

 

[PJBi4]

Any idea how long the cable is on the included charger? I have a 14-50 plug already mounted on the wall for my Tesla, but the Tesla has the charging port on the left side of the car, versus the right on the i4. I'm hoping there's enough cable to reach. I really don't want to have to re-wire that outlet, as it is already a good distance from my panel. It doesn't look very long in the picture, but also doesn't provide any specs. (Note, US)

It’s 18 feet long excluding the charger and the plug end. About 19.5 feet overall. I went to local dealership this week and measured it as I needed at least 16 feet to reach my receptacle. The nema 14-50 adapter is 18 inches.

 

[gelat0]

I had the Charge Point Level 2 hardwired for maximum output with a new 70 amp breaker since my installation location is right next to my service panel. It can charge at a fast 50 amp rate, has wifi, and gets me on the ChargePoint network. It delivers the juice and can charge beyond the fastest rate my car can take, which is what I wanted and will adjust automatically to what my car can handle through the app. Have an electrician check your breaker panel for codes and capacity of your panel before buying a unit, since a 40 amp charger where I live does not require that super thick and expensive AWG wire (we are talking about $250-$400 for a 2 feet of wire, long runs from your panel could run much more $). My electrician told me that 50 amp charging requires an expensive super thick AWG wire, and requires a 70 amp breaker, while 40 amp charging (while not as fast) does not require that thick of wire, and a 40 amp charger can also be plugged into a outlet/receptacle just like a washer or dryer on a smaller breaker.

 

[JToddK]

I had the Charge Point Level 2 hardwired for maximum output with a new 70 amp breaker since my installation location is right next to my service panel. It can charge at a fast 50 amp rate, has wifi, and gets me on the ChargePoint network. It delivers the juice and can charge beyond the fastest rate my car can take, which is what I wanted and will adjust automatically to what my car can handle through the app. Have an electrician check your breaker panel for codes and capacity of your panel before buying a unit, since a 40 amp charger where I live does not require that super thick and expensive AWG wire (we are talking about $250-$400 for a 2 feet of wire, long runs from your panel could run much more $). My electrician told me that 50 amp charging requires an expensive super thick AWG wire, and requires a 70 amp breaker, while 40 amp charging (while not as fast) does not require that thick of wire, and a 40 amp charger can also be plugged into a outlet/receptacle just like a washer or dryer on a smaller breaker.

I think the wire thickness is not too great for the difference in current capacities we would use. A #8 copper wire is typically rated for 40A and a #6 copper is rated for 55A. Both gauges can have a higher A rating if they have hi-temp (like THHN) insulation. Code permits you to go to a 60amp breaker for the #6, as there's no such thing as a 55A breaker. So, IMHO, @80%, a #8 circuit get you 32A continuous (just under 7.7KW) and a #6 circuit gets you 48A (11.5kW). As you noted, the car spec is 11kW (just under 46A) but it's unclear if BMW is just rounding down in their usual conservative fashion. The need to go to a 50A continuous draw (#4 is 70A) wire is unclear. IMHO, the real savings with hardwire is the ability to use #6-2 with ground (instead of #6-3) and eliminate the GFCI breaker that is now required (2020) for a garage receptacle.

 

[685]

32A 240V is plenty for charging at home in under almost all circumstances. 16A 240V is going to be enough if you plug in every day. 40A is overkill and 50 and 60A are mega overkill unless you're a real border case or just bought a Hummer.

 

[JToddK]

32A 240V is plenty for charging at home in under almost all circumstances. 16A 240V is going to be enough if you plug in every day. 40A is overkill and 50 and 60A are mega overkill unless you're a real border case or just bought a Hummer.

Nothing wrong with getting the fastest home charging permitted by the car. The value vs. cost to an individual isn't my place to judge. Some want to future proof and that's their prerogative. We're (M50 buyers) buying cars with over 500HP! Surely overkill comes with the territory.

 

[685]

Nothing wrong with getting the fastest home charging permitted by the car. The value vs. cost to an individual isn't my place to judge. Some want to future proof and that's their prerogative. We're (M50 buyers) buying cars with over 500HP! Surely overkill comes with the territory.

Nothing is future proof, though. I mean, people can spend the extra if they want, but eventually you're going to have two or three EVs charging, and if you have three 60 amp chargers at once, you're going to blow a breaker or rewire and jumper your 50 or 60 amp to three 30 amps, if you even can. I'm pretty sure I've never needed more than 20/240 at home for a single car.

 

[Wrecks]

I got some bogus price quotes and also the electricians want me to add a new panel as well so I'm just holding off on that for a little. My laundry room is next to the garage so I got a 240v/16amp charger with a NEMA 10-30 so I can share the outlet with the dryer while I get some more quotes. I don't drive too much so I should be fine.

 

[PJBi4]

I got some bogus price quotes and also the electricians want me to add a new panel as well so I'm just holding off on that for a little. My laundry room is next to the garage so I got a 240v/16amp charger with a NEMA 10-30 so I can share the outlet with the dryer while I get some more quotes. I don't drive too much so I should be fine.

I have the same situation as you. I installed a Splitvolt splitter so I don’t have to move my dryer or keep unplugging the charger or dryer.

 

[PJBi4]

 

[Wrecks]

That's awesome, I had just saved that on a list on Amazon while I was doing research on this! It would be a pretty good solution for me overall as I have no need for 50amp charging (my normal daily commute to drop off and pick up my daughter from daycare which is two miles away).

 

[PJBi4]

That's awesome, I had just saved that on a list on Amazon while I was doing research on this! It would be a pretty good solution for me overall as I have no need for 50amp charging (my normal daily commute to drop off and pick up my daughter from daycare which is two miles away).

I didn't want to do the 60amp breaker as I have no room in my panel and would have to have another panel installed and conduit running to the other side of my garage. This was a great option: run one 4 inch circular hole in drywall, unplug dryer from wall and plug into Splitvolt, plug Splitvolt into dryer plug. When i4 comes, I can plug it into the Splitvolt using the Nema 14-50 adapter that comes with the car. If you get the split volt, make sure you get the proper one that has Nema 14-30 (4 prong cable) if your dryer plug has that and Nema 15-40 receptacle on the right side for the BMW adapter. I got mine from Amazon ($379.99).