Who has got their charger installed by BMW or British Gas?

[logorrhoea]

Just wondering what the experience has been like for people getting the official BMW charging point or one of the freebies/upgrades from British Gas, especially if you've had to have to some ground works done to lay the cable between your house and a separate building.

I had a disappointing non-installation with Chargemaster because I've got a car port which is separated from the external wall of my house by 3ft and the Chargemaster electrician said it would involve ground work to run the cable under the paving slab, and Chargemaster "don't do ground works". He said I'd have to get someone in to lay the cable between the car port and the house, and then he could just come back and connect the cable to the fuse box and the charging point.

I would have happily paid him to do it - and was half expecting to pay a bit extra - but that wasn't even an option, so I just wanted to know if anyone else has a similar situation but managed to get the installer to do the necessary work.

 

[MikeS]

There is some additional info here - http://www.mybmwi3.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=612

Not surprised they did not want to do the ground work, but it very much depends on the company involved.

 

[logorrhoea]

Thanks. Like I say, I don't mind paying for the extra work involved. It's just rather inconvenient to have to get someone in separately to do it first and was hoping for an all-in-one service.

 

[noakey]

Hi...

British gas came along and installed a polar thingie with 4.5m tethered cable. My supply was just 4 meters along an internal garage wall so was easy. Plus I asked the engineer to leave a loop of cable in case I wanted to move the unit outside later. This was no problem and i give the whole process from enquiry to install a glowing 10/10. Thing is I need my i3 now hmph. Neil.

 

[RJSATLBA]

Hi, I had a pretty good experience with British Gas installing a 32A unit. There were several problems to overcome and I but electrician was pragmatic, I think it helped that there was give and take on my part because once we had worked out how it might be possible I rolled up my sleeves and lifted some paving slabs to get the armoured cable underneath the entrance to my front porch and underneath the path between house and garage. The electrician then produced a crowbar, lump hammer and cold chisel and finished off creating a channel in some very hard hardcore beneath.

It also looked as if I would have to get an isolator switch installed in the meter box but after a second look at the main distribution box (not sure what it is called now, the modern equivalent of a fuse box) and finding no spare relays (?), he worked out that he could combine a couple of circuits, replace the relay with a higher rated one in the spare slot which was created and was just able to drill through the wall from inside to out from the back of the unit.

The distance must have been pretty close to the 10m allowance.

It was over 5 hours from arrival to departure.

 

[logorrhoea]

Interesting. I thought I would give British Gas a go and have had a pretty bad experience.

The electrician was supposed to turn up at 3pm one day last week to do a site survey but hadn't arrived by the time I had to go and get my daughter from school at 4pm. I eventually get a phone call at 5.30pm from the electrician telling me he'd be with me at 6pm. He then turned up at 6.30pm and there wasn't a hint of an apology or explanation for why he was so late. He quite clearly didn't give a monkey's. Anyway, he took a look and said something completely different to the Chargemaster guy about what was required and when I challenged him he said that actually he wasn't sure and would need to check with his manager. (The reason I trust the CM electrician's words more is that the independent electrician I got in to run the armoured cable said, without prompting, the same as the CM guy about the work required at the fuse board end.) The BG guy went away saying that he would file some notes with BG and they'd be in touch. This afternoon, a full week after the first BG site survey, I finally got a call from the BG electrician to ask for my address. He's obviously lost the paperwork. I've gone back to Chargemaster now. It's a good job my i3 isn't supposed to arrive until September.

 

[BoMW]

I was very pleased with my BG Polar installation in fact the most annoying part was booking the installation date. I called on November 20th 2013 and the earliest date available was 28th January 2014, a 2 month wait. Any way the installer arrived at 0830, evaluated the site and carried through the fitting all without my presence! Neighbour popped round briefly to convey my preferred plug position and 32A request. At the fuse board end the fitting was perfect as there is little space to add extra isolation switches, so on the whole I am well chuffed.

 

[Gonville]

Taking into account the comments on here I filled in the British Gas on line request about two weeks ago. Heard nothing and thought ah well may have to go to Chargemaster when it gets closer to my deliver date.....seems like that is a gap that might never be closed.

Anyway shocked to receive a call this morning from BG verifying survey and installation appointment for the 14th May. Uprated charger for £99. Seems to have gone up £4.

Could be I will have moved house before the i3 arrives. Wonder what that does to house price.....

Anybody have any advice about positioning. Facing the main road as per the garage door? Inside garage or out? Or outside on side wall next to electric meter?

Sharing? Is anyone making theirs available to the public.

Views gratefully received.

 

[MikeS]

They will need to be able to get from your distribution box out to the location easily or you may need to get a 100A isolator fitted at the meter.

As for location - I was going to use the garage but realise there was little chance of the i3 living there. We have another car in the garage and as the i3 is only leased and it will probably be the car of choice to use it will rarely get in the garage.

Cable is about 4.5 metres long and the unit is supposed to be OK outside. However, if you are fitting it outside try to pick a reasonably sheltered spot, especially from prevailing rain.

As for moving, my understanding is that we own th eEVSE so can take it with us if we want.

 

[Gonville]

There is some additional info here - http://www.mybmwi3.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=612

Mike excellent link I should have read this first. By the way did you end up external to garage? Can you post a picture?

 

[MikeS]

Gonville

First photo - https://www.dropbox.com/s/7uzfqqsr5lln5jg/IMG_1459.jpg - My EVSE is installed on the outside front of the house with some shelter from the eves. I put it higher up on purpose as I wanted it out of the way but not so high it was difficult to reach. Also with it higher up, if i reverse the car in the cable can go over the top of the car to the charge point and I will still be able to walk past.

Second Photo - https://www.dropbox.com/s/ennuw4ol8o3ffxp/IMG_1460.jpg - Install from the meter (mines outside - so getting a feed from the distribution box inside the house would be very difficult). I prepared the cable route so I could run it throughout the loft at the front and back out by the EVSE site to keep it out of the way as much as possible.

 

[Gonville]

That is really helpful. Thanks for that.

I'm hoping they can drill through and not have any external cable runs. Looks like I have the same meter box as you which will result in the same isolator switch problem.

Not sure I like the idea of the exposed cable for the local youths to swing on....

 

[Gonville]

So the question is next to the meter box or on the wall under the window....mmmmmm

 

[noakey]

So the question is next to the meter box or on the wall under the window....mmmmmm

I would go under the windows. .. The resting place for the plug causes the polar unit to be quite deep, and you will bump into it if your walking past and not paying to much attention. But nothing stops you hanging the plug over the cable loop. Actually if you go for untethered nothing will protrude...

But the installation would be tidier at the side as the incoming cable bend radius is high so would stick out around the corner.

Hmm.... i still think under the window..

That's my scattered thoughts. .. hope it all goes ok..

 

[MikeS]

Under the window probably - the BG EVSE protrudes by 32cm. You can choose with the BG fitter on the day. Be wary of an untethered fit as the EVSE comes without a cable!

The key issues are:
Where is the distribution box - can you get a cable from the box to the outside fairly easy.
What size is your main fuse - probably 100A (which is required for the 32A EVSE) as it looks like a fairly modern install.
Do you have any spare ways in the distribution box? Need a place to take the feed from - if not it is probably possible for BG to combine 2 of the other feeds.

So, if they can get a cable from the distribution box to the outside and you have a 100A supply and they can take a feed from the spare way all should be fine.

If not, you may need to get a 100A breaking installed in the meter box - see https://www.dropbox.com/s/29bfc7f24l6svvf/IMG_1461.jpg - bottom right is the new isolator. BG then fitted the trips immediately left of it.

P.S I would just post the photos on the thread if I could work out how!

 

[RJSATLBA]

BG installed my 32A unit on 19 March but still haven't billed me. Does anybody know how long they usually take?

 

[noakey]

BG installed my 32A unit on 19 March but still haven't billed me. Does anybody know how long they usually take?

Hmm same here.. mine been in for 2 months and no bill...

 

[MikeS]

Same here. Did mine a month ago and I have received the elec test certificate but no bill. Im sure they won’t forget!

 

[Gonville]

I can see I'm going to need some switching like that....the BG people said not to worry the reason for the 100amp isolator is due to other loads. I don't have an electric cooker or showers just an immersion which we don't use and there is one spare way left in the consumer box. Problem is it is a 25 year old box. I can't see how they are going to work on it without having the whole thing isolated first. Glad they are tardy on the bill. Helps the cash flow for the i3. ;-)

 

[MikeS]

Even with an older installation you should have an isolator in the distribution box normally at one end. Send a pic if you want.