2023 Cooper SE Included EVSE - "Flexcharger"

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My MA called and said my car is in, and he said he’s going over the build sheet to note the changes, and he said that the $500 “spring promotion” I agreed to in lieu of the $649 Grizzl-E voucher (that needed me to take delivery by 5/31) has been removed because BMW Canada is now including the Flexible Fast Charger at no cost. I’m a little peeved.
 
Yeah, not enough cable length for that. I barely reach the charging port as it is. The NEMA 14-50 outlet is right below the power panel which is at the drivers side front of the car. The port is opposite from there.
Park the other way round?
 
My MA called and said my car is in, and he said he’s going over the build sheet to note the changes, and he said that the $500 “spring promotion” I agreed to in lieu of the $649 Grizzl-E voucher (that needed me to take delivery by 5/31) has been removed because BMW Canada is now including the Flexible Fast Charger at no cost. I’m a little peeved.
Let’s hope you get both chargers!
 
Yeah, not enough cable length for that. I barely reach the charging port as it is. The NEMA 14-50 outlet is right below the power panel which is at the drivers side front of the car. The port is opposite from there.
I might be tempted to purchase a very heavy-duty extension cord to solve this problem, but here's a cover on Amazon that works with a cable up to 1/2" thick. Is your charger cord thicker than that?
 
My MA called and said my car is in, and he said he’s going over the build sheet to note the changes, and he said that the $500 “spring promotion” I agreed to in lieu of the $649 Grizzl-E voucher (that needed me to take delivery by 5/31) has been removed because BMW Canada is now including the Flexible Fast Charger at no cost. I’m a little peeved.
Was that the only surprise or are they going to make a separate phone call for each disappointing deletion to spread out the pain? Many would prefer to pay more than expected rather than to have features deleted from the car, so I hope this EVSE snafu is the only problem. Maybe you can ask for some free MINI socks. I received two free pair with my SE. :)
 
He rattled off that every feature is on the car (I didn’t ask about the “alarm”): ACC, Harman Kardon, PDC/PA, and yes, the heated steering wheel. With the removal of the credit, plus my requested accessories and dealer-installed window tint, my monthly is just a bit more than I originally hoped. Let’s see what they offer for my fortwo…
 
He rattled off that every feature is on the car (I didn’t ask about the “alarm”): ACC, Harman Kardon, PDC/PA, and yes, the heated steering wheel. With the removal of the credit, plus my requested accessories and dealer-installed window tint, my monthly is just a bit more than I originally hoped. Let’s see what they offer for my fortwo…
When my parents were paying for it, I used to go skiing at Mt. Tremblant, in Quebec. It gets cold around there! I'm glad you received the heated steering wheel.

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25mm pin from our 1966 vacation
 
Does anybody know if keeping this plugged in to the wall will do damage or if we should only plug it in when we charge the car?
 
Quickly looking I found something like this heavy duty cable ramp, maybe that's what would work.

Or back your SE in so the charge port is on the other side? :)

Park the other way round?

Yeah, I did try that but my garage is pretty small. That is one of the main reasons I went with the SE as it was one of the smallest EV's out there. I can back in but it makes moving around the car even more of a challenge when it is in the garage. :(

I might be tempted to purchase a very heavy-duty extension cord to solve this problem, but here's a cover on Amazon that works with a cable up to 1/2" thick. Is your charger cord thicker than that?

The Level 2 Flexcharger cord is pretty beefy. I would estimate it is around 1" thick.

An extension cord is an idea as I could route it up and over the door frame and mount the EVSE on the other side of the door. I do worry about getting a good quality cord though. I would hate to get a cord with less than high quality connectors on it that results in issues later on.
 
Does anybody know if keeping this plugged in to the wall will do damage or if we should only plug it in when we charge the car?
My Clipper Creek plug in charger L2 is plug in for 6 yers and 7 months after I talk to manufacture
 
Yeah, I did try that but my garage is pretty small. That is one of the main reasons I went with the SE as it was one of the smallest EV's out there. I can back in but it makes moving around the car even more of a challenge when it is in the garage. :(



The Level 2 Flexcharger cord is pretty beefy. I would estimate it is around 1" thick.

An extension cord is an idea as I could route it up and over the door frame and mount the EVSE on the other side of the door. I do worry about getting a good quality cord though. I would hate to get a cord with less than high quality connectors on it that results in issues later on.
It sounds like you're using 240 Volts. I don't know the regulations regarding wiring mounted on the wall of a garage, but if there is no other 240-Volt appliance using that wrong-side outlet, you could remove the outlet, wire in some 8-gauge cable (connected using something better than twist-on wire connectors) and terminate it with the 240-Volt outlet you removed (mounted in an outlet box attached to the wall). That would elminate one of the downsides (a second plug) to using an extension cord.

I am not an electrician, but I pretend to be one and my house hasn't caught fire yet. Some actual electricians on this forum will hopefully comment on my idea.
 
It sounds like you're using 240 Volts. I don't know the regulations regarding wiring mounted on the wall of a garage, but if there is no other 240-Volt appliance using that wrong-side outlet, you could remove the outlet, wire in some 8-gauge cable (connected using something better than twist-on wire connectors) and terminate it with the 240-Volt outlet you removed (mounted in an outlet box attached to the wall). That would elminate one of the downsides (a second plug) to using an extension cord.

I am not an electrician, but I pretend to be one and my house hasn't caught fire yet. Some actual electricians on this forum will hopefully comment on my idea.
I like your answer like you said I’m not electrician also but my house stand for 28 years I will go further hire electrician if panel have space for new breaker and relocate an outlet where you need to your convenience and forget extension cords for 240 volts and covers for 240volts cables This is your investment for long run not temporary solution.
 
I like your answer like you said I’m not electrician also but my house stand for 28 years I will go further hire electrician if panel have space for new breaker and relocate an outlet where you need to your convenience and forget extension cords for 240 volts and covers for 240volts cables This is your investment for long run not temporary solution.
If your charger is 32 amp what SE only takes your 40 amps breaker takes 8 AWG wire you can run up to 150 feet with 50 amp breaker for future cars 8AWG wire you can run 180 ‘but if you not comfortable with panels /electricity the best advice is do not touch a crab at ALL! Life is short .Temporary use 120volts outlet for charging your SE .Temporary if you use existing 240 volts outlet on wrong side in your garage wrap a cable with polyurethane insulation from Home Depot which is use to insulate copper pipes 1/2. 3/4” for $3 a piece and throw your cable over a roof of SE without scratches on a roof.That solution will be $12 investment .
 
If your charger is 32 amp what SE only takes your 40 amps breaker takes 8 AWG wire you can run up to 150 feet with 50 amp breaker for future cars 8AWG wire you can run 180 ‘but if you not comfortable with panels /electricity the best advice is do not touch a crab at ALL! Life is short .Temporary use 120volts outlet for charging your SE .Temporary if you use existing 240 volts outlet on wrong side in your garage wrap a cable with polyurethane insulation from Home Depot which is use to insulate copper pipes 1/2. 3/4” for $3 a piece and throw your cable over a roof of SE without scratches on a roof.That solution will be $12 investment .
……or put the charger handle in a shallow plastic box and slide it under the car?
 
Hang the cable from the roof of the garage, put a hook on the other side. Duck or set up a pull string when not being used to lift the wire up? Necessity is the mother of invention
 
Well I ordered a heavy duty cord cover/ramp/thingy from Amazon. That will help protect the cable as it passes by the doorway. Things would have been better if the FlexCharger came with a bit longer of a cable to be honest but hey, it was free so I can't complain too much.

I did wire this 14-50 outlet myself and it is dedicated to the car charger. I used some 6/3 romex in the wall to a 50amp breaker to future proof the installation. The run is only like 6 feet right now so I would not have any issues chasing it further to be on the other side of the doorway. The cost would not be insignificant though as the 6/3 is pretty spendy and I would want to get all the conduit to properly secure the run to the wall too. I figure it would be about $300 more just to move the outlet. I may do this in the future but for now, it works.
 
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