Do you have a Wallbox charger at home, or why not?

[Verde]

I believe that slow charging is the best to keep your battery in good condition.
Due to this, I (still) use the supplied 230VAC charger to charge my i3 overnight. It is more than fast enough.

The only problem I have is that the charger lays on the floor, in the rain, during charging.
To combat this I am contemplating to develop a solution using the original charger as a 'permanent' wallbox.

My question to you is, do you charge your i3 at home?
If so, do you have a 'wallbox' installed?
Did you install this wallbox to charge faster, or simply due to the inconvenience mentioned before?

I would love to hear your opinion on this matter!

[eNate]

I installed a level 2 EVSE only after my wife began driving an EV. I rarely use it for the i3.

The stock 12 amp unit was just shy of adequate for my typical 40 mile day, so for my first 3 months I'd find myself at a DC charger once per week.

I upgraded to a dual-voltage 16 amp unit that lives in my frunk, and I charge almost exclusively at work, plugging in to 120 volts. This gets me 30% over 8 hours, which surpasses my daily needs.

[Arm]

I have a 30AMP, 240V charger and have it for 8 years now. I will not charge the car with the slow charger that came with the car...it's for an emergency only and find the speed just too slow. To be honest, I leave it at home and have never ever used it.

People worry WAY too much about battery life and charging at L2 rates. Once you use a 7.2kW charger at home, you'll never use the L1 again. The BMS in these cars does a fine job managing battery health and charging the vehicle to 100% helps balance the battery chemistry. There are far more anecdotal stories of high mileage i3 owners who never worried about charging than the one's who do.

[alohart]

The BMS in these cars does a fine job managing battery health and charging the vehicle to 100% helps balance the battery chemistry.

It's not necessary to charge to 100% for cell charge level balancing to occur. During my 7 years of i3 ownership, I've typically charged to a displayed 80% - 90% yet the minimum and maximum cell voltage difference at a 100% charge level is only 0.004 V indicating excellent cell charge level balance.

[eNate]

...Once you use a 7.2kW charger at home, you'll never use the L1 again. ...

I have a bank of 32 amp L2 at work and a 40 amp unit unit at home and rarely use either, preferring to plug in to good old 120. I don't want to be at 100%, and I don't want to bother with having to unplug my fully-charged car mid-shift to move it for the next EV to pull in.

I'm not alone. Often the 6 dedicated 120 volt EV spots are taken.

Blanket generalizations don't work for charging, just let they don't works for EVs in general (the i3 is "too old," "too small," "too slow," "too range limited."

Everybody needs to find what works for them.

[Arm]

...Once you use a 7.2kW charger at home, you'll never use the L1 again. ...

I have a bank of 32 amp L2 at work and a 40 amp unit unit at home and rarely use either, preferring to plug in to good old 120. I don't want to be at 100%, and I don't want to bother with having to unplug my fully-charged car mid-shift to move it for the next EV to pull in.

I'm not alone. Often the 6 dedicated 120 volt EV spots are taken.

Blanket generalizations don't work for charging, just let they don't works for EVs in general (the i3 is "too old," "too small," "too slow," "too range limited."

Everybody needs to find what works for them.

That's true. That's why I plug in and forget about it. I never have to worry about levels or charging.

[stumbledotcom]

No. I live in a large condo complex with an underground garage. The space we use for the i3 is three levels down. When I got my first 2014, I looked at several charging solutions. The cheapest estimate was $8,500 to reuse existing conduit and upgrade a nearby 120v outlet to provide something between L1 and L2 speed. The quote for installing larger conduit, heavier-gauge wire, and true L2 was $12k. Fortunately the public charging infrastructure here in SF is decent and getting better. Last year, EVgo installed two L3 stations on the public side of our garage that serves the ground-level supermarket. Now I just drive about 50' and usually charge after-hours so I don't have to compete with others trying to plug in.

[eNate]

This kills me that the condo board (or whatever the governing body is -- I don't know condos!) couldn't see the potential in this and run not just one, but a group of circuits, spread the installation out over a number of parking spaces, charge a slight monthly premium to recover those installation costs over time, as use the availability of EV charging (even if 20A L1) as a selling point when recruiting new owners.

[stumbledotcom]

I agree about the improved resale value. But I'm also married to the board president so I know our situation is more complex than pulling wire and figuring out a billing scheme for power usage. The three-story underground structure is built with post-tension concrete. Drilling for larger conduit requires x-raying the slabs. Sprinkler system would have to be upgraded. And we don't have any shared common spaces; all are deeded to individual units so they can't just be reapportioned to EV drivers.

[kweiske]

I have a 220 outlet in my carport with a weatherproof cover and the BMW Turbocord charger. Instead of the 220v adapter, I bought a short extension cord with a NEMA 6-20 plug and a 5-15 receptacle. The charger hangs off the cord off the floor. It's under a carport with shelter from the rain.



I ran cabling to my carport a couple of years ago, alas, I only had 10 gauge cable pulled. As a result, the biggest circuit I could support was a 20 amp circuit. I miss out on charging at 32 amps, but 16 has been just fine so far. If I'm in a pinch, there's a DC charger a half-mile away.

I don't see a need for a wall box, although nowadays they're a good selling point for your house.

A wallbox is relatively theft-proof, which is nice. I used to leave my Prius charger coiled up in my carport and expected it to be gone one night. It never was. Regardless, I store the TurboCord in my trunk when I'm done.