Charging BMW i3

Ordered the Juicebox one week ago for my BMW i3, received and installed the following day. This is our first electric car and with all of the choices on EVSE’s we are glad we chose the Juicebox Pro 40. Knowing how many kWh we are using per day make us feel even better about our purchase. Took just a short time to get the unit set up on our WiFi and the features of the app figured out. Nice features that are easily used and allow us to make the most of our non peak electrical costs. When looking at any of the EVSE’s or chargers as my wife and I call them make sure you get one big enough. For our car the Juicebox pro is capable of delivering the 40 amps stated but our car seems to only accept about 29.9. Again, we are very pleased with our purchase just one week in.

Love this product so far. Using it with my BMW i3 non-rex, charge times are light years ahead of my little L1 charger that I had been using (the one that came with the car). I'm really impressed by the wifi connectivity and the polished app that comes with it. Very impressed so far.

We haven't had it for too long but so far it's done everything it's supposed to, and is easily controlled via the browser or App. It's overkill for our new BMW 530e but I wanted to run a 50A circuit and "future proof" my garage. Note that to run a "40 Amp" charger you need a 50 Amp 240V AC outlet due to conversion inefficiencies. No matter which one you buy from any supplier make sure you have the right power and this is something best left to a professional electrician in my book. BTW the wimpy level 1 portable charger BMW gives you doesn't work well at all. We kept getting error codes and a warning light and when you go to the BMW dealer the first thing they ask you is if you have a dedicated level 2 charger...

Getting back to the JuiceBox we have Amazon Prime and they delivered on time early on a Sunday, it took about 2 minutes to install it. The charging cord is quite thick so you have to position the unit a little above the 240V outlet if you want the cord to hang naturally. It wasn't any problem for us but if you are tight on space make sure you position the outlet correctly so you have room. If you need to install it next to the outlet it's probably best to put the outlet upside down so the cord just loops up. Once installed it took another 2 min to get it up on the browser, download the App, and start charging. I am mostly delaying the charge until midnight to get better rates from PGE but is easy to charge on demand via browser or App if you need a boost during the day. It takes about 2 hours to fully charge the 530e, and this is due to the relatively small battery and 16A charging limit. Someone with a more demanding EV charging situation would probably have more input on charging a fully electric car or maybe even a Tesla.

Compared to the disastrous experiences we've had charging at public stations, particularly Blink, it's great to get home and plug into the JuiceBox. Hope this helps someone. Thanks.

I inadvertently purchased the Pro 32 thinking it was the 40 but I honestly can't tell the difference. I can say a new found joy has arisen since graduating to a level 2 charger. My '15 BMW i3 REX provided me with enough juice for my daily commute with little to no leeway to include using the heated seats, defroster and basic heat when necessary. Now with the upgrade my hands aren't in danger of frostbite (February in D.C) because I know each morning i'll be able to precondition the battery, step into a warm vehicle and still be at full capacity to start my day.

The app and functionality are super user friendly. Its aesthetically pleasing and with the 24' charging cable and wall mounted docking station, for my money is the best value.

Spend the money on the JuiceBox and really get everything your EV was designed to provide.