fast charging options ?

Hello i3 people. Alex here (Naperville, IL)
I just bought a 2017 i3rex - love it!
Mine came with a level 1 charger (from a regular 110 v outlet)...charging super slow.
The dealership offers chargers for 500 and up to 1300 not including installation (another $1000.)

I have seen some level 2 chargers on amazon for 200-350$ that use Nema 13-40 and 15-50 plugs with 220V
some are 16A some are 30+Amps.
Dose anyone have any recommendations on which one to get? a 16 amp one or a faster 32 amp one?
I have read that fast charging rates are not so good for a battery...
Any thought on this topic is appreciated.
Thanks,
Alex

Alexi3Rex said:

Hello i3 people. Alex here (Naperville, IL)
I just bought a 2017 i3rex - love it!
Mine came with a level 1 charger (from a regular 110 v outlet)...charging super slow.
The dealership offers chargers for 500 and up to 1300 not including installation (another $1000.)

I have seen some level 2 chargers on amazon for 200-350$ that use Nema 13-40 and 15-50 plugs with 220V
some are 16A some are 30+Amps.
Dose anyone have any recommendations on which one to get? a 16 amp one or a faster 32 amp one?
I have read that fast charging rates are not so good for a battery...
Any thought on this topic is appreciated.
Thanks,
Alex

Click to expand...

HI Alex. Congrats on the i3. I went the ebay route. Bought a 32 amp level 2 Nema 14-50 charger for $250 and added a 60amp dedicated circuit at my place and couldn't be happier. The charging for almost 10 months have been rock solid.
BTW, did you get the one year free charging deal?

Thanks for the info, Nick, can you post the model of your charger please. thanks,
a

Alexi3Rex said:

Thanks for the info, Nick, can you post the model of your charger please. thanks,
a

Click to expand...

I don't know if I'll get into any trouble for posting this here.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/32-Amp-Level-2-EV-Electric-Car-Charger-NEMA-14-50-J1772-FAST-6-6-7-7-Kwh-BOLT-/253449522634?hash=item3b02c4cdca

I remember using a 20% off coupon at the time. But it is this exact charger and does the job very well. It takes about 3.5 hours to fully charge the car.

The i3 is pretty good at battery management. The quickest way to recharge an EV is with a DC charger, called a CCS unit. The biggest one the i3 can make full use of is a 50kw unit. Those are not likely possible for a residence unless you own a mansion and have unlimited funds available.
The largest acv unit it can fully use is a 32A unit in the USA. Having a larger EVSE could help futureproof your purchase should you later buy a car that can handle more power. Having a larger one than the car can use doesn't hurt anything...the units use signalling to adjust to each other.

There are lots of different EVSEs out there. Some require a receptacle to plug into, some are hardwired (but the actual box is the same...it's just the pigtail that comes out, it will either have one type of plug or another, or bare wires that connect it to power). Hardwired has some advantages as does one with a plug should you decide to move it easily from place to place. I've been using a Clipper Creek unit...made in the USA (many aren't) that has been working fine. Some have some add-ons that may or may not be useful to you such as WiFi to control or monitor things, or logic to adjust the charge rate, or when you want to charge.

The actual cost to install will vary by how far they have to run the wires and how difficult it is to run them and the local prevailing hourly electrician cost, then, maybe a permit fee. It could run anywhere from a $100 to way more. The least expensive option would be one installed right next to the breaker panel since it wouldn't require much of any wire or fishing things, and thus very quick to install.