[mjr24]

I need to get a home charging thing setup here soon.

I know I need a NEMA plug.

Do I need a wall box? Does BMW include a charging cord? How long is it?

If BMW does include a cord…can I just plug it into the NEMA outlet without any wall box?

[wingwizard]

Welcome to the EV world - you'll never go back to ICE again!

Yes, BMW includes the "flexible fast charger". It has both the NEMA 14-50 plug (240V - aka dryer plug) as well as the ability to switch the plug to your standard 110V house outlet. No wall box necessary. Just be aware 110V will charge very slowly.

Cord is actually pretty long. I was looking around for the specs online but can't seem to find it. I'm guessing 10-12 ft?

[RichardInCA]

You should get a charging cable with your BMW that will fit a standard 110V and a 220-240V NEMA outlet. If you have a NEMA outlet that should be good for level 2 charging, but you’ll want to know what the circuit is rated for. You won’t be able to pull as fast a charge as a wallbox but you will be able to charge the car without buying a wallbox.

Some sort of wallbox is a good plan - hard wired is best as you won’t be worried about wear and tear on the NEMA socket which can be problematic over the weeks and months as it carries a lot of current.

If you get an i5, then you don’t get a complementary wallbox - but you can buy a range of them - the State of Charge YouTube is an excellent resource for reviews and such, but I wouldn’t over think it too much. If you’re getting an i7 then I think those come with a complementary BMW wallbox. I have a hard wired BMW wallbox and it works just fine.

[mjr24]

Originally Posted by RichardInCA

You should get a charging cable with your BMW that will fit a standard 110V and a 220-240V NEMA outlet. If you have a NEMA outlet that should be good for level 2 charging, but you’ll want to know what the circuit is rated for. You won’t be able to pull as fast a charge as a wallbox but you will be able to charge the car without buying a wallbox.

Some sort of wallbox is a good plan - hard wired is best as you won’t be worried about wear and tear on the NEMA socket which can be problematic over the weeks and months as it carries a lot of current.

If you get an i5, then you don’t get a complementary wallbox - but you can buy a range of them - the State of Charge YouTube is an excellent resource for reviews and such, but I wouldn’t over think it too much. If you’re getting an i7 then I think those come with a complementary BMW wallbox. I have a hard wired BMW wallbox and it works just fine.

So how long does it take to charge using a wall box versus just the charging cable using the NEMA outlet?

So you are saying the BMW-included charging cable has a NEMA plug basically?

I understand it’s pointless and slow to charge with normal 110v plug so won’t be doing that.

[RichardInCA]

Originally Posted by mjr24

So how long does it take to charge using a wall box versus just the charging cable using the NEMA outlet?

So you are saying the BMW-included charging cable has a NEMA plug basically?

I understand it’s pointless and slow to charge with normal 110v plug so won’t be doing that.

That’s a how long is a piece of string question - it depends on your state of charge at the start and end you are looking to achieve and the current you can pull.

Looking at the last charge I did with my wallbox at home - it delivered 21kWh (increased my SOC by 24%) in 2h 20min and operated at 9kW. Depending upon the voltage that’s about 38-40Amps at 220-240V. It’s hard-wired on a 60Amp circuit.

The NEMA adapter max current is 40A but suspect it’ll operate much lower than that (I’d be nervous pulling that through a dryer plug). I’ve never used the cable so don’t have a comparison, but perhaps double that time if you have a circuit that could support 20A?

[MiGs550e]

Originally Posted by mjr24

So how long does it take to charge using a wall box versus just the charging cable using the NEMA outlet?

So you are saying the BMW-included charging cable has a NEMA plug basically?

I understand it’s pointless and slow to charge with normal 110v plug so won’t be doing that.

I read that charging at the lower voltage and current is actually better for the battery. However depending on how large the battery and how much it needs charged makes it impratical from a timeframe and wanting to drive perspective. If you have the time and don't want to drive the slower the better.. I think that is why for the PHEV BMW's only come with the Level 1 charging cable since it's not a very large battery even though it can handle level 2 charging too. Maybe I'm wrong..

[SkykingUSA]

Here is my 2 cents regarding charging. I was new to EVs and charging when I got my car too, so my answers are based on what I learned and what I think will help you decide what is right for you. As you said previously, I'll assume you're not going to use a normal 120 V outlet to charge with since it will take a long time to charge up.

Originally Posted by mjr24

I need to get a home charging thing setup here soon.

I know I need a NEMA plug.

You don't NEED a NEMA outlet to charge at Level 2 charging speeds, although that is one of 2 primary ways to do it. If you have a 240V NEMA outlet at home, you can plug your NEMA cable that came with the car into it and charge at about 9 kW. Alternatively, you can plug in a wall box that you buy separately into the NEMA outlet and charge with that. The 2nd way to charge at level 2 speeds is by buying and hard-wiring a wall box to your home's electrical system and using the wall box to charge the car.

Originally Posted by mjr24

Do I need a wall box? Does BMW include a charging cord? How long is it?

If BMW does include a cord…can I just plug it into the NEMA outlet without any wall box?

You do not NEED a wall box. If you want to, you can use the charger that comes with the car to charge your vehicle. Consider the charger that comes with the car a "portable" wall box. It essentially does the same thing that a wall box will do, but it's portable.

The charger that BMW includes is the portable one and is basically a long cable with a portable wall box built into it. I think like Richard indicated, it's about 12 feet long. You can just plug this into your NEMA outlet at home and charge at level 2 speeds with it. It will charge at up to 9 kW when plugged into the NEMA outlet, which is the same speed as many wall boxes.

When charging at 9 kW speed, it will charge your car from about 0% to 100% in about 10 hours (using average figures here). However, keep in mind that you probably won't be charging from 0% to 100% very often because you'll probably want to charge regularly at home each day, so depending how much you drive every day, you may only be charging from 50% to 65% each day, so that would only take maybe 2-3 hours at 9 kW. Basically, with 9 kW, you can charge the car fully overnight anytime you need to.

Originally Posted by mjr24

So how long does it take to charge using a wall box versus just the charging cable using the NEMA outlet?

Since the charging cable is basically a portable wall box, they charge at essentially the same speed (about 9 kW). If you buy a separate wall box, you can buy a faster one which can charge at up to 11 kW which is the maximum the i5 can take in the USA and then you car should take an hour or two less to fully charge compared to the 9 kW wall boxes (maybe a full charge in 8 hours). It's not really NEEDED though unless you really need to charge in 8 hours instead of 10 hours. However, as previously indicated you probably don't need to charge from 0% to 100% every day so it probably won't be a critical thing to worry about and 9 kW will be just fine.

Originally Posted by mjr24

So you are saying the BMW-included charging cable has a NEMA plug basically?

I understand it’s pointless and slow to charge with normal 110v plug so won’t be doing that.

Yes, the BMW-included charging cable (AKA a portable wall box) comes with a NEMA plug on it, and also comes with a regular 120V plug. You can use either one - they are swappable on the cable.


Although it's not needed, some reasons you might want to get a wall box in addition to the cable that comes with the car is as follows.

• You can leave the cable in the trunk and not have to pull it in and out every day to charge with. It will essentially be your level 2 charging solution when away from home.
• If you want to charge at 11 kW instead of 9 kW, you would need a wall box to do that.
• If you want a hard-wired solution at home instead of a plug-in solution, you need a wall-box.
• If you want to charge faster than using a 120V outlet, but slower than level 2 (9 kW), then you need a wall box that lets you adjust the power level.

I hope this helps wrap your head around the whole charging thing for EVs. If it helps further, here is what I do now on a regular basis.

• Every time I arrive home in the car at the end of the day, I plug it in to charge up for the next day.
• I charge it up to 65%. I only charge more than that when I know I will have a long trip and need more range.
• Most days when I get home, the car is above 40% charge, so I usually don't have to charge more than 25% in a day (65% minus 40% is 25%).
• I have my wall box set to charge at "full speed" which is 11 kW. However, I set the car to only charge at around 2.4 kW so it charges more slowly. It's nice to have the ability to charge at full speed when I need to, but I try to always charge more slowly. This isn't a problem for me because I don't need to charge from 10% to 100% every day - it still takes all night to charge up, but I don't drive when I'm sleeping, so why not charge it more slowly when I can.

For the type of battery chemistry in the i5, the battery will retain more of it's full capacity over time when it is not drained to low levels and charged to high levels on a daily basis. In other words, if you run the car down to 10% and charge to 100% all the time, the battery capacity will degrade more than if you charge it from 40% to 65% all the time. That's why I try to keep the car charged at between 40% and 65% as much as I can. I plan to keep the car long term, so battery capacity over the long-term is important to me. However, if you are planning on leasing the car and returning it after 3 years or so, then long-term battery capacity is not a significant issue for you and you may want to charge differently. It's also better for long-term capacity to charge more slowly, so that's why I charge more slowly on a daily basis.

Lastly, here is a useful video that talks about how to keep the type of battery in the i5 in the healthiest state, if you want to learn more about batteries.

[jazzyjim]

I recommend getting the BMW Wallbox and using the concierge service for installation. Worth every penny.

In you live in CA, you can also enroll in the ChargeForward program to earn rebates (carbon dividend incentives) when you let the car and the Wallbox decide on optimal charging time slots when plugged in at home.

You’re not gonna get rich from the rebate but it’s a nice feeling of knowing your doing your part of saving the grid :-)

[SkykingUSA]

Have they fixed the ChargeForward program since I tried it in April? I gave it up because it kept messing up my scheduled preconditioning. I contacted support and they said it was a bug and there was nothing they could do about it. Basically, I couldn't use the scheduled preconditioning feature, and that is an important feature for me.

[agorski]

Originally Posted by RichardInCA

Some sort of wallbox is a good plan - hard wired is best as you won’t be worried about wear and tear on the NEMA socket which can be problematic over the weeks and months as it carries a lot of current.

Yes, regularly plugging and unplugging from a NEMA socket is not recommended. They're designed for things like dryers to stay plugged in.

More data: I'm retired so no daily commute. I use the flexible fast charger plugged into a 110v outlet. It's a 20 amp circuit so I tell the car to limit itself to 15 amp charging. A 20% charge takes about 20 hours.

[jazzyjim]

SkykingUSA seems they fixed the ChargeForward app. My schedules are in sync now. They also sent the following email on 7/15 to participants

“Dear BMW ChargeForward participant,

We are excited to announce that your ChargeForward experience gets even better with the integration of the services into the My BMW App! This will allow you to manage your Smart Charging all in one App.

What To Expect

The integration not only increases convenience, but it also comes with updates to the interface, as well as the following enhancements:

Visual notifications for upcoming Smart Charging events;
Easier management of departure time schedule;
Ability to adjust settings such as primary vehicle, home location and enrolled ChargeForward program;
Enhanced charge plan visuals with more information.
How It Works

Exploring is easy – follow the 4 easy steps below and enjoy smart charging even more:

Open your My BMW App (version 4.7.0)
Scroll down to the Charging section
Click View All
Open ChargeForward within the Services section
Next Steps

You can still continue to use the ChargeForward app while we fully transition to the My BMW App. We recommend keeping the ChargeForward app active to continue receiving push notifications on your smart phone. In the next few weeks, we will provide additional information about when the ChargeForward app will be discontinued.

Please note that BMW requires your explicit consent to disclose your data to your utility in order to provide you with our services. You will be asked to provide this consent the next time you open ChargeForward, inside the My BMW app. BMW will continue to process your data in accordance with its privacy policy.

As always - Happy smart charging!

Best regards,
The BMW ChargeForward team”

[SkykingUSA]

Originally Posted by jazzyjim

SkykingUSA seems they fixed the ChargeForward app. My schedules are in sync now. They also sent the following email on 7/15 to participants

Thanks. Maybe it's time I tried them again.

Can anyone share what kind of dollars we are talking about for using them? In other words, how much could I expect to get back?

[mrrairai]

I have a brand new wallbox that I got with my i7 that I’ll be willing to part with. We had already installed a Chargepoint when we got the i5 because at the time, I hated the i7!!

[mjr24]

So the wallbox is hard wired directly to my electrical box?

In other words, the wallbox itself does not actually plug into an outlet, correct?

What does BMW's concierge charge for the wallbox install?

I'm actually getting a free BMW wallbox...which is why I am asking. However, I am a little worried when you guys say it's not recommended to keep plugging and unplugging into a NEMA outlet (which I thought it would be easier/cheaper to get a NEMA plug installed versus getting a wallbox installed).

[Bklyn]

Originally Posted by mjr24

So the wallbox is hard wired directly to my electrical box?

In other words, the wallbox itself does not actually plug into an outlet, correct?

What does BMW's concierge charge for the wallbox install?

I'm actually getting a free BMW wallbox...which is why I am asking. However, I am a little worried when you guys say it's not recommended to keep plugging and unplugging into a NEMA outlet (which I thought it would be easier/cheaper to get a NEMA plug installed versus getting a wallbox installed).

Some branded chargers come with a plug, commonly called a "pigtail" that you plug into the Nema outlet. Other chargers are hardwired, (no plug or pigtail) involved. The wire gets directly connected inside the charger.
Some charger manufacturers make them both ways and you have choice of which works best for you.

As far as the receptacle (outlet) is concerned, there is a beeper version that is produced to accommodate EV's that may be repeatedly plugged in and out. IT of coarse is more expensive and recommended.

You can use the provided BMW "mobile" with out issue, but the callbox or any "hardwired" charger is simply convenience. It becomes a PIA to have to unpack the mobile charger, use it then completely remove from the wall wind it up put it back in the case every time. Of coarse you can just throw in the trunk if you so choose. With the wall charger just unplug close the charger flap, (which is ridiculous, cant say how many times I used to forget to close it ,my Tesla would automatically close) and go.
Long story short it is all about convenience.
You are giving more thought than neccesary. Check out a few youtube videos on wall chargers and you will get a better understanding of it. Think of it as have a gas pump at your house.

[SkykingUSA]

If your wall box can be plugged in to a NEMA outlet, then just leave it plugged in all the time - usually no need to unplug it. One reason to have it hard-wired to your electrical box instead of using a plug is if you want to serve 48 Amps to your vehicle (or more). In California (and I think all of the USA), a plug-in wall box can only send a maximum of 40 Amps to the vehicle. For more than than, it must be hard-wired to the home electrical box.

I'm pretty sure the BMW wall box max Amps is 40 anyhow, so you can choose to plug it into a NEMA outlet, or have it hard-wired. Since it can't provide more than 40 Amps, it can be installed either way.