BMW i3 - questions. Chargers
Discussion
Right, I want to scratch the itch.
I am looking to by a BMW i3 I'm not really bothered about the range extender as my office is only 7 miles from home.
Looking at second hand ones I would like a dark colour, don't mind the white but the wife isn't keen.
Now a couple of questions I have are about the government grants if I were to go new ? Also how to charge it from home. I'm not keen on a 10 charge time from a plug so looking at a charger. BMW want £580 for there's. Is there any grant to bring the price down
What charger are you using ?
I am looking to by a BMW i3 I'm not really bothered about the range extender as my office is only 7 miles from home.
Looking at second hand ones I would like a dark colour, don't mind the white but the wife isn't keen.
Now a couple of questions I have are about the government grants if I were to go new ? Also how to charge it from home. I'm not keen on a 10 charge time from a plug so looking at a charger. BMW want £580 for there's. Is there any grant to bring the price down
What charger are you using ?
Congrats on thinking about going full EV!! I've had my Leaf 5 weeks now, and covered 980 miles in it, I have no intention of buying another ICE car again 
The EV grant is only available if you buy new, and the money is taken off the list price, you don't physically get given £5k.
You can get a 7.2 kWh charger installed at your house via a third party supplier like NuWorld energy. They apply to the goverment grant for you. I don't THINK it matters even if you buy a used EV, but it's best to check. Should cost about £200 . http://nuworldenergy.co.uk/nucharge/apply
The thing to remember/understand about charging, is unlike a petrol car where your forces to vist random petrol
stations to fill up, you can plug-in and charge your EV at home every night if you wanted to. So in effect your rarely if ever charging it from 'empty'. The charge status on my Leaf most common sits at 80-25%. Like you I work only a few miles away from home, so even 25% charge has more than enough range to get me home.
I had to vist a petrol station to fill up our other car last week, felt really really werid having to go out of your way to find a petrol station, and than putting in £70-80 at a pop!! When the cost counter got over £20 it was really painful!!
I'm also lucky and have access to 'free' public charging points at local
supermarkets, shopping centres, and the local Nissan garage (2 miles from my house) has a rapid charger that can deliver 80% in 30 minutes. So I've actually only used £3 of my own electricity to go 980 miles....Even if I had just used my home charger, total electricity costs would have been £20....Once you get use to the lack of running costs of EVs, petrol cars really do seem like they all should be scrapped it kept locked away museums!!
The EV grant is only available if you buy new, and the money is taken off the list price, you don't physically get given £5k.
You can get a 7.2 kWh charger installed at your house via a third party supplier like NuWorld energy. They apply to the goverment grant for you. I don't THINK it matters even if you buy a used EV, but it's best to check. Should cost about £200 . http://nuworldenergy.co.uk/nucharge/apply
The thing to remember/understand about charging, is unlike a petrol car where your forces to vist random petrol
stations to fill up, you can plug-in and charge your EV at home every night if you wanted to. So in effect your rarely if ever charging it from 'empty'. The charge status on my Leaf most common sits at 80-25%. Like you I work only a few miles away from home, so even 25% charge has more than enough range to get me home.
I had to vist a petrol station to fill up our other car last week, felt really really werid having to go out of your way to find a petrol station, and than putting in £70-80 at a pop!! When the cost counter got over £20 it was really painful!!
I'm also lucky and have access to 'free' public charging points at local
supermarkets, shopping centres, and the local Nissan garage (2 miles from my house) has a rapid charger that can deliver 80% in 30 minutes. So I've actually only used £3 of my own electricity to go 980 miles....Even if I had just used my home charger, total electricity costs would have been £20....Once you get use to the lack of running costs of EVs, petrol cars really do seem like they all should be scrapped it kept locked away museums!!
I'll double check in the morning but I'm 99% sure you can claim for the grant if the car is new to you. They changed some of the claim guidance as people who were buying ex demos were not getting charge points fitted.
Any OLEV approved charger will work and the i3 works well with the fast (32a) chargers. If less than 5m from where you park the car get a tethered, if not go for a socket and get a cheap (non-bmw) lead
Any OLEV approved charger will work and the i3 works well with the fast (32a) chargers. If less than 5m from where you park the car get a tethered, if not go for a socket and get a cheap (non-bmw) lead
GreatGranny said:
I've seen a few for 20k.just checking the details but I believe if the previous owner has not claimed for the OLEV domestic charge point grant (i.e. an ex-demo car) then you're absolutely fine to have a charge point installed at a much cheaper rate.
There's something about older used cars where the previous owner has claimed previously but I'm just going the guidance just now as I'm sure it's the address that's important, not the car
There's something about older used cars where the previous owner has claimed previously but I'm just going the guidance just now as I'm sure it's the address that's important, not the car
Wish said:
Right, I want to scratch the itch.
I am looking to by a BMW i3 I'm not really bothered about the range extender as my office is only 7 miles from home.
Looking at second hand ones I would like a dark colour, don't mind the white but the wife isn't keen.
Now a couple of questions I have are about the government grants if I were to go new ? Also how to charge it from home. I'm not keen on a 10 charge time from a plug so looking at a charger. BMW want £580 for there's. Is there any grant to bring the price down
What charger are you using ?
If this is just to commute 7 miles a day why not get a Leaf and a round the world holiday - Leaf is perfectly acceptable as a short commuter if you can get over driving a Nissan. I am looking to by a BMW i3 I'm not really bothered about the range extender as my office is only 7 miles from home.
Looking at second hand ones I would like a dark colour, don't mind the white but the wife isn't keen.
Now a couple of questions I have are about the government grants if I were to go new ? Also how to charge it from home. I'm not keen on a 10 charge time from a plug so looking at a charger. BMW want £580 for there's. Is there any grant to bring the price down
What charger are you using ?
PKLD said:
just checking the details but I believe if the previous owner has not claimed for the OLEV domestic charge point grant (i.e. an ex-demo car) then you're absolutely fine to have a charge point installed at a much cheaper rate.
There's something about older used cars where the previous owner has claimed previously but I'm just going the guidance just now as I'm sure it's the address that's important, not the car
Thank you for your feedback. I'm In Kent. There's something about older used cars where the previous owner has claimed previously but I'm just going the guidance just now as I'm sure it's the address that's important, not the car
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