[Flamesofgold]

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I just got my home charger installed (ChargePoint)-note for all the hoopla this gets the app is just okay-but the cable itself is worth the hoopla- it's very pliable compared to the OEM charger.

So now that I have my charger installed, I set the car at 6A and set my battery charge limit at 70% is there a true benefit from this or should I just go max 50A and 80%?

What's the actual gain here ? Maybe in the wrong forum for this but figure I'll try

[kbsilver]

The difference between 6A and 40 Amp to the battery is totally insignificant. Unless you have a 60 amp circuit you cannot charge at 50, even if you do the max is (I think) 48 amps.

Now the difference between 40 amps and 500 amps at a DC charger is very significant.

You also need to decide when to charge in addition to how high. Personally, I set the charge limit to 80%, with 100% used for the occasional long trip. I've also decided to only charge when the battery gets to between 20%-40%, unless I know I'll need the range the next day. With this method I generally charge about every 5 days. If I am taking a longer day trip, I'll usually be near EV America at some point where I'll get some free electrons.

[Flamesofgold]

Originally Posted by kbsilver

Unless you have a 60 amp circuit you cannot charge at 50, even if you do the max is (I think) 48 amps.

And that's when I knew I F'ed up. Lol damn I knew 48 was max so when asked what type of circuit I needed I said 50.

Well this sucks

Technically I could rewire the conduits but that's a lot of work.

[cruzer666]

Not much difference between 48A and 40A when it comes to charging at home. The car will charge fully overnight anyway, and I'm guessing you're not running it to 0%.

Also, like mentioned before, tear and wear happens when charging fully and/or frequently using DC charging. With AC charging all charging rates are the same when it comes to tear and wear on the battery.

Theoretically a lower charge rate AKA 6A is better, but you can't measure that.

[deutsch100]

We are pretty much aligned with what kbsilver said. We charge our BMW electrics when the battery gets down to around 20%. We set our SOC to 90%, and we use Level II Charge Point at home 95% of the time, and maybe once in a while we use the free Supercharging at EA (provided by BMW). Problem with EA in our area...they are either all being used, or the majority are out of order, and EA is the worst! They allow their superchargers to remain out of service for weeks or months!

We have been driving electric since 2017, and it is easy to get your head all wrapped up in battery longevity, SOC %, Level 1 vs Level II vs Supercharging, etc...

Just charge when you need to, enjoy the car and relax

[ramkbmw]

Can someone comment what was their total cost of Chargepoint Level 2 charger installation? My local dealer recommended a Qmerit Level 2 charger but I am trying to figure out what would be the difference in costs.

[kbsilver]

There are fewer EA stations in NJ than other areas, but they always seem to work. I've never had to wait for one yet, but smaller (4 station) locations have been full at times. I expect usage will be going up dramatically very soon as EV adoption and availability increases. I live in a new/modern development of townhomes and I would guess we're near 25% of owners having at least one EV.

[Flamesofgold]

Originally Posted by ramkbmw

Can someone comment what was their total cost of Chargepoint Level 2 charger installation? My local dealer recommended a Qmerit Level 2 charger but I am trying to figure out what would be the difference in costs.

I'm at 1800

[Flamesofgold]

I'm confused does that mean I can pop a 60 amp breaker on the 6 awg wire?

[Space Cadet]

6awg copper wire has a recommended safe ‘ampacity’ of 55A. It won’t melt but might get a bit warm >60°C/140°F. Aluminium 6awg is rated to 40A for 60°C/140°F.

In the UK we can only have 32A feeds on single-phase/240V supplies. More on 3-phase/415V supply but those are rare in domestic premises (and seriously expensive to be upgraded to - a friend was quoted £30k recently).

[Haywood]

Originally Posted by Flamesofgold

I'm confused does that mean I can pop a 60 amp breaker on the 6 awg wire?

I would not use anything but 0 awg if you're using a 60 amp circuit. My electrician was pretty adamant about that. Spend the extra money on a 0 awg thick cable and you won't have any worries. That is my setup. Direct connect to the ChargePoint with a 60a breaker.

[Flamesofgold]

Originally Posted by Haywood

I would not use anything but 0 awg if you're using a 60 amp circuit. My electrician was pretty adamant about that. Spend the extra money on a 0 awg thick cable and you won't have any worries. That is my setup. Direct connect to the ChargePoint with a 60a breaker.

How are you fitting the 0 gauge on the breaker and the charger?

Or you have a 0 gauge cable to sub panel and then you wire separately

[Haywood]

Originally Posted by Flamesofgold

How are you fitting the 0 gauge on the breaker and the charger?

Or you have a 0 gauge cable to sub panel and then you wire separately

Nope. Same cable from my panel to the charger.

[footie]

Over in the UK we can get a cheaper tariff at night to charge our EVs which is usually a 7 hour window so I also set my limit to 80% but I usually charge ever 2-3 days otherwise I can’t get to the 80% in a single night’s charge.

[Flamesofgold]

Originally Posted by Haywood

Nope. Same cable from my panel to the charger.

How u for 0awg in the ChargePoint?

[ramkbmw]

Originally Posted by Flamesofgold

I'm at 1800

Whew, that is pricey. Is it an independent house attached garage situation? Also I read somewhere you can get a tax credit for 30% of the installation charge with the new inflation reduction act. Maybe that helps a bit.

Is this chargepoint or Qmerit?

[Flamesofgold]

Not sure did I get taken advantage of but tbh my electricity company reimburses up to 1500 so I think installers know this an up their prices

[xaos]

Originally Posted by Flamesofgold

How u for 0awg in the ChargePoint?

Exactly - it very clearly indicates inside the unit that 6awg is the largest cable you can use with the quick connectors.

[cruzer666]

Originally Posted by deutsch100

We are pretty much aligned with what kbsilver said. We charge our BMW electrics when the battery gets down to around 20%. We set our SOC to 90%, and we use Level II Charge Point at home 95% of the time, and maybe once in a while we use the free Supercharging at EA (provided by BMW). Problem with EA in our area...they are either all being used, or the majority are out of order, and EA is the worst! They allow their superchargers to remain out of service for weeks or months!

We have been driving electric since 2017, and it is easy to get your head all wrapped up in battery longevity, SOC %, Level 1 vs Level II vs Supercharging, etc...

Just charge when you need to, enjoy the car and relax

BMW charging recommendations are clear for maximizing battery life:
- minimize DC charging
- keep SOC between 10-80%
Anything other suggestions have no basis in fact or years of scientific research into lithium-ion batteries.

Not 90% like you mentioned.

Also, if you're used to keeping cars briefly (like I do) you won't see any kind of degradation even with terrible charging habits. It's easy for us to say don't worry about degradation if we're keeping the car 1-2 years or less in some cases.

[Flamesofgold]

Originally Posted by cruzer666

Also, if you're used to keeping cars briefly (like I do) you won't see any kind of degradation even with terrible charging habits. It's easy for us to say don't worry about degradation if we're keeping the car 1-2 years or less in some cases.

Generally I keep for 3-4 years but I wanna be nice to the new owner lol

[deutsch100]

Originally Posted by cruzer666

BMW charging recommendations are clear for maximizing battery life:
- minimize DC charging
- keep SOC between 10-80%
Anything other suggestions have no basis in fact or years of scientific research into lithium-ion batteries.

Not 90% like you mentioned.

Also, if you're used to keeping cars briefly (like I do) you won't see any kind of degradation even with terrible charging habits. It's easy for us to say don't worry about degradation if we're keeping the car 1-2 years or less in some cases.

I do know BMW says 80%, but for the i3 they used to say 100% charges (Level 1 or 2) as often as you want, even every time; model years 2014 to 2021.

Tesla said 80% for years and starting in 2021, they now recommend 90%.

I used to do 80%, but I like the extra range of 90%, and this also means I charge less. So maybe a good thing?

[Flamesofgold]

Originally Posted by deutsch100

I do know BMW says 80%, but for the i3 they used to say 100% charges (Level 1 or 2) as often as you want, even every time; model years 2014 to 2021.

Tesla said 80% for years and starting in 2021, they now recommend 90%.

I used to do 80%, but I like the extra range of 90%, and this also means I charge less. So maybe a good thing?

Not sure about tesla but manual says ideally 20/80 daily use. I filled it to 85 and 83 the first week I had the car. It was new, my car charger was not installed, I was slow charging, and had range anxiety.

Now I still slow charge and fill to 70-60. It drains throughout the week typically to 30/40ish before we get a few days of limited driving. Next thing u know I'm at 70%

At this point I would only charge to 100 if I am spending the night somewhere. And that could change once I get a feel for it.