[bin01123]

Newbie here.

I'm in the process of selling my 2013 535 and looking for a used I3. While I'm searching I'm also researching charging stations for my garage and wanted to know what most of you recommend.

Been doing research and I'm leaning toward the ChargePoint Home Flex. Haven't seen anything on BMW's Wallbox and wanted to know the community's thoughts.

[vreihen16]

I get away with the Level 1 cord in the trunk with my early 60ah i3. I bought/assembled an OpenEVSE Level 2 kit for charging my wife's Kia Niro BEV. Not for the feint of heart or those without some familiarity with electronics, and most certainly not UL rated.

Whatever you buy, make sure that it is UL-rated! It could be a real issue with your homeowner's insurance payout if your house burns down and they attribute it to the charger. Many of the Chinese brands on Amazon lack this certification, so shop carefully.

I guess the most important determining factor is whether or not you want intelligence, energy use reporting, or a cloud-based interface to your charger. "Dumb" chargers are much cheaper. I thought that intelligence and reporting were important when I bought the OpenEVSE, but honestly haven't even looked at the reports in over a year now. The only intelligent feature that I'm using in it is the software setting to limit charge current to 24A, because I'm temporarily running it from a 30A arc welder outlet in my garage pending a future electrical panel and service increase to 200A so that I can install a proper 50A circuit for the charger.

Juicebox seems to be a popular choice among EV owners, and might be worth investigating to see if it meets your criteria.....

[bin01123]

Originally Posted by vreihen16

I get away with the Level 1 cord in the trunk with my early 60ah i3. I bought/assembled an OpenEVSE Level 2 kit for charging my wife's Kia Niro BEV. Not for the feint of heart or those without some familiarity with electronics, and most certainly not UL rated.

Whatever you buy, make sure that it is UL-rated! It could be a real issue with your homeowner's insurance payout if your house burns down and they attribute it to the charger. Many of the Chinese brands on Amazon lack this certification, so shop carefully.

I guess the most important determining factor is whether or not you want intelligence, energy use reporting, or a cloud-based interface to your charger. "Dumb" chargers are much cheaper. I thought that intelligence and reporting were important when I bought the OpenEVSE, but honestly haven't even looked at the reports in over a year now. The only intelligent feature that I'm using in it is the software setting to limit charge current to 24A, because I'm temporarily running it from a 30A arc welder outlet in my garage pending a future electrical panel and service increase to 200A so that I can install a proper 50A circuit for the charger.

Juicebox seems to be a popular choice among EV owners, and might be worth investigating to see if it meets your criteria.....

Thanks for the UL rating tip. I'll make sure whatever I get has it. I did narrow it down to the JuiceBox or the Chargeponit but can't find anything on the BMW Wallbox which is much more expensive. Didn't know if the OEM charging station was more beneficial than the aftermarket units. It feels like they aren't.