Charger

studstud1 · 05-12-2019, 08:01 PM

What is the best home charger for a 2015 i8?

evanevery · 05-13-2019, 12:02 PM

The 120V cord that comes with the car.

The battery in the i8 is so small (and the charging rate is also artificially limited by BMW) that it doesn't really make sense to invest in a Level 2 charger for the i8.

Any generic charger will also work fine. Wouldn't be much of an "EV" implementation if it required some sort of BMW specific charger....

FLYIN' · 06-02-2019, 03:53 PM

Had a GE charger first (lowest cost level 2 at about $350) but then switched to the ChargePoint as it has Wi-Fi built in. Although it can't differentiate between our three PHEV's. Some utility companies used to subsidize the installation. I don't think many do any more.
https://www.chargepoint.com/drivers/home/
Ended up putting the GE in our summer house.

The 120v chargers that come with the car take forever to charge. Ok for overnight charges but at 8-9 hours versus 2 hours for a level 2 it's worth spending the money on a permanent installation.

Iain123 · 06-03-2019, 04:11 AM

Don’t pay too much attention to different brands other than how waterproof they are and the quality of the plug plastics. A wall charger doesn’t do much more that your bedroom light switch. Inside there is a large relay/isolator (electrical switch) and a circuit board. When you plug in the car, there is a signal goes back wall box to tell it to energise the relay and allow a straight through mains connection to the car and well that’s about it! Although there is also an adjustable setting inside the wall box that communicates the size of its components (16/32amp) to the car so the car can adjust the current accordingly. (the i8 can only take 16amp but best get a box that can do more)

The wall box should cost less than $300/£200 but we are all getting screwed as its 'new' tech.

05-12-2019, 08:01 PM	#1
studstud1 Registered 0 Rep 3 Posts Drives: 2015 BMW i8 Join Date: May 2019 Location: Miami iTrader: (0)	Charger What is the best home charger for a 2015 i8?
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05-13-2019, 12:02 PM	#2
evanevery Lieutenant Colonel 1113 Rep 1,904 Posts Drives: iXM60, i8 Rdstr, M4, i7 M70 Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Wisconsin iTrader: (0)	The 120V cord that comes with the car. The battery in the i8 is so small (and the charging rate is also artificially limited by BMW) that it doesn't really make sense to invest in a Level 2 charger for the i8. Any generic charger will also work fine. Wouldn't be much of an "EV" implementation if it required some sort of BMW specific charger.... __________________ The Jiggery-Pokery is Strong with this One https://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1645366 https://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1197553 https://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...4&postcount=35
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06-02-2019, 03:53 PM	#3
FLYIN' Second Lieutenant 203 Rep 278 Posts Drives: M2 Comp, M550i, X545e Join Date: May 2019 Location: Boston MA iTrader: (0)	Had a GE charger first (lowest cost level 2 at about $350) but then switched to the ChargePoint as it has Wi-Fi built in. Although it can't differentiate between our three PHEV's. Some utility companies used to subsidize the installation. I don't think many do any more. https://www.chargepoint.com/drivers/home/ Ended up putting the GE in our summer house. The 120v chargers that come with the car take forever to charge. Ok for overnight charges but at 8-9 hours versus 2 hours for a level 2 it's worth spending the money on a permanent installation. __________________ FLYIN' '20 BMW M2 Competition '20 BMW M550i '21 BMW X5 45e M Sport
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06-03-2019, 04:11 AM	#4
Iain123 Private 15 Rep 76 Posts Drives: I8 Join Date: Jun 2018 Location: Edinburgh, UK iTrader: (0)	Don’t pay too much attention to different brands other than how waterproof they are and the quality of the plug plastics. A wall charger doesn’t do much more that your bedroom light switch. Inside there is a large relay/isolator (electrical switch) and a circuit board. When you plug in the car, there is a signal goes back wall box to tell it to energise the relay and allow a straight through mains connection to the car and well that’s about it! Although there is also an adjustable setting inside the wall box that communicates the size of its components (16/32amp) to the car so the car can adjust the current accordingly. (the i8 can only take 16amp but best get a box that can do more) The wall box should cost less than $300/£200 but we are all getting screwed as its 'new' tech.
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