Charging problem with 220v cable (europe)

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CMineiro

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Joined
Nov 2, 2014
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I have an I3+Rex model, bougth 3 weeks ago in France, and yesterday did a 290kms trip (charged on my destination in an IKEA free Type 2 charging station), and on highway used the rex engine for 20-30kms ...
Everything was alright... I arrived home, and immediatly plugged the 220v cable (original cable).
This morning, after some 11hours, it stopped charging and halted the board breaker (Disjonteur)...
Changed the charging of the vehicule to slow, tested again... and halted the board breaker.

Did this arrived to any of you? My cable SN is 8626485-02
Thanks for the responses
 
I've not had any such problem in 6 months with our Rex. I suggest you try another charger if possible to decide whether it's the car or the cable and charger.
 
I believe there is a replacement cable with -03 at the end of the serial number. Your dealer should be able to give you one.
 
Today at BMW agent... we tested a 22KWH charger and still halted the breakers!!! mmmm doesn't look good!
 
No such trouble with my BMW portable EVSE cable. Can I ask What is the process for charging at IKEA? Must a user obtain an RFID card to use the charger?

I want to drive over from the UK via the Channel Tunnel and I would like to explore options for charging in France. I don't think the BMW ChargeNow cards for each country have roaming enabled yet - unless anyone knows otherwise?

CMineiro said:
I have an I3+Rex model, bougth 3 weeks ago in France, and yesterday did a 290kms trip (charged on my destination in an IKEA free Type 2 charging station), and on highway used the rex engine for 20-30kms ...
Everything was alright... I arrived home, and immediatly plugged the 220v cable (original cable).
This morning, after some 11hours, it stopped charging and halted the board breaker (Disjonteur)...
Changed the charging of the vehicule to slow, tested again... and halted the board breaker.

Did this arrived to any of you? My cable SN is 8626485-02
Thanks for the responses
Click to expand...
 
Hi i3MK

I cannot speak for the whole france...since I leave near Switzerland...
I've charged at IKEA Dijon (the moustard capital)... it's free, and the station has a 22KWH cable with Type 2 plug
Near my work, I charge at IKEA Geneva... it's a regular 220v swiss plug... and it's free - I just have to pay for the parking time, like any other car...
At BMW Geneva, there is also a public charging station, with a 22KWH type 2 entry (you need the cable) and a 50KWH Type2+Combo

The deployment of Charging stations in French BMW garages, is still an ongoing process...however, you can find at almost all Carrefour supermarkets, 22KWH charges, but once again, you need your own cable. It's free of charge... you just need to send an SMS (with french mobile number)...

If you want to plan your travel, do use www.chargemap.com ... it's quite accurate, and has comments from each charge station.
A recommendation... please bear in mind a full charge with an I3 - even in a 22KWH station, takes 4-5 hours if your car is not equipped with the fast charge!!!
 
It looks like the IKEA chargers in France aren't compatible unless they have been upgraded to CCS since this was published.

http://blog.alliance-renault-nissan.com/blog/new-fast-charging-stations-ikea-help-extend-french-network

Edit: my post crossed with that from the poster who has successfully charged at IKEA in France although it is my understanding that charging from a 22kW unit from which the i3 can only take 7kW is not ideal as it may block the unit from being used by those with fully compatible vehicles that can take the full 22kW.
 
In fact,... my car does not have the fast charger (due to ignorance of the BMW commercial, which didn't explain what it was)... So I had the car plugged at IKEA for some 5 hours, and charged +-75% of the full batterie... when I arrived it was only left 3%

So, it kind of makes sense... that these IKEA charger, only loads at 7KWH, independently of being capable of boosting 22KWH
 
CMineiro said:
In fact,... my car does not have the fast charger (due to ignorance of the BMW commercial, which didn't explain what it was)... So I had the car plugged at IKEA for some 5 hours, and charged +-75% of the full batterie... when I arrived it was only left 3%

So, it kind of makes sense... that these IKEA charger, only loads at 7KWH, independently of being capable of boosting 22KWH
Click to expand...
If your car charged in 5 hours I think that means it does have the 'fast' charger, which is certainly standard here in the UK. What it may not have is the 'rapid' charger to accept 50kW from a CCS unit which is optional. My understanding from posts several months ago rather han from technical knowledge is that the 22kW chargers are 3 phase AC and that some car manufacturers have made their cars fully compatible, which I guess would allow them to charge in around an hour. The i3 'fast' charger is only compatible with single phase AC and so is only using about a third of the output from the 22kW EVSE. Going a step further, if your car has had the software update to temporarily reduce fast charging to around 5.5kW to protect the JLE from overcharging, that would account for it taking rather more than the claimed 3 hours to 80%.
 
According to what BMW tech guy told me... my car accepts the "fast" up-to 16A... but there is a "super-fast" option which I don't have and charges the car in 1H...
The difference is visible in the plug... there are two round entries, just below the Type2 car plug:
BMW-i3-voiture-electrique-19-620x413.jpg


instead of this:
essai-bmw-i3_21-1000x666.jpg
 
There are three 'versions' of EVSE's: Level 1 (120vac input - limited to about 12A), Level 2 (240vac input, car is limited to 32A, but a larger one will still work), and the DC fast charge. European vehicles are delivered with a low-power Level 2 unit to match the locally available power (that may be the 16A you indicated, I do not know). Most people, if they install one verses the one that comes with the car, choose one that can recharge the i3 at its maximum rate.

Timing, (USA) 12A level 1: up to 20-hours; full charge on a level 2 providing 32A - 3.5-4 hours (note, this has been degraded temporarily by software until a new design KLE module can be retrofitted, or reworked). The DC fast charge is stated to provide 80% in 30-minutes...a full charge takes about an hour, but again, these come in different max outputs, and those numbers represent using a unit that can provide the max the i3 can accept. SOme of this also depends on the vehicle battery's temperature and the ambient temp...heating or cooling the battery can extend the time.
 
CMineiro said:
In fact,... my car does not have the fast charger (due to ignorance of the BMW commercial, which didn't explain what it was)... So I had the car plugged at IKEA for some 5 hours, and charged +-75% of the full batterie... when I arrived it was only left 3%

So, it kind of makes sense... that these IKEA charger, only loads at 7KWH, independently of being capable of boosting 22KWH
Click to expand...

If you are using the Type 2 AC connection, then the i3 can only charge at 7kw, even if it has "rapid" charging capability.

You can only get more than 7kw if you use a CCS DC connection.

PS have you used the charging at Geneva Airport?
 
:eek: It's been announced that all 2015 i3s will be equipped DC Fast Charging as standard equipment. DCFC is readily available on the west coast. Virtually none available in central Virginia. I have it on my i3 BEV, and hopefully we'll see these one hour charging stations available in the next year.
 
Geneva Airport...
Yes I did use the charger at Geneva Airport... When I do so, I use the Parking 51 - but it is a regular 220v domestic swiss socket. http://chargemap.com/points/details/aeroport-de-geneve-parking-p51 and most of the times, other normal cars are using those 3 places.
There are several parkings around Geneva airport, most of them 220v.
There is a fast Charger at Hotel Starling, not far away from the airport http://chargemap.com/points/details/hotel-starling-le-grand-saconnex

I still prefer the one on my regular working hours parking...it's always available, and it's not on chargemap :)
 
But what authentification is required for using IKEA or other locations in France??

Many thanks
 
I'm not sure this is relevant but some non-UK european owners have said that the i3 base specification in their countries only comes with 16 amp charge rate as a maximum unless you have the DC rapid charge option. For them, the DC rapid charge option not only adds the 0-80 % charge in 30 minutes capability but it also ups the type 2 charge rate from 16 amp to 32 amp. UK have 32 amp as standard even without the DC prep.

Bill
 
i3MK said:
But what authentification is required for using IKEA or other locations in France??

Many thanks
Click to expand...
At IKEA dijon, no authentication is needed... no card, no sms, nothing...just follow instructions.
I believe in most "malls"-like french charging stations is free...
 
Bunter said:
I'm not sure this is relevant but some non-UK european owners have said that the i3 base specification in their countries only comes with 16 amp charge rate as a maximum unless you have the DC rapid charge option. For them, the DC rapid charge option not only adds the 0-80 % charge in 30 minutes capability but it also ups the type 2 charge rate from 16 amp to 32 amp. UK have 32 amp as standard even without the DC prep.

Bill
Click to expand...

That's correct... that's mu case, I only have 16Amp
 
CMineiro said:
i3MK said:
But what authentification is required for using IKEA or other locations in France??

Many thanks
Click to expand...
At IKEA dijon, no authentication is needed... no card, no sms, nothing...just follow instructions.
I believe in most "malls"-like french charging stations is free...
Click to expand...

Thanks! These malls - do they also require no authentication?
 

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