Charging cables for the BMW C Evolution
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- čas přidán 8. 09. 2017
- In this video i explain which charging cables BMW make available and my issues buying an aftermarket cable.
BMW Type 1 to Type 2 Fast Charge Cable: www.bals.com/en/electromobility
Abus Combination Lock I use: amzn.to/2vMkLE8 - Auta a dopravní prostředky
Very useful info, thanks for taking the time to make it.
thx 4 the info!
Hi,
There's a lot of misinformation in your video about the cables that we find worrying, so allow me to clarify some points.
First off, if you have a defect cable, if that was the case even (no way to know by your account), that has nothing to do with the current the bike pulls, or the charging station supports. Nothing at all. You should just contact your seller.
If you search the internet, and the facebook c-evo group, you'll find that a lot of C-Evo on-board chargers are failing. There is a known problem in the chargers, and we recently discovered BMW is already at the 3rd version, and we hope this time the charger is trouble free. I bet no-one told you this on BMW, it was easier to blame the cable.
Now about the currents and all the huge confusion you have about it:
1st - It is the bike (or car) that controls the maximum level of current it PULLS from the charging station. It is NOT the charging station that pushes current to the bike. So if the bike only asks for 16A, the charging station will never send more, because the bike is the consumer, the station simply sends as much as the bike asks for. The bike never reaches 16A, it stays at around 15A maximum, and that's all the station gets pulled.
2nd - There are 2 pins on both type 1 and type 2 plugs that serve as communicating channel between the bike and the charging station, hence the charging mode is called mode 3 (direct communication from vehicle to station). The protocol is the following: The bike asks the maximum current it can from the station. The station answers with the maximum it can supply. The charging begins at the maximum common current rate supported.
3rd - In the middle there is the cable. The cable also has components that let both the bike and the station know how much current it can handle. That's why the bike will never ask for more current than the cable can handle, and the same way the station will never let go of more current than the cable can handle. This way both the station and the bike are LIMITED by the current the cable handles. Even if the vehicle and the station support 32A for example, if you use a 16A cable, the station will only be asked for 16A by the vehicle. This is an unavoidable safety protection built in the system.
With the above knowledge at hand, I hope you can now understand that having a cable suitable for 32A serves no purpose other than filling the deep pockets of BMW Motorrad service parts shop. You have spent a fortune on a totally unnecessary cable.
You can plug your C-Evo into a 50 kW charging station if you want, there won''t be any damage because a) the bike will never ask for more than 3,45kW, and b) the 16A cable will make sure the station will not send more than 3,68kW even if your bike could use more.
Please note: I do not work for EV Cables, in fact I own a competitor's company, but it does not feel fair to watch this video without making it clear to you and all that what you say on the need for a 32A cable is pure rubbish, sorry to say. This does not mean the cable you have is not damaged! I'm just saying the reasons for your charger failure have nothing to do with the fact that you bough a 16A cable.
My online store: store.ecowatt.pt (we do ship free of charge via UPS to the UK)
João Prates very useful information from someone knowledgeable in the matter. I would not say that the reviewer's comments is 'rubbish', as it is just plain rude and only people that trade in the business of lx cables would know what all the specs mean. I can't stand knowledge arrogance. Thanks for the information and for helping to educate future customers!
I'm sorry if my text was misinterpreted. Maybe it is my fault since I'm not English born.
By "rubbish" I meant a lot of non-sense, ignorance if you will, which is dangerous in this case as he is trying to spread this non-sense around to potentially thousands watching his channel.
This does not mean I am assuming he is doing this on purpose, which he obviously is not, he's trying to help other people. I'm not trying to be rude or offend the vlogger, do understand this.
However I do find that when people do not master one particular subject, they better not do videos on it, stick to what you know, that's all I recommend.
Last but not least, let me tell you that what dragged me here was a customer of ours, living in London precisely, who bought one similar cable from Ecowatt, and he was worried and asked for my feedback.
This makes it crystal clear to me: This video was misinforming instead of assisting the EV community.
Again, not trying to offend anyone here.
Hi Joao Prates. First off thanks for the informative reply. I hope you don't mind me saying but it perhaps came across a little strong as J Manuel mentioned but given your expertise, your points are absolutely valid. I should have perhaps stated that i'm not an electrician and don't know enough about it and i was going off the information from the dealer. I wasn't aware of BMW's onboard charger being an issue in the past. BMW told me that i didn't not have a correct after-market cable and that this was the likely cause. Needless to say, I wasn't going to try plugging in a potentially faulty cable again given the knowledge i had at the time with the information given because if they were right, i would not get it repaired again under warranty. I appreciate the advice you gave and hope others will see your comment so they can benefit from the information. Thanks.
I use that cable, I had problems. I was shutting down evry charge-point in Rome :) Finally Bmw changed the onboard charger and I'm going ok.
@@giro4855 Yeah, me too I had problems with on-board charger, the cable was an after-market but it was ok
Tell me about the batteries, can you change them yourself, how many years do they last, are they expensive, how much are replacement batteries...
I'm coming to steal your cables