Delayed Charging

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Tommm

Tommm

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I tried the search, no luck.

I am doing my research for a 240V charger. Does the MINI have an option to delay when it starts charging. I would like to plug it in at say 7:00PM when I get home, and have the charge start when the rates go down at 11:00PM.

Some chargers have that feature, some tell how much juice is used. I don't see any reasonably priced chargers with both, and since I am one of those geeks that compares the cars MPG to actual every fill up, I would like to see how much juice it uses so I can calculate KW/Mile.

Thanks
 
The mini app does this, specific charging times can be set, it will tell you how much kwh it took, and if you enter your electric rate, it will calculate a cost. Its up to you to record mileage and adjust for charging efficiency.

Not sure what is reasonable for you, but smart charger like the Grizzl-E smart can do something similar. I you are handy around computer code, you can have the charger send data to your server and process as you want. There is a project on that.
 
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I use delayed charging to charge within a low-cost window every day. The way the SE works, you set up the charging window start/end times, and then specify what time you want the car to be fully charged. The SE then back-figures when to start charging based on your departure time, basically using the formula: departure time – charging duration. I think it's a backwards way to control charging, but my experience shows it's very accurate. This can be controlled by the vehicle, or via the app.

My specific example is I have a metered charging window of 9pm-9am, so I set that. I then chose 3:30am as the departure time. When I get home for the day, I plug in and there's some handshaking but the SE waits to start charging until departure time - which for me is usually means it starts around midnight. My SE is always fully charged before 3:30am, it's the start time that will adjust based on amount of charging needed.

You do have to remember to switch to immediate charging if you stop at a public charger, but the SE brings up that setting screen every time you turn off the car.
 
Alternately, you can set your low cost window and then set your departure time *outside* of it. The SE will then start at the beginning of the window.

My window is 0000 to 0600, and my departure time is 0700. Jessie charges from 0000 until about 0300 every day.
 
I don't know if I am setting it up correctly. I set it up to charge during the low rate period which is 7:00pm to 7:00am. The charging will start at 7:00pm without issue, but it will not stop well pass 7:00am only until the battery is fully charged. Not sure if I am the only one that have this problem. FYI, I am using Level 1 charging.
 
F14Scott said:
Alternately, you can set your low cost window and then set your departure time *outside* of it. The SE will then start at the beginning of the window.
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That is an awesome tip, I'm switching over to that. My preference has always been to have it start charging at the beginning of the window, so my SE is ready to go as soon as possible. I wonder why that wasn't documented in the Motorer's Guide?
 
Puppethead said:
That is an awesome tip, I'm switching over to that. My preference has always been to have it start charging at the beginning of the window, so my SE is ready to go as soon as possible. I wonder why that wasn't documented in the Motorer's Guide?
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Yes. I wake up at 0545, and the first thing I do is confirm the car charged. Only once, something had gone wrong, and my battery was at the 50% I parked with. So, I cycled the breaker, unplugged and plugged, and turned charge now on. I was at 85% (which was enough) when I departed.

I don't like the car's waiting for the last minute.
 
YellowDog said:
I don't know if I am setting it up correctly. I set it up to charge during the low rate period which is 7:00pm to 7:00am. The charging will start at 7:00pm without issue, but it will not stop well pass 7:00am only until the battery is fully charged. Not sure if I am the only one that have this problem. FYI, I am using Level 1 charging.
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I think this is just the way it works; the car prioritizes filling up over charging cheaply.
 
Thanks.

What's the deal with 26A units? I have 30A for the dryer (we use gas) that is on the other side of the garage wall. I plan on rotating the box 180 deg and punching a hole in the garage sheetrock. Not sure I want to limit myself to 20, but also don't want to burn the place down.
 
Tommm said:
Thanks.

What's the deal with 26A units? I have 30A for the dryer (we use gas) that is on the other side of the garage wall. I plan on rotating the box 180 deg and punching a hole in the garage sheetrock. Not sure I want to limit myself to 20, but also don't want to burn the place down.
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26A is odd. It really should be 24A. The maximum continuous load calculation for any circuit under the NEC (National Electric Code) is 80% of the wiring's and breaker's rating - so 30A is 24A.

Wire Ampacity and Size
1. Maximum loading for any branch circuit is 80% of rating of circuit for
ampacity of wire for any load. NEC 220-2, use NEC 310-16 for ampacity.
This applies to not more than 3 phase conductors in 1 conduit.

Maximum loading of any circuit breaker is 80% of rating for non-motor loads with exceptions as noted below. Breaker cannot be larger than ampacity of wire, except for motors and a few other loads.

https://www.fs.fed.us/database/acad/elec/greenbook/3_basicdesigns.pdf
 
That's why I'm wondering why there is a 26A offered. Does it have to do with european specs? When I search 24A I get more 26A than 24.

With the MINI's small range, there isnt a real difference between 20A and 24A, both will get the job done while I'm sleeping, but why not get the best for the wirng I have.
 
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Many of the EVSEs have hardware settable max current, may give you more options and and perhaps future proof.. The Grizzl-E can be set 16A, 24A, 32A, and 40A maximum for example. That allows you to use it on 20A, 30A, 40A, 50A circuits.

In case you missed it, lots of discussion, recommendations, constraints in this thread...... https://www.insideevsforum.com/community/index.php?threads/evse-recommendations.8985/

Make sure to get a UL approved charger.
 
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F14Scott said:
Alternately, you can set your low cost window and then set your departure time *outside* of it. The SE will then start at the beginning of the window.

My window is 0000 to 0600, and my departure time is 0700. Jessie charges from 0000 until about 0300 every day.
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Some interesting experience with this. I set my window to 21:00-06:50 and my departure time to 07:00. It didn't start charging until the calculated departure time - charge time, and my SE wasn't at 100% until 07:03.

I then set my window to 21:00-05:59 and left departure time at 07:00. This time it started charging right at 21:00 and finished at 01:20. Obviously some obscure factoring of how far departure time is outside of the charge window is at play here. If I feel ambitious I may do more tests to find the magic cutoff value. But so far we know 10 minutes is too soon.
 
Puppethead said:
Some interesting experience with this. I set my window to 21:00-06:50 and my departure time to 07:00. It didn't start charging until the calculated departure time - charge time, and my SE wasn't at 100% until 07:03.

I then set my window to 21:00-05:59 and left departure time at 07:00. This time it started charging right at 21:00 and finished at 01:20. Obviously some obscure factoring of how far departure time is outside of the charge window is at play here. If I feel ambitious I may do more tests to find the magic cutoff value. But so far we know 10 minutes is too soon.
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A technical manual that shares this type of info directly from Mini sure would be nice!! But thank you for testing. This is good information to share.
 
Even with the battery buffers, it is healthier for the battery to finish charging just before departure. Not sure why you want the car to sit at 100% for hours.
 
Torrey said:
Even with the battery buffers, it is healthier for the battery to finish charging just before departure. Not sure why you want the car to sit at 100% for hours.
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People like me don't have regular schedules and have to be ready for a 100+ mile day. Also, I don't want to coddle my car by worrying about exactly how long it sits fully charged. I have to coddle my finicky cat and that's enough coddling for me.
 
I don't think sitting for a few hours at 100% charge is going to affect the batteries. The Motorer's Guide even says to keep the SE plugged in if not using for up to 3 months. There's more risk of damage to leave the batteries uncharged.

From the guide:

With storage times of up to three months, if possible plug the vehicle into a compatible power source or park it with the high-voltage battery as fully charged as possible.​
 
Puppethead said:
I then set my window to 21:00-05:59 and left departure time at 07:00. This time it started charging right at 21:00 and finished at 01:20. Obviously some obscure factoring of how far departure time is outside of the charge window is at play here. If I feel ambitious I may do more tests to find the magic cutoff value. But so far we know 10 minutes is too soon.
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And the magic cutoff value is 30 minutes!

If you set your departure time to 29 minutes after your charge window, the SE won't start charging until near the departure time. Example: 21:00-06:31 depart 07:00, charging starts however long before 07:00 to be at 100% by 07:00.

But if you set your departure time to 30 minutes after your charge window, the SE starts charging immediately at the start of the charge window. Example: 21:00-06:30 depart 07:00, charging starts immediately at 21:00.
 
Tommm said:
I tried the search, no luck.

I am doing my research for a 240V charger. Does the MINI have an option to delay when it starts charging. I would like to plug it in at say 7:00PM when I get home, and have the charge start when the rates go down at 11:00PM.

Some chargers have that feature, some tell how much juice is used. I don't see any reasonably priced chargers with both, and since I am one of those geeks that compares the cars MPG to actual every fill up, I would like to see how much juice it uses so I can calculate KW/Mile.

Thanks
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@Tommm, I own & use a Siemens L2 charger that I installed about 3 years ago and now use for my MINI SE charging. There are fancier, newer models out now, but this one suited me since the vehicle software (as noted above in various posts) can give you a lot of information (such as electrical consumption, etc.), but I liked this one because:
  • Very reliable brand (no problems with mine in over 3 years of regular use)
  • Portable (mounts on wall rail -- just unplug it from your NEMA receptacle and slide it up & off the wall to take it with you so you can make easy use of it at a second home or even an RV park along the way to your destination)
  • No WiFi, which IMHO is an advantage from many perspectives
  • Up to 8 hour delay-of-start button (I don't currently have time-of-use power rates, but like to charge in the middle of the night anyway for other reasons)
  • Built-in J1772 holster, and the (long) cable wraps around the enclosure box itself
  • Cheaper than many alternatives
You might look at item #133886492751 on eBay to see what it looks like, etc. I haven't investigated the current (pun intended) crop of chargers out there, but I do know from experience that this one is reliable and has the features I needed.

Also, don't forget there is a federal tax credit for residential installation of an EVSE. It won't cover all the cost, but it does help out.
 
Puppethead said:
And the magic cutoff value is 30 minutes!

If you set your departure time to 29 minutes after your charge window, the SE won't start charging until near the departure time. Example: 21:00-06:31 depart 07:00, charging starts however long before 07:00 to be at 100% by 07:00.

But if you set your departure time to 30 minutes after your charge window, the SE starts charging immediately at the start of the charge window. Example: 21:00-06:30 depart 07:00, charging starts immediately at 21:00.
Click to expand...

Thanks for testing this! You won't find that in the user manual.
 
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