BMW Garage BMW Meets Register Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read
BMW 5-Series (G30) Forum DIY Discussions / Guides / Instructions Can the BMW Stock charger be plugged into a 240V outlet?

Post Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
      04-22-2019, 08:53 PM   #1
SigmaPiFSC
Private
18
Rep
59
Posts

Drives: 2023 BMW 530e
Join Date: Apr 2019
Location: Boston

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
Can the BMW Stock charger be plugged into a 240V outlet?

I have an un-used dryer outlet. It's a 240V. Can I use this adapter:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0748NBCGH..._y-MVCbH4CC1DB

And then just plug my normal charger that came with the 530e into the unused Laundry 240v outlet and will it work?
I'm just looking for the cheapest way to test out some faster charging.
Also, I'm thinking about an extension cord. I'm open to recommendations.

Thanks!
Ethan-

Last edited by SigmaPiFSC; 05-19-2019 at 07:39 AM..
Appreciate 0
      11-13-2020, 03:55 PM   #2
Hal88
Private
0
Rep
51
Posts

Drives: 2013 X5 335i
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Orange county

iTrader: (0)

I'm interested in doing the same thing.
Appreciate 0
      01-24-2021, 07:16 PM   #3
Zereldo
Private
18
Rep
56
Posts

Drives: 2018 BMW 530e
Join Date: Nov 2020
Location: Toronto

iTrader: (0)

I understand this is an old post, but I have the same question and wondering if anyone can provide some Input.

I have a spare dryer outlet (30 amp 220v). The standard BMW 530e charger is meant for a standard 15 amp or 20 amp outlet based on the design of the plug.

Will an adapter (from standard to dryer) work? Any benefit to using 30 amp at 220v VS 15 or 20 amp at 110v? It should charge faster with 30 amp unless the charger self regulates to lower amperage anyway rendering 30 amp dedicated circuit useless.
Appreciate 0
      01-25-2021, 01:39 PM   #4
LogicalApex
Colonel
2017
Rep
2,932
Posts

Drives: 2020 BMW 530xe
Join Date: Jul 2019
Location: Farmington, NY

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
2020 BMW 530xe  [0.00]
The stock charger won't handle 240V. You'd need something like the BMW TurboCord to allow you to use the same charger on 120V or 240V.

https://www.getbmwparts.com/oem-part...le-61442448670

But instead of buying that cord you'd be better off installing 240V w/ a good EVSE if you can.
Appreciate 0
      01-27-2021, 10:14 AM   #5
Zereldo
Private
18
Rep
56
Posts

Drives: 2018 BMW 530e
Join Date: Nov 2020
Location: Toronto

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by LogicalApex View Post
The stock charger won't handle 240V. You'd need something like the BMW TurboCord to allow you to use the same charger on 120V or 240V.

https://www.getbmwparts.com/oem-part...le-61442448670

But instead of buying that cord you'd be better off installing 240V w/ a good EVSE if you can.
Thanks for your input LogicalApex. Do you have any recommendations? I live in Canada and so my options may be limited in regard to what I can have shipped here vs availability of products on US based Amazon/ebay website.

Not sure about a dedicated charging station as the 530e is my only PHEV/EV and it is parked outside.

Any major difference b/w 20 AMP 120 V (240 V)with a dedicated Level 2 cord VS 30 AMP 240 V charging? Not sure what is the maximum capacity of 530e charging.

Let me know,

Thanks!
Appreciate 0
      01-27-2021, 05:47 PM   #6
LogicalApex
Colonel
2017
Rep
2,932
Posts

Drives: 2020 BMW 530xe
Join Date: Jul 2019
Location: Farmington, NY

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
2020 BMW 530xe  [0.00]
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zereldo View Post
Thanks for your input LogicalApex. Do you have any recommendations? I live in Canada and so my options may be limited in regard to what I can have shipped here vs availability of products on US based Amazon/ebay website.

Not sure about a dedicated charging station as the 530e is my only PHEV/EV and it is parked outside.

Any major difference b/w 20 AMP 120 V (240 V)with a dedicated Level 2 cord VS 30 AMP 240 V charging? Not sure what is the maximum capacity of 530e charging.

Let me know,

Thanks!
I use a ChargePoint charger that I purchased and vastly over-specced for the 530e. But my reasoning there was I street park and getting a sidewalk opened up to install it I wanted to only be doing this once no matter if I went to a BEV in the future. The ChargePoint also has WiFi connectively so I can monitor charring, power use, and etc all from my phone. Depending on your needs you can go with a cheaper "smart" EVSE or you can go with something more "dumb" (I don't mean that in a negative way) that just allows the car to charge. The less fancy the cheaper the EVSE will be.


My car is street parked so installing my EVSE was a chore! That being said how much you'll get out of a dedicated charging spot will be governed heavily by how you use your 530e and what your goals are with it. I live in Philly which has really short blocks of around 300ft since it is an older city. My goal was EV in the city and Hybrid/ICE on my long road trips up to Canada. That means charging between trips is important to maximizing my EV use in the city. It has worked our perfectly for that as I have about 5K EV miles on my car of the 10K total miles in the year I've owned it.

When I got the car I used the 120V adapter run with an extension cord outside across the sidewalk as I wasn't sure I wanted to go through the pain of tearing up the sidewalk. It took about 12 hours to charge the car from flat (240V takes under 3 hours) and it wasn't able to handle the demands of preconditioning effectively either (meaning you'd chew up 10-15% of the charge if you decided to precondition while plugged in at 120V!).

If you drive the car from home to work only then you might be able to be OK with 120V as the slow charge won't impact your usage much. If you have a garage you can put the car in then preconditioning is less of an issue too. For me, preconditioning is a really nice feature. Nice to get into the car and it is cool or warm without having kicked on the ICE to get it done.

The 530e charges at a max of 16A @ 240V with a 12kWh battery in MY2020+ and 9.2kWh in MY2019-. I can't comment on usable capacity in Canada. In the US my MY2020 has about 9.2 of usable capacity, but I believe we get access to less capacity due to battery warranty length (in some states it is as long as 10Y/150K miles).
Appreciate 0
      01-27-2021, 11:43 PM   #7
Zereldo
Private
18
Rep
56
Posts

Drives: 2018 BMW 530e
Join Date: Nov 2020
Location: Toronto

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by LogicalApex View Post
I use a ChargePoint charger that I purchased and vastly over-specced for the 530e. But my reasoning there was I street park and getting a sidewalk opened up to install it I wanted to only be doing this once no matter if I went to a BEV in the future. The ChargePoint also has WiFi connectively so I can monitor charring, power use, and etc all from my phone. Depending on your needs you can go with a cheaper "smart" EVSE or you can go with something more "dumb" (I don't mean that in a negative way) that just allows the car to charge. The less fancy the cheaper the EVSE will be.


My car is street parked so installing my EVSE was a chore! That being said how much you'll get out of a dedicated charging spot will be governed heavily by how you use your 530e and what your goals are with it. I live in Philly which has really short blocks of around 300ft since it is an older city. My goal was EV in the city and Hybrid/ICE on my long road trips up to Canada. That means charging between trips is important to maximizing my EV use in the city. It has worked our perfectly for that as I have about 5K EV miles on my car of the 10K total miles in the year I've owned it.

When I got the car I used the 120V adapter run with an extension cord outside across the sidewalk as I wasn't sure I wanted to go through the pain of tearing up the sidewalk. It took about 12 hours to charge the car from flat (240V takes under 3 hours) and it wasn't able to handle the demands of preconditioning effectively either (meaning you'd chew up 10-15% of the charge if you decided to precondition while plugged in at 120V!).

If you drive the car from home to work only then you might be able to be OK with 120V as the slow charge won't impact your usage much. If you have a garage you can put the car in then preconditioning is less of an issue too. For me, preconditioning is a really nice feature. Nice to get into the car and it is cool or warm without having kicked on the ICE to get it done.

The 530e charges at a max of 16A @ 240V with a 12kWh battery in MY2020+ and 9.2kWh in MY2019-. I can't comment on usable capacity in Canada. In the US my MY2020 has about 9.2 of usable capacity, but I believe we get access to less capacity due to battery warranty length (in some states it is as long as 10Y/150K miles).

Noted. Based on my understanding, the voltage dictates the charge time and "quality" of charge more so than the amperage. I also understand that any outlet provides 80% of it's maximum amp rating. Now the questions becomes, should I have a dedicated 20 amp 240 v outlet (80% of 20 amp would be 16 amp) vs utilizing my 30 amp 220 v (maybe it 240 v) dryer outlet.

I will need to consider the cost of a new dedicated circuit with the 20 amp 240 v option. There is also the matter of finding an aftermarket charging cord (like BMW turbo cord) that can handle both 15 amp 120 v circuit and 20 amp 240 v circuit. With 30 amp 240 v dryer outlet, that cord will have to be different due to different socket type.

Sorry my knowledge on electricity is limited.

In summary:

20 AMP 240 V - I will need a new circuit and a level 2 charging cord (aftermarket or BMW turbo cord)

30 AMP 240 V - I will need a level 2 charging cord that can fit into a dryer outlet

I will look into aftermarket level 2 charging cord based on your recommendation.

I've been driving in battery control mode since I purchased the car a month or so ago in order to keep it in good health - in exchange for abysmal fuel economy. I understand that is not the most cost effective way of driving as charging with ICE costs more than with using a charger. My daily commute is about 30 KMs
And so I would prefer the quick and "packed" charge (for lack of a better term, the quick charge allows the battery unit to holds more electrons vs slow charge?)

Thank you for taking the time to share all the details and helping me better understand all the options.

Cheers!
Appreciate 0
      01-28-2021, 09:53 AM   #8
LogicalApex
Colonel
2017
Rep
2,932
Posts

Drives: 2020 BMW 530xe
Join Date: Jul 2019
Location: Farmington, NY

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
2020 BMW 530xe  [0.00]
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zereldo View Post
Noted. Based on my understanding, the voltage dictates the charge time and "quality" of charge more so than the amperage. I also understand that any outlet provides 80% of it's maximum amp rating. Now the questions becomes, should I have a dedicated 20 amp 240 v outlet (80% of 20 amp would be 16 amp) vs utilizing my 30 amp 220 v (maybe it 240 v) dryer outlet.

I will need to consider the cost of a new dedicated circuit with the 20 amp 240 v option. There is also the matter of finding an aftermarket charging cord (like BMW turbo cord) that can handle both 15 amp 120 v circuit and 20 amp 240 v circuit. With 30 amp 240 v dryer outlet, that cord will have to be different due to different socket type.

Sorry my knowledge on electricity is limited.

In summary:

20 AMP 240 V - I will need a new circuit and a level 2 charging cord (aftermarket or BMW turbo cord)

30 AMP 240 V - I will need a level 2 charging cord that can fit into a dryer outlet

I will look into aftermarket level 2 charging cord based on your recommendation.

I've been driving in battery control mode since I purchased the car a month or so ago in order to keep it in good health - in exchange for abysmal fuel economy. I understand that is not the most cost effective way of driving as charging with ICE costs more than with using a charger. My daily commute is about 30 KMs
And so I would prefer the quick and "packed" charge (for lack of a better term, the quick charge allows the battery unit to holds more electrons vs slow charge?)

Thank you for taking the time to share all the details and helping me better understand all the options.

Cheers!
Your understanding is correct. You'll get better charging efficiency and speed out of a 16A @ 240V than you would out of a 16A @ 120V.

From my understanding, you can reuse an existing socket with something like the TurboCord, but it is advised to not be using anything else on the line at the same time. As the EV will pull its power load 100% of the time it is charging compared to something like a dryer which will have small bursts at the peak range. So running both could trip the breaker and overload the line.

I would check for any incentives for adding a dedicated EVSE first and if that doesn't pan out then I'd see if using a turbo cord can work out. They can be had on eBay for a reasonable price and if they can do the job for you that's great. Also, the BMW TurboCord should be covered under your car warranty since it is BMW OEM and, at least in the US, that would get warranty coverage from BMW. YMMV on this though as I don't know if it is the same in Canada.

I've used Battery Control to charge on the rare case I want a charge at my destination (for preconditioning), but I forgot to set it before I left home to hold the charge instead of making it. I find it is going to cost you ~10MPG or so if you're able to do it at highway speeds. A fairly expensive way to charge, but cheaper than many public chargers.

Glad I could help. Love my 530e and always happy to exchange information with other owners
Appreciate 0
      01-28-2021, 04:10 PM   #9
Zereldo
Private
18
Rep
56
Posts

Drives: 2018 BMW 530e
Join Date: Nov 2020
Location: Toronto

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by LogicalApex View Post
Your understanding is correct. You'll get better charging efficiency and speed out of a 16A @ 240V than you would out of a 16A @ 120V.

From my understanding, you can reuse an existing socket with something like the TurboCord, but it is advised to not be using anything else on the line at the same time. As the EV will pull its power load 100% of the time it is charging compared to something like a dryer which will have small bursts at the peak range. So running both could trip the breaker and overload the line.

I would check for any incentives for adding a dedicated EVSE first and if that doesn't pan out then I'd see if using a turbo cord can work out. They can be had on eBay for a reasonable price and if they can do the job for you that's great. Also, the BMW TurboCord should be covered under your car warranty since it is BMW OEM and, at least in the US, that would get warranty coverage from BMW. YMMV on this though as I don't know if it is the same in Canada.

I've used Battery Control to charge on the rare case I want a charge at my destination (for preconditioning), but I forgot to set it before I left home to hold the charge instead of making it. I find it is going to cost you ~10MPG or so if you're able to do it at highway speeds. A fairly expensive way to charge, but cheaper than many public chargers.

Glad I could help. Love my 530e and always happy to exchange information with other owners
The BMW TurboCord has specific plug (Not conventional) meant for 20 AMP 240 V outlets. I am leaning towards installing this outlet on a dedicated circuit.

The dryer outlet I have is on a dedicated circuit and not shared with any applience in the household. Utilizing the dryer outlet may not be ideal since I won't be using it to it's maximum potential. There is also the matter of purchasing an aftermarket charging cord that will fit the dryer outlet. BMW Turbo cord will not work here.

BMW will cover a turbocord purchased off of ebay? I do have factory warranty for a year and a half but I doubt they would cover items that didn't come with the car or not purcahsed from a dealership. Given that is the case (i will look into it), I can potentially purchase a turbo cord that is perhaps faulty at a cheaper price and have BMW repair/replace it.

Lots of aftermarket options for level 2 charging cords, not sure which one is best after BMW turbo cord. They also seem to be priced around the same as a used turbocord, in which case I would lean toward OE.

I will look into any incentives. Would the power company be the one I should reach out to?

"Glad I could help. Love my 530e and always happy to exchange information with other owners "

Thank you! You're very kind.
Appreciate 0
      01-28-2021, 09:16 PM   #10
LogicalApex
Colonel
2017
Rep
2,932
Posts

Drives: 2020 BMW 530xe
Join Date: Jul 2019
Location: Farmington, NY

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
2020 BMW 530xe  [0.00]
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zereldo View Post
The BMW TurboCord has specific plug (Not conventional) meant for 20 AMP 240 V outlets. I am leaning towards installing this outlet on a dedicated circuit.

The dryer outlet I have is on a dedicated circuit and not shared with any applience in the household. Utilizing the dryer outlet may not be ideal since I won't be using it to it's maximum potential. There is also the matter of purchasing an aftermarket charging cord that will fit the dryer outlet. BMW Turbo cord will not work here.

BMW will cover a turbocord purchased off of ebay? I do have factory warranty for a year and a half but I doubt they would cover items that didn't come with the car or not purcahsed from a dealership. Given that is the case (i will look into it), I can potentially purchase a turbo cord that is perhaps faulty at a cheaper price and have BMW repair/replace it.

Lots of aftermarket options for level 2 charging cords, not sure which one is best after BMW turbo cord. They also seem to be priced around the same as a used turbocord, in which case I would lean toward OE.

I will look into any incentives. Would the power company be the one I should reach out to?

"Glad I could help. Love my 530e and always happy to exchange information with other owners "

Thank you! You're very kind.
I am not an electrician so feel free to get their input on this, but you should be able to use an adapter to swap the receptacle type to allow use of a TurboCord.

Such as: https://www.amazon.com/10-30P-T-Blad...dp/B081NNSFZS/

In the US the BMW warranty covers parts for 2 years or balance of factory warranty. I haven't had to use that yet to see how hard pressed the BMW dealer would be on asking for a receipt. I'd doubt they would given it could be up to 4 years in the past, but YMMV.

Where I live there is a tiny incentive from the power company. There is also a tax credit against the install costs too. I'd see if there are any in Canada from either your power company, city, or province just to be sure you don't leave money on the table.

I too would lead TurboCord in your scenario since it offers that Level 1 and Level 2 flexibility. But I can't offer a review on it since my car didn't come with one so I've never used it first hand.

Thanks for the kind words
Appreciate 0
Post Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 11:37 AM.




5post
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
1Addicts.com, BIMMERPOST.com, E90Post.com, F30Post.com, M3Post.com, ZPost.com, 5Post.com, 6Post.com, 7Post.com, XBimmers.com logo and trademark are properties of BIMMERPOST