How Do You All Charge Your Mini SE?

David Comstock

David Comstock

Member
Hey Everyone,

I just placed an order for a '23 SE last weekend and while I have a few months to wait for the car to be built I started doing some research on different charging options. I'm familiar with the different levels and whatnot but was curious if folks here charge their mini's using a 240v plug or did you go the extra step and get an actual hardwired charging unit installed?

I'm also not super clear on what the advantage is using a hardwired charging unit as opposed to just plugging the car directly into the 240v socket.

I have neighbors with Teslas some of which have an actual charger, some just plug it into the socket... not sure the difference in charging methods and if one is better than another?

Thanks!
(PS this is my first Mini ever as well as my first EV!)
 
Aside from cleaner aesthetics and less points of failure, hardwire will give you access to the higher 48A charging which the MINI is unable to take advantage of as it maxes out around 30.83A. There are some other considerations for outdoor vs garage installations as well. Most just pick the approved EVSEs that were eligible for rebates from their local governments and utility provider.

You will have to take into consideration on how many EVs will be in your household and whether or not your main breaker panel can support the loads.
 
teslarati97 said:
Aside from cleaner aesthetics and less points of failure, hardwire will give you access to the higher 48A charging which the MINI is unable to take advantage of as it maxes out around 30.83A. There are some other considerations for outdoor vs garage installations as well. Most just pick the approved EVSEs that were eligible for rebates from their local governments and utility provider.

You will have to take into consideration on how many EVs will be in your household and whether or not your main breaker panel can support the loads.
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Ok so aside from aesthetics it doesn't sound like there's much upside to installing a hardwired charger since the Mini maxes at 30A. I only plan on having 1 EV and the charger will be inside the garage.
 
Plug in have some advantages you can take with you and 100 miles later in your friend cabin if is there correct outlet you plug Mini SE and you charge . Mini take 32 amp charger and as teslarati97 said you charge about 30 amp if you lucky ?
 
David Comstock said:
Ok so aside from aesthetics it doesn't sound like there's much upside to installing a hardwired charger since the Mini maxes at 30A. I only plan on having 1 EV and the charger will be inside the garage.
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Just stick with the NEMA 14-50 plug as the 2023 MINIs should be getting a new portable 120/240V 30A charger instead of the granny Level 1 included charger. If you decide to get a permanent EVSE later, you can just buy one and plug it in.
 
teslarati97 said:
Just stick with the NEMA 14-50 plug as the 2023 MINIs should be getting a new portable 120/240V 30A charger instead of the granny Level 1 included charger. If you decide to get a permanent EVSE later, you can just buy one and plug it in.
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4A423809-A2BA-4480-B717-B89573EE8FBB.webp NEMA 14-50 I use since 2016
 
Assuming you are in the USA:
Charging from 0-100% on a Level 2 EVSE (240v) is about 5 hours whereas a Level 1 (120V) is like 20 or something…

As for a hard wired Level 2 vs one with a plug, for the Mini, which can only handle 32A, it doesn’t really matter.
I had a 50A (40A continuous) NEMA 14-50 socket fitted so I could swap EVSE easily if I wanted to and take it with me (for free) when I move from the currently rented house.
However if you want an EVSE that pulls more than 40 (or maybe it’s 48, I forget) amps because your car or pickup truck can handle it, then you need a hard wired one as there is no socket that can handle that level of power.
 
L2 is the way to go, its just better in the long run and into the future. I have NEMA 14-50 with a 32a EVSE on a 40a circuit. If the unit dies you don’t need an electrician (or the skills to safely swap.) L1 can work, but consider your use case. Most problematic is if its your only car or often the only car available to you. A day to charge vs a couple of hours can be the difference between being without wheels in an emergency or being prepared to go at a moments notice.
 
We don't drive our SE much. It is our only car. We have bikes for important trips. Anyway, so far we have just stuck with the L1 charger that came with the (US version of the) car. It has worked great. Our longest typical car trips, 70 to 80 miles, use a little less than half the battery. I plug in when we get home and it's fully charged around 8 am the next morning.

I do worry a little that it will break one day and all the replacement chargers will be on backorder for 6 weeks… I guess we still have the bikes.
 
teslarati97 said:
Just stick with the NEMA 14-50 plug as the 2023 MINIs should be getting a new portable 120/240V 30A charger instead of the granny Level 1 included charger. If you decide to get a permanent EVSE later, you can just buy one and plug it in.
Click to expand...


Unless you live in county like mine, where hardwired is the only thing legal according to code. Also code varies depending on an inside or outside installation.
 
I'm still using the included L1 charger. I was tempted by my power company's $300 incentive on an L2 charger, but I don't drive enough that it would make a difference to me. I think the lowest I've gone is 52% when I was running a bunch of errands, but most days I don't go below 75%.
 
I've had other EVs, so I have two Wallbox Pulsar Plus EVSEs installed on a shared 50A circuit (the Pulsar Plus allows power sharing via communication wires between the units). They've performed very well for me and will be more than enough for the Mini.

They're in the garage, and my partner has a BMW x5 PHEV on order. Once that arrives I'm probably going to install the extra Grizzl-E Classic I have outside the garage. Doubt we'd be in a situation where all 3 need to be plugged in, but I always like to be prepared (I work for an electrical supply distributor and am comfortable installing these things myself, so that's a plus).

As others have stated there's no benefit of hardwiring vs 240V 50A outlet for the Mini. If you're having an electrician install, probably more advantageous to go with the L14-50 plug, so that you can easily swap out the EVSE if something goes bad. Just be warned that most L14-50 receptacles aren't really designed to be continuously plugged/unplugged, best to just leave the EVSE plugged into most of the time.

Your '23 mini will come with the new "Flex" charger, so it'll support level 2, 240V, charging via the 14-50 plug. Maybe get an L14-50 receptacle installed and mount the flex charger to the wall as your stationary EVSE at home, then purchase a cheaper level 1 charger to keep in the SE for emergencies?
 
moofpup said:
Unless you live in county like mine, where hardwired is the only thing legal according to code. Also code varies depending on an inside or outside installation.
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Your county's code sounds a lot like the "electrician's full employment act." Does your county even require hardwired 240V electric dryers and/or ovens?
 
David Comstock said:
Hey Everyone,

I just placed an order for a '23 SE last weekend and while I have a few months to wait for the car to be built I started doing some research on different charging options. I'm familiar with the different levels and whatnot but was curious if folks here charge their mini's using a 240v plug or did you go the extra step and get an actual hardwired charging unit installed?

I'm also not super clear on what the advantage is using a hardwired charging unit as opposed to just plugging the car directly into the 240v socket.

I have neighbors with Teslas some of which have an actual charger, some just plug it into the socket... not sure the difference in charging methods and if one is better than another?

Thanks!
(PS this is my first Mini ever as well as my first EV!)
Click to expand...

I've been wondering the same thing. I'll probably go with a simple NEMA 14-50 outlet and see how that goes (NO EVSE).
 
yoomini said:
I've been wondering the same thing. I'll probably go with a simple NEMA 14-50 outlet and see how that goes (NO EVSE).
Click to expand...
Just make sure your main breaker panel is able to handle the increased loads if you are close to the limit. A main panel upgrade and 200A service upgrade can be very costly!
 
teslarati97 said:
Just make sure your main breaker panel is able to handle the increased loads if you are close to the limit. A main panel upgrade and 200A service upgrade can be very costly!
Click to expand...

Definitely. New construction home here with a reserved 220V with 40amp breaker line wired to the garage. It just needs to be terminated by an electrician.
 
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