i3 - 16amp convertor socket?
Discussion
Hi All,
I currently charge my car overnight at home using the BMW fast charge cable (blue one).
At work, they have a 16amp 3 pin socket - the car doesn't accept this so I have a convertor which changes it into a standard 3 pin plug receptacle. This works except the car is now on a very slow charge and takes 8 hours+ approx.
Question is, is there a convertor I can use that will mate the 16amp 3 pin socket to the fast charge cable allowing it to charge at a faster rate?
I currently charge my car overnight at home using the BMW fast charge cable (blue one).
At work, they have a 16amp 3 pin socket - the car doesn't accept this so I have a convertor which changes it into a standard 3 pin plug receptacle. This works except the car is now on a very slow charge and takes 8 hours+ approx.
Question is, is there a convertor I can use that will mate the 16amp 3 pin socket to the fast charge cable allowing it to charge at a faster rate?
I presume at home the cable you use is the blue "Mode 3" cable which is just a couple of connectors joined by blue wire, whereas at work the cable you're using is the "Mode 2" cable which looks like this:
In mode 3 charging the car talks to the charging equipment, and they agree the maximum charge current to be used - limited only by the capacity of the charging post; or the car's on-board charger.
In mode 2 charging, the box in the cable (called a CCID) does this communication with the car instead, as it's designed to be plugged into bog standard electric supply equipment without intelligent comms. In most cases within the UK, the CCID will tell the car to limit the charge current to 10A. Although the UK BS1363 standard 3-pin plug on the end is rated to 13A maximum - some brands of socket (and plug) can get a bit melty at 13A continuous for 8+ hours, hence the industry tending to de-rate to 10A for safety.
What you need for work is a mode 2 charge cable with the blue 16A 'commando' style plug, and a CCID set to 16A or so. Whether these are available to the public I'm not sure!
In mode 3 charging the car talks to the charging equipment, and they agree the maximum charge current to be used - limited only by the capacity of the charging post; or the car's on-board charger.
In mode 2 charging, the box in the cable (called a CCID) does this communication with the car instead, as it's designed to be plugged into bog standard electric supply equipment without intelligent comms. In most cases within the UK, the CCID will tell the car to limit the charge current to 10A. Although the UK BS1363 standard 3-pin plug on the end is rated to 13A maximum - some brands of socket (and plug) can get a bit melty at 13A continuous for 8+ hours, hence the industry tending to de-rate to 10A for safety.
What you need for work is a mode 2 charge cable with the blue 16A 'commando' style plug, and a CCID set to 16A or so. Whether these are available to the public I'm not sure!
This should work, but looks a bit shonky and isn't exactly cheap:
http://www.e-station-store.com/en/portable-chargin...
I know that Delphi do a range of IEC62196 Type 2 charge leads with CCIDs for a variety of different supply interfaces, but whether they do one with a blue 16A commando plug on the end I don't know. These guys in the UK might be able to help:
http://www.frostevparts.co.uk/
http://www.e-station-store.com/en/portable-chargin...
I know that Delphi do a range of IEC62196 Type 2 charge leads with CCIDs for a variety of different supply interfaces, but whether they do one with a blue 16A commando plug on the end I don't know. These guys in the UK might be able to help:
http://www.frostevparts.co.uk/
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