Occasional Use Cable

[wayne325]

I would NOT use a 16g extension cord to power the OUC! Plus, I would NOT use a 2-conductor extension cord, either...you should have a ground. Yes, internal to the EVSE, it has the equivalent of a GFCI, but there's a reason why they put a 3-prong plug on the thing!

For sure everyone should understand that defeating the ground on an EV could be real trouble. It's illegal, if you do it and there's a problem (people could get killed) you will be liable possibly in a criminal complaint and if not that certainly a civil one. Just don't ever do it.

(for those who don't know - "defeating the ground" or "lifting the ground" means using a 2-prong plug anywhere in the chain of connection from the EV to the outlet.)

 

[mikejrexec]

I use the OUC as my primary means of charging. I've had my I3 for 2 weeks now and it works perfectly well for my driving needs. I mounted the OUC box right next to the outlet and use a Kill A Watt to measure my electricity usage. It's the perfection setup for me.

 

[drhardee]

Like the poster above me, I too use the OUC as my primary charging cable. I have a REX, and I have never driven the car (in 4200 miles) far enough in a day to activate the REX unit! This car is used to get me to and from work (22 miles round trip), and grocery shopping /errand running on weekends. I plug it in when I come home at 6:00 PM, and it's ready to go and pre-conditioned at 8:00 AM when I leave for work.

I did spend about $700.00 having a separate, dedicated 120V line run to the garage just for the charging cable. I suppose I could have strung an appropriate extension cord from the other wall of the garage (where an outlet is located) around my MB wagon (out-of-town car) and done things that way. Since I'm just leasing this car (1st year of production jitters), I didn't feel the need to purchase the 240v charger. I just don't need this car charged that quickly....YMMV.

 

[jadnashuanh]

FWIW, I would have run a 240vac line, and, if you ran a neutral, you could have hooked it up as a 120vac, all depends on the breaker you use and the wire gauge. You could have run big enough wire to power a level 2 EVSE, then, either hardwired, or plugged in a bigger EVSE if you decided to buy one later. The labor to run the wire is often a significant portion, although bigger wire is costly.

 

[justanotherdrunk]

The result of L1 (occasional use) charging in the garage on maximum current setting

a dead crew and a wrecked ship - almost - a little Star Trek reference

:evil:

I always/ only use the medium setting with no further problems

 

[archieb]

I have always used my 120V charger on high, both on the i3 and 3 years with my Chevy Volt with never a problem.

The first thing I did before using a 120V charger was to install a hospital grade GFCI outlet for the charger. The outlet that was installed was a standard builders grade and used the quick push connect option on the back of the outlet. This type of outlet will not and can not handle hours of heavy amperage draw.

In my case I used a Leviton Evr-green single GFCI outlet. This outlet is designed for heavy duty, long term wattage. Heavy duty double wipe contacts, screw mounted connections and quality construction ensures a secure, tight contact. If you are doing the install yourself make sure the wire is securely wrapped around the screw terminals and not just straight wired to the screw. Loose or improper connections generate heat which can cause what happened in the photo above.

These type of outlets cost more than the $3.95 builders grade models, but you truly get what you pay for.

 

[jadnashuanh]

FWIW, a rooky mistake on even attaching the wire...it should go under the screw with the tail going clockwise, not CCW as shown. This helps to ensure it makes good contact and gets full contact all the way around. Agree, if the wires are attached properly and the device is limited to 80% of the max (12A in this case, which is the i3's max L1 rate), then it should be fine. If the spring tension in the receptacle has weakened, it's time to replace. A commercial grade one is recommended. Personally, I ran a 20A circuit and used a 20A receptacle which has beefier contacts in addition to the L2 unit I also had installed.

The reason why BMW put lower charging rates on the menu was if the circuit you plugged into was shared with something else, and it was required to prevent the breaker from tripping.