A Cool EVSE is coming ... the BMWi Wallbox Pro

BMW i Wallbox Pure (left) and BMW i Wallbox Pro (right)


BMW expanded its Wallbox portfolio from just the base Pure model to the new Pro model, which is available in Europe and soon will be available worldwide as an Original BMW i Accessory.

Both units look similar, but Pro has higher power output (7.4 kW) than Pure. There is a lot of new features because Pro is smart, with optimization of the home-generated electricity usage and general integration.

BMW i3 and wallbox

The striking difference is the 7-inch color touchscreen display, which enables one to see all the data, including charging history, charging power, etc.

Here is the full description of the BMW i Wallbox Pro:

"The BMW i Wallbox Pro is operated using a 7-inch colour touchscreen display, which offers optimised control and monitoring of the charging process and allows users to choose their own individual settings. The screen can show how much charge has been delivered to the vehicle so far, along with details of previous charging cycles. LED fibre-optic strips at the sides of the wallbox indicate the current charge status and are visible from a considerable distance. Information about the charging status can also be remotely accessed from a smartphone or tablet by using the BMW i Wallbox Remote app.

The BMW i Wallbox Pro provides an administrator function that can keep a charging history for different users. Up to three user profiles can be set up, e.g. for accounting or billing purposes. For example, private and business-related electricity use can be recorded separately. Details of electricity consumption for a particular user account can also be forwarded by email if desired.

A proximity sensor activates the BMW i Wallbox Pro when motion is detected. The charging plug can be picked up and connected to the vehicle socket using just one hand. Further user-friendly features include the 3.5-metre charging cable. The cable's entry point towards the top of the wallbox protects it from contamination and makes it unnecessary to coil the cable.

The BMW i Wallbox Pro's integrated load management system delivers the maximum available current when charging. At the same time, overloading is prevented by reducing the charging rate as necessary during peaks in household power consumption. A clear readout on the touchscreen shows how much power is being drawn from the household electrical system at any given time.

Assisted by its intelligent charging functions and the optional energy meter, the BMW i Wallbox Pro is unique among home charging stations in the extent to which home-generated electricity can be integrated in the charging process – for example electricity from a home solar system. This option is used whenever possible. The intelligently integrated wallbox detects the availability of solar power and immediately uses it for charging. If no home-generated energy is available, power from the grid is used instead.

If the BMW i Wallbox Pro is integrated with a smart home system, the efficient charging functionality can be extended even further to reduce peak loads on the household electrical system and optimise the use of home-generated electricity. Via the touchscreen it is possible, for example, to connect the wallbox to the smart home system myGEKKO. Up to eight smart home functions can then be controlled from the wallbox display, including activation of outdoor lighting. It is also possible to display a weather report on the touchscreen, showing current temperatures, daily maximum and minimum temperatures, frost warnings and forecasts for the coming days."


Source: Inside EVs

A regular 220V outlet EVSE will be finally available for Renault ZOE on March 4, 2014

It's never too late ...

Finally, in two days, ZOE owners should be able to purchase a portable EVSE to charge their ZOE wherever they want, at 10A or 14A on a dedicated Legrand Green'up reinforced 220V outlet

ZOE : Leclerc and Renault team up for EV adoption in France

The famous French supermarket chain Leclerc received 10 ZOE from Renault at a Leclerc supermarket located in brittany (north ouest of France), for a start

Carlos Tavares, CEO of Renault, and Michel Edouard Leclerc, CEO of Leclerc were there to launch this partnership of EV rental cars, along with charging stations on the supermarket parking lot, and a nearby Renault dealer providing charging stations too.

These 10 first ZOE will be used by the employees of this supermarket and each of them had a Wallbox - EVSE - installed at home; So they will be able to charge at work, at the Renault dealership nearby, and at home ...

This partnership should expand and more Leclerc supermarkets / hypermarkets should have EVs for their employees, and their customers as rental cars, with a Renault dealership nearby   

More than 30,000 visits to my blog, Thanks

A good surprise this morning as I am back to work with the new step of 30,000 visits !

I see people interested in my DIY EVSE based "Wallbox" installed in my parking to charge the LEAF & more EVs

Thanks to all my visitors, regular and one-time ones too :-)

Wallbox installed in my parking for LEAF & Vectrix

Here is an overview of my "Wallbox" that I installed in my underground parking in december 2011, few days after I got my LEAF delivered

I purchased a second standard Nissan EVSE from eBay and mounted it onto the wall close to the front end of the LEAF 

A 10 meters 16A extension cord is used to connect the electric panel in the back of the parking spot to the front EVSE 

Overview of the "Wallbox" with the LEAF plugged in

Front view

The charge cable with the J1772 plug is rolled around a hook screwed into the wall at hand level to be able to reach it easily

The Vectrix extension cord is just sitting on top of this wall hook

without the Vectrix cable

I use the round / loop shaped head of this hook to hang the J1772 plug with its hook 

The EVSE is secureley mounted on the wall using 4 screws and the extension cord is simply plugged into it

Two 10 meters 16A extension cords connected to the original Nissan EVSE and for the Vectrix

Extension cords running on the ceiling

and plugged into the electric panel sockets 

I had this independant "waterproof" electric panel installed on the back of my parking spot with a 30mA differential circuit breaker, a 20A circuit breaker, and 3 sockets / outlets backk in december 2009 to start charging my Prius pluggin (I had nstalled an Enginer PHEV  kit by then)
Since a dedicated power line had to be created for me, I had ERDF install an individual power meter in the building electric technical room (located in the parking), and an electrician installed a 60 meters line leading to this panel on my parking spot.

I wanted 3 outlets to be able to charge several EVs at the same time and it was a good idea because I am now plugging in the Vectrix and the LEAF
I also added a kill-a-watt equivalent meter for each line: I reset them when I plug in and check them when I unplug to see how much energy (in kWh) has been used for charging :-)

So this is my "Wallbox" ...
I have been charging the LEAF like at night for the last 9 months without any problem, and the Vectrix for  two years now

Electric Car Charging & EVSE - Keepin' it simple

"For the electric vehicle project, broadly speaking, to be successful, we need to be mindful to keep it simple and keep it cheap. This is not rocket science. We are adding yet another electrical appliance to our ever increasing array of devices, from light bulbs and cell phones to refrigerators and HVAC systems. It needs to be done safely, of course. But it needs to happen. To do it right, the focus needs to be on consumers’ interest. The result will be simple, safe and cheap. "

Plug-in cars are being delivered at long last. Yet there remains confusion about the necessary infrastructure and its expense. Electric Vehicle Service Equipment (EVSE) home wall units are priced at between about $1000 and $2500. Plus installation. Need it cost this much? Is it as complex and time-consuming a process as has been experienced by many new owners of plug-in cars?

All plug-in cars these days come with a 120-volt charge cord. This will actually be sufficient for many if not most Volt drivers, and quite a few LEAF drivers. An empty Volt pack will take 10 hours to fully recharge; an empty LEAF about 20 hours. That may seem like a long time, but the relevant questions are: How long will the car be sitting anyway? Until the next morning or just an hour or two? How full is the battery when it gets parked? And where are you going next?

For most folks most of the time, chances are the battery isn’t near empty when it gets plugged in, perhaps at work, perhaps at home after work. Recharge time will usually be much less than what it takes to go from empty to full.

And the cost to the consumer to enable the 120V cordset? If you’ve already got a grounded 120V outlet in the garage or carport, zero. If you need to put an outlet in a convenient place, it would likely cost about $100.

Surprising to many, including I suspect Tesla Motors itself, they found that about half the charging of Roadsters at home in the U.S. is at 120V. Despite the fact that it takes 38-60 hours to charge a Tesla from empty to full at 120V. One can’t presume the peculiarities of a Roadster tell us too much about plug-in cars with much less range, but I think we shouldn’t write off 120V charging just yet, as many involved in readying infrastructure for EVs would have us do. The cord that comes with the car just might suffice for many, especially plug-in hybrids which have smaller battery packs.

Still it remains true that most will want the ability to charge their car at a faster clip at least some of the time, which is what 240V charging stations provide. With the 16 amp charger both cars have today (the actual charger is located in the car, not the box on the wall,) a 240V EVSE takes about four hours to fill an empty Volt pack. It takes about seven hours to fill a near empty LEAF, ensuring a complete charge overnight. If a complete overnight charge is the goal, 120V will still suffice for a Volt, but a 240V EVSE will be essential for most who buy an all-electric car.

Nissan and GM have each had their preferred provider for home charge stations in an attempt to streamline the process, but many customers have had complaints about the cost and scheduling. Dozens of manufacturers seem to be selling equipment at a range of prices, but few actually are available now. The situation for new owners has also been complicated by the various government infrastructure programs, including the DOE-funded EV Project (Ecotality) and ChargePoint America (Coulomb,) which have differing requirements and benefits depending on one's vehicle and location. If eligible, most people accept a free 240V charge station, of course, as I did. My installation was pretty simple, so it cost me nothing. But government support for infrastructure won’t last forever. Coulomb and Ecotality sometime soon won’t be able to leverage taxpayer money to keep other manufacturers at a disadvantage. Quite likely not beyond the current programs.

I am pleased to participate in the EV Project, which came late to the San Francisco Bay Area, and happy to get my tax-payer funded charger and DC Fast port. I believe in government support for electric vehicles (and many other things also on the congressional chopping block at the moment.)

However, for the last month my Blink has been on the blink. Something about firmware, they said. An email on June 8th said they’d get back in touch to schedule a visit. As I write on July 13th I’ve recently been contacted by the contractor who installed the unit, but I’m still waiting for the service call. However, I remain unconcerned. Not because I always charge at 120V mind you. Rather, because I’ve had the 120V cordset provided with the car upgraded to 240V.EVSEupgrade.com offers the upgrade, which allows the Volt or LEAF to charge at their maximum 240V capability of 16 amps. Cost of upgrade: under $300. (For this to work in place of a wall-mounted unit, you still need a dedicated 240V 30 amp circuit and outlet, which would cost a few hundred dollars of an electrician’s time and perhaps $50 in parts.)

The point isn’t simply to plug the good folks atEVSEupgrade.com, although I’m happy to do it. They’ve kept my LEAF juiced, after all. Something Ecotality couldn’t do even with $100 million in federal grant money.

I am not alone in my concern that there is some level of unnecessary complication, excessive cost, and unhelpful mystification going on around electric vehicle infrastructure. It isn’t helpful to the “cause,” those picking up their new plug-in cars or those who are considering it.

For the electric vehicle project, broadly speaking, to be successful, we need to be mindful to keep it simple and keep it cheap. This is not rocket science. We are adding yet another electrical appliance to our ever increasing array of devices, from light bulbs and cell phones to refrigerators and HVAC systems. It needs to be done safely, of course. But it needs to happen. To do it right, the focus needs to be on consumers’ interest. The result will be simple, safe and cheap. Thank you evseupgrade.com for pointing the way.

Source: Marc Geller, Plugs & Cars - Keepin' it simple

If can't plug in ... a clip featuring a Chevy Volt by Plug in America