Importing an i3 to Europe from US?

I have imported cars before. In Sweden they add 25% tax on the US sales price documents. Since the car is an environmentally correct and green one , are there any loopholes to avoid taxes when bringing it into the EU. Any country that is better then other in this respect.

You won't be able to charge a U.S. i3 anywhere in Europe because of different charging standards. That alone should be enough to put an end to your plans.

alohart said:

You won't be able to charge a U.S. i3 anywhere in Europe because of different charging standards. That alone should be enough to put an end to your plans.

Click to expand...

Could get something like this: https://evconnectors.com/j1772-to-62196-2-32-amp-plugs-and-cable-dsi-dsiec-ev32p

Though DC charging may be an issue...

alohart said:

You won't be able to charge a U.S. i3 anywhere in Europe because of different charging standards. That alone should be enough to put an end to your plans.

Click to expand...

Are You 100% sure about this? I am certain that the i3 works om both sides of the Atlantic. My question is what EU rules say about an EV vehicle primarily import taxes etc.

Trued said:

Are You 100% sure about this? I am certain that the i3 works om both sides of the Atlantic.

Click to expand...

EV's work on both sides of the Atlantic, but they charge using different incompatible plugs/sockets:



There might be an adapter that would allow a U.S. EV to be charged by European EVSE's, but the demand for such an adapter is likely so low that no such adapter is available.

Trued said:

My question is what EU rules say about an EV vehicle primarily import taxes etc.

Click to expand...

I imported a 2000 U.S. Honda Insight hybrid into Sweden. There were no import taxes because Sweden doesn't tax used items that are imported with household items when one is relocating to Sweden. These items including a car can be imported tax-free within a year of establishing residency. There might have been an import tax had our car been less than a year old, but I'm not certain about that.

In July, I sold this car to a German resident. He has had lots of problems importing this car into Germany from Sweden because of different requirements. So I don't think that there is an E.U.-wide policy about importing vehicles. So which E.U. country a car is imported into determines the import tax and physical requirements such as lighting.

alohart said:

EV's work on both sides of the Atlantic, but they charge using different incompatible plugs/sockets:

Click to expand...

Yes, but it is possible to swap the inlet from a Type 2 inlet (+/- DC) to a Type 1 inlet (+/- DC). It will cost several hundred dollars to do the conversion though.

alohart said:

There might be an adapter that would allow a U.S. EV to be charged by European EVSE's, but the demand for such an adapter is likely so low that no such adapter is available.

Click to expand...

I assume this was a typo and you meant EU car being charged by a US EVSE as we are talking about using an EU car in the US?

Adapters do exist here in Australia from this place http://www.evse.com.au - mainly because Australia is about to make the switch over from Type 1 to Type 2 plugs in the coming months. Having an adapter like this - albeit a bit Heath Robinson - allows many people to transition smoothly as many public (AC) chargers will still be Type 1 plugs.

https://www.evse.com.au/typ1-type-2-adapter-cable.html




No adapter exists for DC fast charging however, and nor will there ever be one due to safety requirements. So if you need the DC fast charging you'll have to swap the car's charging inlet sockets with one compatible with your local infrastructure.

You can also buy an adapter to go the other way, from Type 2 to Type 1

The protocol is identical between the Menikes (SP?) and the J1772 plugs...it's just the physical shape and operation of the plug. Europe was adamant about requiring a shutter in the plug to block off the line voltage from being 'touched', whereas the J1772 mechanics rely on the (same) interlock system to prevent there being acv on the pins until the plug is actually inserted and the logic is connected and says it's safe. IMHO, the Euro spec has an unnecessary complication to it, and increases the cost of the plug. In some locales, they also support 3-phase charging, which the US implementation of the i3's socket does not.

Another tidbit is that US spec i8's are now available for Euro delivery. I think I read that BMW supplies a charging adapter at the Welt for those US customers who pick up their i8's there. So apparently the adapters exist, but finding one outside of BMW would be a challenge.
Check out this link
http://bmwi.bimmerpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t=892389