i3 due for delivery in a couple of days....

[ryanMIL]

...so I'm quite excited!

I haven't got my wallbox installed yet, just waiting to hear back from Schneider with an installation date. In the meantime, I've got an external 13a socket which is about 4m from where the car will be parked. Is the lead likely to reach? How long will it take to charge like this?

It feels like ages since I ordered the car and I haven't thought about it much since or re-visited the dealer. I seem to remember being told that there's an app which I can use to do things like programme my car to start charging (when the Economy7 tariff starts), set it to pre-heat whilst it's connected to the charger and to see what the current charge level/range is etc. Does anyone know what this app is?

Thanks.

[toys]

Welcome to the i3 club! I am two years and 18,000 miles in now and still love mine...

The app is called 'i Remote' and works brilliantly. You will need a login for the system - I think my dealer sorted this out for me initially.

The standard 13A charger/cable should just reach 4m, and will take about 7 hours for a full charge.

What spec have you gone for?

[ryanMIL]

Great, thanks. I'll try to download that app and see if I can set myself up.

I've ordered a bog standard REx, in white with the standard wheels and I've opted for the Suite Interior World. From memory, I've added no options. As far as I can remember, the only extra which really impressed me was the adaptive cruise control with the automatic steering function, but I think that it comes with radar cruise control anyway which is probably good enough.

[chandrew]

The charging settings in the car can set times of off-peak charging, whether you want preconditioning etc. The app is useful but I use it most just to check all is OK.

I'm 1 month into mine and already have done 2200km (need to bring that down). I don't have a charging box in the garage and have only once felt I needed it. There's a DC charger about 10 miles away and on the rare occasions I need more charge in the middle of the day I stop off for 10 mins, plug it in and send a few emails. We don't get any support for charging points so it's quite expensive & I don't feel justifies the cost given the (free) alternative.

Mine doesn't have the range extender.

[MrOrange]

The official BMW wall box is huge. I think if BMW were not picking up 100% of the cost I would have gone for the smaller Rolec unit.

[Beefmeister]

MrOrange said:

The official BMW wall box is huge. I think if BMW were not picking up 100% of the cost I would have gone for the smaller Rolec unit.

It's bafflingly huge. There's a box in the middle and I've not idea what that shelf is for. And with all that space there's still nowhere to wrap the cable.

[ryanMIL]

I'm struggling to get my head around charging. Can anyone clarify what lead(s) should come with my car?

Are most public charge points tethered, or will I need to use my own lead into normal 3-pin socket, or some other type?

My wallbox still isn't installed, so presumably the car will come with a lead which I can use for a 3-pin plug in the meantime?

Sorry for all the questions, my first weekend with the car will involve a trip from Nuneaton to Nottingham, then overnight stay in Birmingham before heading back to Nuneaton. I will need to charge up in Birmingham and probably use my REx between Nottingham and Birmingham.

Thanks.

[MrOrange]

• Some are tethered (type 2 is what you need to look for)
• Some are not, so buy a type 2 cable from Amazon (£100) and leave it in the car
• Or use the 13 amp brick charger with normal 3 pin plugs, works outdoor as its showerproof
• Failing that, you've got a rEx so you have no worries (apart from a ludicrously small fuel tank)

Sorted.

[biggles330d]

i3 comes with 3 pin charger for a domestic socket and 3-4m cable. Until I got a rolec charger on the wall it worked ok but had to have it plugged into an extension cable to reach the car. It was very noticeable how hot the wall socket got when plugged in for hours so very glad for the fast charger being installed.
Mines an untethered Rolec unit, wired to the fuse board via a 32amp armoured cable under the drive. Splashed out on the genuine 5m Type 2 charging cable from BMW. It was £165 but most alternatives were around the same price.

Most days I get home with 25% charge left, so getting it 'full' again is only a couple of hours, and its no different from charging your mobile phone, plug in and forget. Its the thing that it obvious but I hadn't realised, all this talk of 3 or 4 hours for a full charge from empty might be technically true and sound a real hassle, but how many people drive their car fully to empty on any fuel and who is constantly in and out of the house? Just plug it in wherever you are, even for short periods. 20 minutes plugged in while running around the supermarket gets you 10-15 miles additional range. A couple of hours at home before going out again and it's probably back to full charge. It really hasn't been any hassle.

But, as the 330d is paid for, I do have that in the garage for long trips! Only been out in it three times since early december though, every other journey has been fine in my non-rex i3.

[biggles330d]

Having said that, the only hassle is the number of DC rapid chargers that don't work. I got the DC prep as it was pennies on the lease deal - no idea why they don't just fit it as standard. But of the 3 or 4 rapid CCS chargers around me, only one has ever worked. The others don't initialise for me. I've seen Tesla's and others on them though so maybe its just the CCS socket thats knackered.

[MagicalTrevor]

ryanMIL said:

Great, thanks. I'll try to download that app and see if I can set myself up.

I've ordered a bog standard REx, in white with the standard wheels and I've opted for the Suite Interior World. From memory, I've added no options. As far as I can remember, the only extra which really impressed me was the adaptive cruise control with the automatic steering function, but I think that it comes with radar cruise control anyway which is probably good enough.

As standard, the cars comes with normal cruise control, it DOES NOT have radar cruise as standard.
The optional active cruise control uses a 'smart camera' which identifies obstacles and adjusts the cruise control based on the distance to the car in front. It doesn't use radar at all and, IMO, suffers as a result as it can get confused.

[MrOrange]

biggles330d said:

but had to have it plugged into an extension cable to reach the car. It was very noticeable how hot the wall socket got when plugged in for hours so very glad for the fast charger being installed.

It's not recommended to use the brick charger on the end of an extension. In fact, it specifically says NOT to do this. I suspect the increased risk of fire due to increased resistance is why.

[Doshy]

MrOrange said:

It's not recommended to use the brick charger on the end of an extension. In fact, it specifically says NOT to do this. I suspect the increased risk of fire due to increased resistance is why.

It only draws 10amp from the 13amp socket. I've used it a few times with an extension lead when staying over at mates houses and nothing has got warm. Don't really get electrics if I'm honest but why should a (uncoiled) extension lead make any difference?

[modeller]

Doshy said:

It only draws 10amp from the 13amp socket. I've used it a few times with an extension lead when staying over at mates houses and nothing has got warm. Don't really get electrics if I'm honest but why should a (uncoiled) extension lead make any difference?

Higher rated extension leads have thicker wires , which means lower resistance, lower voltage drop and therefore less heat. Also the connectors will be rated for higher a current, hence less likely to heat up. Because charging an EV can take hours off the mains, it tends to highlight any weaknesses (under rated electrics)