Home charger choice?

[Laguna Beach]

Hi all. Is anyone just using the supplied 2 level portable charger that comes with the i7 or have you installed a separate home changer? Is so what kind, did you hardwire, and how many amps? Thanks in advance.

[DroMike]

In anticipation of the i7 I ordered (slated to arrive at the end of this month), I had a separate 50-amp circuit installed in my garage. On that, I installed a "portable" 40-amp Mustart EVSE w/various amperage/digital readouts that I purchased on Amazon in August for $219 after applying the $60 off Lightening Deal and their $50 coupon (hella good deal). Only the outlet is hardwired, the EVSE itself is plug-in should I ever move or want to swap it out.

As for the included BMW portable charger, I plan on keeping that inside my trunk "sump" for use at any relative's or friend's homes along the way (not that I take many trips). I'm now only missing, uh... the car itself. ;-)

[SW17LS]

When is your car supposed to be in DroMike?

[PREDATOR 007]

The November sales incentives include installation of the charger up to $2,000 through Qmerit. I already have the ChargePoint that I installed when I bought my X5 plug in hybrid. My plan is to have them install the outlet and use the charger that came with the car. I can always change it out later if I want, but at least I'll have the outlet that didn't cost me anything.

[DroMike]

Originally Posted by SW17LS

When is your car supposed to be in DroMike?

It is scheduled to be in on or about November 26th according to my dealer.

Just for fun, he and a maritime tracking website also revealed it would reach the Panama Canal on Nov 12th. After that it is slated to arrive at Port Hueneme (hu-NAY-me) in Oxnard near Los Angeles on Nov 22nd. There, it will go though customs, undergo any necessary clean-ups or mods, then be trucked the 375 miles north to me here in the SF Bay Area.

[DroMike]

Originally Posted by PREDATOR 007

The November sales incentives include installation of the charger up to $2,000 through Qmerit.

Get...OUT! So evidently I wasted $1,200 having an electrician install my dedicated outlet! Of course it wasn't available when I did that in August, but DARN!

I didn't find where this new deal is posted. Would you mind providing a link to where you saw this? - Mike

[PREDATOR 007]

Originally Posted by DroMike

Get...OUT! So evidently I wasted $1,200 having an electrician install my dedicated outlet! Of course it wasn't available when I did that in August, but DARN!

I didn't find where this new deal is posted. Would you mind providing a link to where you saw this? - Mike

Not sure where to find it. I just picked up my car yesterday and the sales manager came over and said "I have some good news..." I filled out the online application for Qmerit today, so we'll see how it goes.

[DroMike]

Originally Posted by PREDATOR 007

Not sure where to find it. I just picked up my car yesterday and the sales manager came over and said "I have some good news..."

Ah, got it. However, forget the Qmerit for now -- CONGRATULATIONS on the new car!!
Still, that free install IS a wonderful bonus. I sure wish I could "return" my installation like a product from Costco...haha.

[evanevery]

1. The choice of charger really doesn't matter. Its not really a "charger". The actual charger is inside the car itself. When you buy a "charger" all you are really buying is a fancy relay that turns on/off at the cars request. The car itself takes care of the voltage conversion and the power draw. Unless you are shopping for some added functionality (remote monitoring, remote control, load balancing, etc) the choice of charger is really not a big deal.

2. Install a 50 Amp circuit in your home but make sure you get a NEMA 14-50 outlet (four prong "RV" outlet). Don't cheap out and install a NEMA 6-50 (three prong "welder" outlet). The three-prong outlet is slightly cheaper as the wiring doesn't require a Neutral but you CAN'T convert the 3-prong outlet to a 4-prong outlet with a simple adapter (as you are missing a Neutral). However, you CAN convert a 4-prong to a 3-prong though with a simple adapter. Get the Nema 14-50 outlet and then you can use the same outlet for may different uses (besides your charger). If you install a Nema 6-50, your options will be much more limited. The added cost of the Neutral wire is minimal compared with the additional functionality you will gain. For example, I have an adapter that splits my Nema 14-50 into two dediated 120V 20A circuits. I can also use it for my welder and my CNC Plasma Cutter You can't do that with a 6-50 as you don't have a neutral wire. It might not seem like a big deal now, but you will be glad to have the additional flexibility in the future...

3. You can only pull 40A through a 50A circuit with an outlet. I believe you can get a little more with a hardwired charger, but the loss of flexibility is huge (IMHO). As long as I can charge my EV(s) overnight, I'm happy...

$0.02

[SW17LS]

Originally Posted by DroMike

It is scheduled to be in on or about November 26th according to my dealer.

Just for fun, he and a maritime tracking website also revealed it would reach the Panama Canal on Nov 12th. After that it is slated to arrive at Port Hueneme (hu-NAY-me) in Oxnard near Los Angeles on Nov 22nd. There, it will go though customs, undergo any necessary clean-ups or mods, then be trucked the 375 miles north to me here in the SF Bay Area.

Cool! Getting close, when did you place the order?

[DroMike]

Originally Posted by SW17LS

Cool! Getting close, when did you place the order?

I placed the order on September 23rd. Below are the rest of the date in case anybody finds it of interest:

[AlteBMW]

Originally Posted by DroMike

I placed the order on September 23rd. Below are the rest of the date in case anybody finds it of interest:

Hey DroMike:
Your car could come from the port faster -- or slower -- than your 4 day estimate.
My experience is all over the lot on this, from as little as 2 or 3 days from ship arrival to 8-10 days. That is for East coast delivery and my dealer is 2 hours or less from the port. It depends on the volume of cars unloaded, what the center needs to do to each, and when they can get it on a truck (that is operated by a third party) and there seems to be no rhyme or reason other than I think cars (like yours) that are already sold to a customer may have an edge. This is the most frustrating part of tracking a car from order to delivery as it is the only time in the process that there is a tracking black hole.
The dealers won't know much and you can't go on line and find out anything. What I have done is call the genius line a couple of days after the boat has arrived, and get someone there to look it up. The last times I did that they knew before the dealer did what the schedule was and I know you are antsy so pick up the phone and do it. I've called them more than once after the car arrived and they are aware that some people (like me) are a bit insane and remain patient and cordial.
You have just a couple of weeks to go, and I hope you enjoy your car as much as I've enjoyed mine (mine is gas and yours is EV but these are great cars).

[DroMike]

Thanks AlteBMW. I'm just going off what the SA told me and am not overly concerned either way.