Help - i3 without KLE.

[5363767]

I am in China and my car was manufactured in Sep 2014. Most likely the KLE at my car is the old one with issues. I reached out to BMW. The customer care told me the i3 in China market was not equipped with KLE. What a great answer! Just wondering whether this is true.

 

[jadnashuanh]

What is the maximum charging rate listed for your vehicle? It's possible you do not have a KLE. If yours can recharge at the 7.4Kw rate, it's my understanding that it does. If it is about half that, you do not have a KLE. You can get an idea by the size of your EVSE and how long it takes to recharge a fully depleted battery. At 7.4Kw, it should be done in 3-4 hours...without, it's about double that.

In the USA, the KLE is standard, but it is an add-on as I understand it in some markets.

 

[stumbledotcom]

This might be a bit confusing because BMW doesn't use the KLE term in its sales materials. The feature goes by the name "AC Fast Charging" on its English-language spec sheets and options lists. Not to be confused with the DC Fast Charging (DC Rapid Charging in UK), which is the Level 3 480-volt feature.

 

[5363767]

Thanks a lot for the reply! I've asked BMW China to give me a detailed explanation withe proof. I just don't trust the simple answer from the customer service. Will keep following up. Good thing is that both BMW China and dealer have been proactively communicating with me on this in a timely manner.

 

[5363767]

What is the maximum charging rate listed for your vehicle? It's possible you do not have a KLE. If yours can recharge at the 7.4Kw rate, it's my understanding that it does. If it is about half that, you do not have a KLE. You can get an idea by the size of your EVSE and how long it takes to recharge a fully depleted battery. At 7.4Kw, it should be done in 3-4 hours...without, it's about double that.

In the USA, the KLE is standard, but it is an add-on as I understand it in some markets.

Where can I find this specifications (maximum charging rate) for my car? The only reference seems the user manual which is a general version which is sometimes misleading.

 

[alohart]

Where can I find this specifications (maximum charging rate) for my car?

You could look on the original list of options for your car, if you have it. If not, enter the VIN of your i3 in one of the VIN decoder sites on the Web. If your car includes Option 4U8 "Fast Charging AC", then it is likely to have a KLE.

 

[5363767]

Where can I find this specifications (maximum charging rate) for my car?

You could look on the original list of options for your car, if you have it. If not, enter the VIN of your i3 in one of the VIN decoder sites on the Web. If your car includes Option 4U8 "Fast Charging AC", then it is likely to have a KLE.

Checked the decoding info. My car does not have the item called 4U8. Don't fully understand the below items. Where can I find the detailed explanation of them?

570 STRONGER ELECTRICITY SUPPLY

7RS COMFORT PACKAGE

8KY OIL-SERVICE INTERVAL 12 MONTHS

9AA EXTERNAL SKIN PROTECTION

 

[alohart]

My car does not have the item called 4U8.

Then almost certainly your i3 has no KLE and is limited to 3.6 kW charging power, so it would not need a KLE update.

Don't fully understand the below items. Where can I find the detailed explanation of them?

If you were ordering a custom-built car, your dealer would need to explain the available options, so your dealer must have detailed explanations.

570 STRONGER ELECTRICITY SUPPLY

7RS COMFORT PACKAGE

8KY OIL-SERVICE INTERVAL 12 MONTHS

9AA EXTERNAL SKIN PROTECTION

8KY and 9AA aren't included in the 2014 U.S. i3 ordering guide. However, my U.S. Giga World i3 BEV includes 9AA. I think I've read that 9AA is the protection applied to the body panels during shipping, but I don't understand why that would be an option or even listed. 8KY might be a Chinese option for the i3 REx, but I don't know what it means.

570 and 7RS are standard on all U.S. i3's including mine. According to this, 7RS includes folding mirrors with a passenger mirror that moves out when turning in that direction as slow speeds and down when backing up, but probably some other features as well.

570 is an option on many BMW models, so it's not i3-specific. One guess I read was that this is a larger alternator on ICE models, but i3's have no alternator. I have also read that it's a larger 12 v. battery.

 

[spinball]

8KY is simply the oil service schedule for a REx, worldwide.

 

[5363767]

Thanks for the help, Art and Spinball! I will talk to the dealer to get the detailed explanations. Its a bad thing of not having KLE which means I cannot do fast charging. Any idea why it is removed in some markets, e.g. China? Not received official answer from BWM yet.

 

[jadnashuanh]

Cost...and, it might be perceived that finding a circuit with double the power available wasn't as common in that market, which is what it would take to recharge the i3 at it's maximum rate with the KLE installed. It depends on your tolerance for unplanned trips, and the ability of the vehicle to recharge quicker to make that a possibility. With a KLE and max EVSE, 3-4 hours. Without a KLE, 6-8 hours to recharge. Either is easily attained overnight, but may not be if you do something late into the night and need to leave for work in the morning! Or, arrive home from work, and want to go out later.

 

[chenzq]

Most "new" electricity meters in China were 10(40)A a few years ago, meaning 10A sustainable and 40A peak (the meter will go crazy at 40A). Newer household may have 20-30A. To support 7.2KW charging, you need a dedicated circuit (not to share with other appliance like AC and refrigerator) of at least 32A @220V, which is rare for the market. That may be why BMW decided not to include that option.

Older meters were usually 3A or 5A "back in the days".

 

[5363767]

Cost...and, it might be perceived that finding a circuit with double the power available wasn't as common in that market, which is what it would take to recharge the i3 at it's maximum rate with the KLE installed. It depends on your tolerance for unplanned trips, and the ability of the vehicle to recharge quicker to make that a possibility. With a KLE and max EVSE, 3-4 hours. Without a KLE, 6-8 hours to recharge. Either is easily attained overnight, but may not be if you do something late into the night and need to leave for work in the morning! Or, arrive home from work, and want to go out later.

Thanks! I would agree the cost is the major reason. A bit disappointed on BMW for doing this.

 

[5363767]

Most "new" electricity meters in China were 10(40)A a few years ago, meaning 10A sustainable and 40A peak (the meter will go crazy at 40A). Newer household may have 20-30A. To support 7.2KW charging, you need a dedicated circuit (not to share with other appliance like AC and refrigerator) of at least 32A @220V, which is rare for the market. That may be why BMW decided not to include that option.

Older meters were usually 3A or 5A "back in the days".

In the old days and small cities, that might be probably right. But that's not an issue any more. i3 is built for future. Don't know why it is built for the past in China?