Just had my wall box installed

I have just had my Schneider wall box fitted this afternoon in preparation for next month's arrival. Schneider subcontracted the install to SEC Electrical and the installer did a terrific job. The wall box is now on an outside, unprotected from the elements, wall of the house and looks rather nice.

Can we have a picture?

How much was it and how did you order it David?

Can't figure out how to upload a photo! Box was ordered through the BMWi Information Team who arranged for Schneider to contact me. Schneider then called me and asked questions about where I wanted the box sited in relation to my main fuse box. I sent them some photographs and a date was arranged for a home visit. The box was installed on the first visit as they had enough information to determine that it was an easy straight forward installation. Cost is I think £350.

Mine is fitted too. Excellent job.

Easy install inside the garage. Fitted to the front of the car which is the non- preferred position, but will work fine. (Preferred is at the side of the car)

Why is the side preferred to the front?

Did the installers need to get a mobile signal for the charger before they would go ahead?

Yes, he did check the signal before signing off on the installation. I asked which network the box connected to and he said that it was fitted with a roaming sim card that picks up the strongest signal.

Powerflex said:

Why is the side preferred to the front?

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It's because fitting the charger to the side makes it easier to connect to the car. From the front the cable is long enough to fit, but, you need to park close to the wall the charger is mounted to, and then the cable runs across the drivers door - not ideal. We got the dealer car into the garage today and drove in and reversed in, both work fine but reversing was neater because the cable no longer comes across the drivers door.

Davidfromdigswell said:

Yes, he did check the signal before signing off on the installation. I asked which network the box connected to and he said that it was fitted with a roaming sim card that picks up the strongest signal.

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I didn't know they existed? Sound neat. Mine is recorded on the install sheet as being Orange. What does yours say DavidFD ?

The report shows vodafone as the operator.

After Christmas, I'd better think about getting this sorted out seeing as the car is due at the beginning of Feb. First need to evict the large collection of bicycles that the family seems to have stabled in the garage!

How long is the cable on the BMW charger? I've got a double garage and would ideally like to have the charger positioned such that I can park in either slot, facing forward or reversed. Is this asking too much?

Hi SS, the lead on the wallbox is 4m long.

This was another pic of a recent install.

For the external mounted charges, is there a security feature on the charger where it prevents a someone from using your charger?

i.e when you are not home, can your neighbor use your charger to top off their EV.

You get a key supplied with the box which allows you to lock it to prevent unauthorised access (key is inserted inside the middle section of the unit). When locked the central button flashes on and off in a pretty shade of pink!

SanSerif said:

After Christmas, I'd better think about getting this sorted out seeing as the car is due at the beginning of Feb. First need to evict the large collection of bicycles that the family seems to have stabled in the garage!

How long is the cable on the BMW charger? I've got a double garage and would ideally like to have the charger positioned such that I can park in either slot, facing forward or reversed. Is this asking too much?

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Unfortunately this won't be possible, not for both slots both forward and reverse.

Not sure if non-BMW chargers are available with a longer lead.

Also, see my earlier post about mounting at the front vs side.

SanSerif said:

After Christmas, I'd better think about getting this sorted out seeing as the car is due at the beginning of Feb. First need to evict the large collection of bicycles that the family seems to have stabled in the garage!

How long is the cable on the BMW charger? I've got a double garage and would ideally like to have the charger positioned such that I can park in either slot, facing forward or reversed. Is this asking too much?

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The cable supplied for the BMW i chargers in the US is 25 feet long (7 1/2 meters), I confirmed this with the BMW i infrastructure manager. I'm not sure if they give you a shorter cable in Europe though.

TomMoloughney said:

The cable supplied for the BMW i chargers in the US is 25 feet long (7 1/2 meters), I confirmed this with the BMW i infrastructure manager. I'm not sure if they give you a shorter cable in Europe though.

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The UK spec from the BMW website is 4m.

http://www.bmw.co.uk/en_GB/new-vehicles/bmw-i/i3/2013/charging.html

4m probably isn't quite enough for me to stick it in the middle of the back wall of the garage and then park wherever and however I want. I may have to plan a particular spot and orientation.

As I won't know which location I prefer until I've had the car to play with for a bit, I may defer the installation until after the car arrives - I can probably live with 7 hour charges[1] from the bog standard 240v mains for a while to allow experimentation.

The difference in standard length between the US and EU market is interesting. Maybe they realise that everything's much more "compact" over here - most people don't own enough parking space to need 8 metres of cabling! Also, isn't the standard mains voltage a lot lower in the USA - maybe you get away with a much less meaty cable (and a commensurately longer charge time)?

[1] 7 hours doesn't sound too bad - particularly as the intended commute is only 30 or 40 miles a day so the charge will be less than 7 hours. On the other hand, the quoted 7 hours is to 80% and I imagine the last 20% takes forever on some sort of asymptotic curve.

does anybody know how much ampere it can standard charge?
Supplied cable loads at 11a
is 16a max or 20a? Without the fastcharge

SanSerif said:

The difference in standard length between the US and EU market is interesting. Maybe they realise that everything's much more "compact" over here - most people don't own enough parking space to need 8 metres of cabling! Also, isn't the standard mains voltage a lot lower in the USA - maybe you get away with a much less meaty cable (and a commensurately longer charge time)?

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In the USA electric appliances with high power draw such as clothes dryers, stoves, and central air conditioners run off 208 to 240 volt circuits, so these circuits are available in almost any house. That's what is used for home level-2 chargers here.