My 2021 MINI SE .... the project has started....
- Thread starter Tifosi
- Start date
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hanyoung99
New Member
Tifosi, that's awesome and a great price! Many others are getting quotes of $600+! BTW, I love your mods and seems like you have all the connections to get them at a great price 
Which EV charger did you end up getting and why?
Which EV charger did you end up getting and why?
Tifosi
Active Member
Thanks. Connections are kinda what I do. But for this car, everything I did is a price that anyone could get. Happy to share any links I have not yet for anyone!
The key is finding a good electrician AND if you are able to install NEAR the existing box AND if the box has room to add circuits. We were lucky with this house. The plugs are next to the box externally and inside the garage directly behind the exterior plug. Many electricians will try to rip you off. I would look on nextdoor. For us, I called our plumber (he is great and found on nextdoor). Thinking that he would need a good electrician for water heater installs and such, he referred me to his guy. And his guy was great! I would always start on nextdoor app/site and get a referal!
I bought this one:
LEFANEV 40 Amp EV Charger Level 2,(NEMA 14-50, 40A/25ft,220V-240V,9.6KW) Portable EVSE Electric Vehicle Charging Station for SAE J1772 Electric Cars (40A)
It is now a stupid price, it was $349 when I got it.
This one looks to be the exact same except 32A and not 40A and is $315:
LEFANEV 32 Amp EV Charger Level 2,(NEMA 14-50, 32A/25ft,220V-240V,7.68KW) Portable EVSE Electric Vehicle Charging Station for SAE J1772 Electric Cars (32A)
I wanted one that I could move inside or outside and if needed, take with me.
I installed with some clamps (can take pics if needed) and it is super easy to remove if I want to.
I did not want the permanent install of the Grizzl-E or Juicebox. Plus saved a ton of $$$
The key is finding a good electrician AND if you are able to install NEAR the existing box AND if the box has room to add circuits. We were lucky with this house. The plugs are next to the box externally and inside the garage directly behind the exterior plug. Many electricians will try to rip you off. I would look on nextdoor. For us, I called our plumber (he is great and found on nextdoor). Thinking that he would need a good electrician for water heater installs and such, he referred me to his guy. And his guy was great! I would always start on nextdoor app/site and get a referal!
I bought this one:
LEFANEV 40 Amp EV Charger Level 2,(NEMA 14-50, 40A/25ft,220V-240V,9.6KW) Portable EVSE Electric Vehicle Charging Station for SAE J1772 Electric Cars (40A)
It is now a stupid price, it was $349 when I got it.
This one looks to be the exact same except 32A and not 40A and is $315:
LEFANEV 32 Amp EV Charger Level 2,(NEMA 14-50, 32A/25ft,220V-240V,7.68KW) Portable EVSE Electric Vehicle Charging Station for SAE J1772 Electric Cars (32A)
I wanted one that I could move inside or outside and if needed, take with me.
I installed with some clamps (can take pics if needed) and it is super easy to remove if I want to.
I did not want the permanent install of the Grizzl-E or Juicebox. Plus saved a ton of $$$
Carsten Haase
Well-Known Member
Just FYI, the EVSE rebate was extended through the end of 2021 (lower value of 30% or $1000) but it requires the EVSE to be UL or ETL listed which the above two are not.
Lainey
Well-Known Member
The federal tax credit info is here https://afdc.energy.gov/laws/10513
Lainey
Well-Known Member
You might want to read closer
Fueling equipment for natural gas, propane, liquefied hydrogen, electricity, E85, or diesel fuel blends containing a minimum of 20% biodiesel installed through December 31, 2021, is eligible for a tax credit of 30% of the cost, not to exceed $30,000. Permitting and inspection fees are not included in covered expenses. Fueling station owners who install qualified equipment at multiple sites are allowed to use the credit towards each location. Consumers who purchase qualified residential fueling equipment prior to December 31, 2021, may receive a tax credit of up to $1,000. ...
I actually received this on my taxes this year since we installed this last fall. Got over $300 back.
Lainey
Well-Known Member
Yeah first time I read it too, I missed a bunch. Nice extra bit on our taxes for 2020, even though my car didn't make it until 2021. This credit did cause me to go for a more costly EVSE in the end too.
endquote
Well-Known Member
Following this thread closely as I'm thinking of doing a similar blackout look. I like the idea of doing the smoked marker lights, smoked rear fog lights, and tail lights.
I saw the eBay links to the first two, but not the tail lights. Did I miss that?
Are those items reasonably easy to install? I have never done any car customization and would be heartbroken if I damaged anything, but maybe these light covers pop off easy enough.
I may get a portable charger like yours, too. I have a very small area in which to install so that might be better than a wall mount. What are the clamps you mentioned?
Thanks for sharing all this detail, it's really helpful.
I saw the eBay links to the first two, but not the tail lights. Did I miss that?
Are those items reasonably easy to install? I have never done any car customization and would be heartbroken if I damaged anything, but maybe these light covers pop off easy enough.
I may get a portable charger like yours, too. I have a very small area in which to install so that might be better than a wall mount. What are the clamps you mentioned?
Thanks for sharing all this detail, it's really helpful.
Carsten Haase
Well-Known Member
First "mods" done: Weathertech floor mats and Cravenspeed Stubby! I also screwed around with Bimmercode and turned off the seatbelt warning, changed the drive mode to remember my last choice, and turned off the dumb legal warning on startup.
GvilleGuy
Well-Known Member
I've used weather tech on my last five cars or so. I decided to try the Mini all weather mats this time, and weather tech is better, in my opinion, due to the raised sides. The Mini brand mats do not have a significant raised border on them. I may swap them out in a year or two.
Do you mind sharing which interface hardware and app you used for accessing Bimmercode? I would love to make the same three changes you did.
Do you mind sharing which interface hardware and app you used for accessing Bimmercode? I would love to make the same three changes you did.
MichaelC
Well-Known Member
Be aware that MINI sells all weather floor mats and all weather floor liners. The liners are very similar to the Weathertech solution, with higher walls around their perimeter.
GvilleGuy
Well-Known Member
Yet another example of the Mini build site being insufficient. The all weather mats were the only option shown when I was ordering the car.
Carsten Haase
Well-Known Member
I used an OBDLink LX that I've had for a couple of years. It really didn't want to connect to my Mini and took a bit of effort to get it fixed so I'm not sure I'd recommend it. I updated the firmware on the adapter which didn't work immediately but I tried another app and that one connected then Bimmercode worked. I think it was just updating the firmware and time but I did a bunch of other stuff so not sure exactly?
The app is literally just called BimmerCode made by SG Software GmbH (I have an Android phone). It was $40 for the full version which seems like a lot for an app but is relatively cheap compared to most mods.
Puppethead
Well-Known Member
That's likely one of those ICE options that didn't translate over to the SE, even though they work just fine. I have the all-weather floor liners in my SE, but the all-weather floor mats in my Clubman. I actually prefer the floor mats from a style standpoint.
I didn't know there was there a law that says a car has to make noises when you start it up.
I want to know why I sometimes hear the shut-down noise when I open the driver's door to get into my SE. It doesn't happen every time, which is what makes it so puzzling.