[eddiehaug]

Hi,

what happens if I set the charging current to Max and I have a cable/charging station that doesn't support the setting, and what happens if the opposite is true, i.e. I set the car to max and plug it to a home socket? Any risks?

REF:

[***Gnome***]

If a charging station's rating is lower than the Max rating on the car (I think unlikely), it will just run at the charging station's max rate. If it's higher, it will run at the car's max rate.

I'm not sure whether cables have anything to limit the draw to their max rating, but running above it will cause the cable to heat up excessively and could be a fire risk.

Most importantly, that Max rating should be checked against the amperage of the outlet, e.g., if you are plugging in at home. Running above that rating should at best pop a circuit breaker but at worst is a fire risk.

All that said, I set mine to Max and plug in at home just fine.

[ted99]

The charging rate setting in the menu is for the 110v. convenience evse that came with the car (it's NOT a "charger", which is actually built into the car), only; not a 220v. evse. The "max" charging rate is set for a 15 amp 110v outlet, which is typical of most home outlets. The max continuous current allowed, per code, for a 15 amp outlet is 80% of 15 amps, or 12 amps and that is what the "max" setting allows your BMW to draw. Some electric cars, such as the Tesla, will allow one to adjust the 110v. charging rate and if one has a 20 amp 110v outlet (usually the max one will ever find and requires a 20 amp breaker, #12 wire and a 20 amp rated outlet), one can charge at 16 amps. So, if you have a standard 15 amp outlet, which is typical of houses built in the last 50 years, you can safely use the "max" setting for the convenience evse. None of this info applies for a 220v. EVSE, except for a max continuous amperage of 80% of the breaker size.

[eddiehaug]

Perfect, understood. Thank you, guys!