Any 530e owners out there?

markobucko · 02-05-2021 01:06PM

I thought battery control just meant running solely on battery charge
I work 8 km from my house and coupled with school runs each day, I use up the full 30 km of battery charge .
I then plug in at work and fully recharge battery for the next day and in that I don’t use any fuel at all.

Kramer · 02-05-2021 02:54PM

eggerb wrote: »

There must be a smarter way for BMW to maintain battery power if that’s what the driver is after e.g. forcing petrol over a set km/h or over a certain kw/h power demand.

It already does that. On auto, it uses the engine when speed goes above 90km/h or you fully depress the accelerator, or pull the right paddle.

eggerb · 03-05-2021 02:18PM

Paul Kiernan wrote: »

I think (and hope!) you're wrong here. My understanding is that once it gets to 30% it just stops charging the battery from the engine. It'll still use regen if it's available.

Ah right - thanks. I didn’t know it would work like that at 30%. That would suit me on my home-bound commute; I could just use the last 30% when I come off the national roads / motorway.

Quin_Dub · 12-05-2021 01:55PM

AidenL wrote: »

Sorry for the delay in replying.

Yep, I have a 211 X Drive.

It may make the car a little heavier, but I can't feel it in practice, its quite heavy already of course with the batteries.

Regarding the usefulness of it, all I can ay is, Ive had a lot of rear wheel drive cars in my time, and when it suddenly snows, you are in a world of trouble. They simply, in many cases, will not move off a camber if you have to stop for example.

I know that 20" runflats, 275 wide aren't optimal in snow, and X Drive won't necessarily solve the problem totally, but if it helps me, or my wife get home safely in a sudden snow shower, even if its one day in three years, personally I'd rather have X Drive.

I've just pulled the trigger on a 192 530e MSport Plus with XDrive and the 20" run flats.

Really looking forward to picking it up next week.

I've never driven a car with Run-flats before - Any major gotchas to be aware of?

jaggiebunnet · 12-05-2021 02:25PM

I just picked up my 201 MSport - love it already. I didn't notice anything with the runflats but thankfully I don't have a puncture (yet!)

The granny cable is too short to reach to my outdoor plug though so going to have to get a wallcharger earlier than I expected.

Quin_Dub · 12-05-2021 03:03PM

jaggiebunnet wrote: »

I just picked up my 201 MSport - love it already. I didn't notice anything with the runflats but thankfully I don't have a puncture (yet!)

The granny cable is too short to reach to my outdoor plug though so going to have to get a wallcharger earlier than I expected.

Yeah.. I'm going to have to get another socket put in , I can park within about 2/3 feet of the house , but my current outdoor plug is nowhere close to that spot.

Not sure about the Wall-charger just yet.

OmegaRed · 12-05-2021 05:27PM

I had the same issue with the length of my granny charger when I first picked my 530e up in November. For about 60 quid I had a sparks drill from the inside out from behind a socket in my living room (facing onto the drive) and he installed one of these (https://www.screwfix.ie/p/british-general-ip66-13a-2-gang-dp-weatherproof-outdoor-switched-socket/67928?gclid=CjwKCAjw-e2EBhAhEiwAJI5jg9L65pfreaIfGUvqzBoMDtND3R1UUrDiNi2WNpMVzfkZRVzjUQcnbhoCHlQQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds)

Did the job for the few months until I got a proper EV charger installed.

Also, when I did get the EV charger installed, the qualified electrician was able to do all the work from the mains box directly into the charging unit placed next to it. I say this as I know some people are still getting Sparks who run the cable directly from the fuse board / consumer unit which requires drilling holes and running ugly cable / trunking. One to think about when getting installer quotes

mickdw · 12-05-2021 11:16PM

OmegaRed wrote: »

I had the same issue with the length of my granny charger when I first picked my 530e up in November. For about 60 quid I had a sparks drill from the inside out from behind a socket in my living room (facing onto the drive) and he installed one of these (https://www.screwfix.ie/p/british-general-ip66-13a-2-gang-dp-weatherproof-outdoor-switched-socket/67928?gclid=CjwKCAjw-e2EBhAhEiwAJI5jg9L65pfreaIfGUvqzBoMDtND3R1UUrDiNi2WNpMVzfkZRVzjUQcnbhoCHlQQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds)

Did the job for the few months until I got a proper EV charger installed.

Also, when I did get the EV charger installed, the qualified electrician was able to do all the work from the mains box directly into the charging unit placed next to it. I say this as I know some people are still getting Sparks who run the cable directly from the fuse board / consumer unit which requires drilling holes and running ugly cable / trunking. One to think about when getting installer quotes

I think a change of wiring rules was required to allow that direct supply from meter box. Must be in force now!
There are down sides with this in terms of safety. If the home owner turns off the main switch on consumer unit, many would assume that all is then off but clearly car supply is still active.
You could then get a cowboy homeowner who.might think the car supply is a good place to take a feed off for a light in the shed. Same issue - shed live when main switch is off.
I know charge point comes with a big red isolator switch but there is no accounting for idiots.

OmegaRed · 13-05-2021 09:43AM

mickdw wrote: »

I think a change of wiring rules was required to allow that direct supply from meter box. Must be in force now!
There are down sides with this in terms of safety. If the home owner turns off the main switch on consumer unit, many would assume that all is then off but clearly car supply is still active.
You could then get a cowboy homeowner who.might think the car supply is a good place to take a feed off for a light in the shed. Same issue - shed live when main switch is off.
I know charge point comes with a big red isolator switch but there is no accounting for idiots.

Yup, the sparks that did it for me said the rules had only changed in the last few weeks when he hooked it directly to the direct supply.

I now have two main switches in the box, one for the house and one for the charger. My house was only built last year so thankfully everything is pretty slick when it came to the wiring, even a separate line for the shed directly into the CU.

Quin_Dub · 13-05-2021 01:20PM

Quin_Dub wrote: »

I've just pulled the trigger on a 192 530e MSport Plus with XDrive and the 20" run flats.

Really looking forward to picking it up next week.

I've never driven a car with Run-flats before - Any major gotchas to be aware of?

Does the 530e normally come with both cables?

The dealer is telling me that the car only comes with the "granny cable" as standard?

Is that the case or should I be pushing to get the other cable as well?

Failing that - Where is the best place to pick up a cable for public charging use or for a home charger when I get around to it?

Cheers.

the corpo · 13-05-2021 05:55PM

Forgive my ignorance on this, but the reason we haven't yet got a charger in is because we were told our house would need to be rewired before a sparks could sign off it.
There's nothing wrong with the wiring, but we were told that the installer just wouldn't be able to certify if. Does this change mentioned above negate that?

ShaneOC · 13-05-2021 09:47PM

Quin_Dub wrote: »

Does the 530e normally come with both cables?

The dealer is telling me that the car only comes with the "granny cable" as standard?

Is that the case or should I be pushing to get the other cable as well?

Failing that - Where is the best place to pick up a cable for public charging use or for a home charger when I get around to it?

Cheers.

The dealer is correct. Only comes with the granny cable as standard.

Gumbo · 13-05-2021 09:50PM

mickdw wrote: »

I think a change of wiring rules was required to allow that direct supply from meter box. Must be in force now!
There are down sides with this in terms of safety. If the home owner turns off the main switch on consumer unit, many would assume that all is then off but clearly car supply is still active.
You could then get a cowboy homeowner who.might think the car supply is a good place to take a feed off for a light in the shed. Same issue - shed live when main switch is off.
I know charge point comes with a big red isolator switch but there is no accounting for idiots.

OmegaRed wrote: »

Yup, the sparks that did it for me said the rules had only changed in the last few weeks when he hooked it directly to the direct supply.

I now have two main switches in the box, one for the house and one for the charger. My house was only built last year so thankfully everything is pretty slick when it came to the wiring, even a separate line for the shed directly into the CU.

The clarification came in the March newsletter to REC’s.
There are strict regulations to the placement of warning labels in the CU and the MC about the EVSE still being live after a shut down of the main switch in the CU but of course, as mentioned above, you can’t legislate for idiots that will remove these.

Gumbo · 13-05-2021 09:51PM

Quin_Dub wrote: »

Does the 530e normally come with both cables?

The dealer is telling me that the car only comes with the "granny cable" as standard?

Is that the case or should I be pushing to get the other cable as well?

Failing that - Where is the best place to pick up a cable for public charging use or for a home charger when I get around to it?

Cheers.

Granny cable only.
Type 2 cable to be purchased separately.

Gumbo · 13-05-2021 09:53PM

the corpo wrote: »

Forgive my ignorance on this, but the reason we haven't yet got a charger in is because we were told our house would need to be rewired before a sparks could sign off it.
There's nothing wrong with the wiring, but we were told that the installer just wouldn't be able to certify if. Does this change mentioned above negate that?

No. He still need to certify the addition of a 32a appliance (The EVSE).
There must be some reason why they can sign off?

Did you ask him exactly what’s wrong with the existing house?
Where was it built and is it the original wiring set up?

milltown · 14-05-2021 11:45AM

Has anyone any idea how long the SEAI take to actually pay out the grant for the charger, once all the paperwork has been submitted?
Sent mine in about six weeks ago and haven't heard a dickie bird since.
Nigel Daly did the install so I hope he's fairly on the ball with sending in his half of the documentation.

fifth · 14-05-2021 01:02PM

milltown wrote: »

Has anyone any idea how long the SEAI take to actually pay out the grant for the charger, once all the paperwork has been submitted?
Sent mine in about six weeks ago and haven't heard a dickie bird since.
Nigel Daly did the install so I hope he's fairly on the ball with sending in his half of the documentation.

I think it was around 7-8 weeks for me.

AidenL · 15-05-2021 12:50AM

milltown wrote: »

Has anyone any idea how long the SEAI take to actually pay out the grant for the charger, once all the paperwork has been submitted?
Sent mine in about six weeks ago and haven't heard a dickie bird since.
Nigel Daly did the install so I hope he's fairly on the ball with sending in his half of the documentation.

Over 9 weeks here.

Gumbo · 15-05-2021 06:12AM

milltown wrote: »

Has anyone any idea how long the SEAI take to actually pay out the grant for the charger, once all the paperwork has been submitted?
Sent mine in about six weeks ago and haven't heard a dickie bird since.
Nigel Daly did the install so I hope he's fairly on the ball with sending in his half of the documentation.

About 8 weeks currently.
The delay is WFH and then the cross check with ESB.

OmegaRed · 16-05-2021 01:56PM

Gumbo wrote: »

About 8 weeks currently.
The delay is WFH and then the cross check with ESB.

Only out mine in the post about a week ago.... Hope it doesn't take that long

Gumbo · 16-05-2021 02:46PM

OmegaRed wrote: »

Only out mine in the post about a week ago.... Hope it doesn't take that long

My info based on payment a few weeks back so fairly up to date.
Don’t worry, it will come.

AidenL · 16-05-2021 09:14PM

OmegaRed wrote: »

Only out mine in the post about a week ago.... Hope it doesn't take that long

I received mine 2 weeks ago, but it did take 9 weeks, perhaps that’s the new normal.

galaxy12 · 20-05-2021 04:16PM

We saved planning to go for a 330e and 181/2 models which are around 25 k now but I now realize that the boot space in those is only around 365 ltrs and so wouldn't be suitable for family trips given the cramped boot space .

So looking at used 530e . Budget wise 3 years old we models suit us and there are a few nice looking 181 models which are in the market @ around 30k.

Wanted to ask if there is a big difference between m sport and se 530e models in driving when most of the driving is in town .

SummerK · 20-05-2021 05:26PM

galaxy12 wrote: »

Wanted to ask if there is a big difference between m sport and se 530e models in driving when most of the driving is in town .

MSport and SE have same suspension but SE one's have 18inch wheels which offers better ride quality in city and on motorways. SE seats don't have extending under thigh support for driver/passengers. Also Msport adds better brakes apart from adding visual improvements & a thick steering wheel.

Quin_Dub · 20-05-2021 06:52PM

Delivery is delayed on my car :-(

I had hoped to be picking it up tomorrow or Saturday , but apparently the VRT guys have not yet provided a Statistical code for my car so the dealer can't get it registered.

It's a 192 M Sport + with Xdrive which apparently they didn't have a code for.

Hopefully will get it sorted by Monday or Tuesday , but disappointed - Was looking forward to having it for the week-end.

Yakuza · 24-05-2021 03:05PM

galaxy12 wrote: »

We saved planning to go for a 330e and 181/2 models which are around 25 k now but I now realize that the boot space in those is only around 365 ltrs and so wouldn't be suitable for family trips given the cramped boot space .

So looking at used 530e . Budget wise 3 years old we models suit us and there are a few nice looking 181 models which are in the market @ around 30k.

Wanted to ask if there is a big difference between m sport and se 530e models in driving when most of the driving is in town .

530e boot space isn't massive, 410 litres (530 in the ICE version). I got roof bars and a 420l roof box to make up for the loss of space that I only really need a few times a year.
For day to day stuff (big weekly shop etc) the standard 530e boot is fine for us.

galaxy12 · 24-05-2021 06:35PM

Yakuza wrote: »

530e boot space isn't massive, 410 litres (530 in the ICE version). I got roof bars and a 420l roof box to make up for the loss of space that I only really need a few times a year.
For day to day stuff (big weekly shop etc) the standard 530e boot is fine for us.

Thanks yazuka.
Yes we checked a 530e over the weekend and realize that boot space will be similar or lower than my current Mondeo.

Valhallapt · 25-05-2021 04:14PM

Mike9832 wrote: »

I'd hold out for one of these

35kWh M140e

400bhp total, 100km range

https://www.motor1.com/news/364129/bmw-m140e-electrified-hot-hatch/

Wow that’s tempting.... anyone want to buy at 191 model??

OmegaRed · 16-06-2021 10:00AM

Hey Folks,

Wonder can anyone help with the 2 questions below, Ev specfic and BMW specific

Looking to buy a smaller legth type 2 charging cable to keep in the car when out and about. do they do 2.5 meters or just 5 meter cables and where would i pick one up at best value price?

The 2nd quetsion is some bad news. I hit debri on the road a week ago and scuffed up the M performance front defuser / splitter (Raging). Anyone know where I could potentially source a replacement please?

Maddic_Irl · 16-06-2021 02:41PM

OmegaRed wrote: »

Hey Folks,

Wonder can anyone help with the 2 questions below, Ev specfic and BMW specific

Looking to buy a smaller legth type 2 charging cable to keep in the car when out and about. do they do 2.5 meters or just 5 meter cables and where would i pick one up at best value price?

The 2nd quetsion is some bad news. I hit debri on the road a week ago and scuffed up the M performance front defuser / splitter (Raging). Anyone know where I could potentially source a replacement please?

Got my black kidney grill from this crowd, not sure if they have the splitter you are looking for but worth a look.

https://www.schmiedmann.com

Any 530e owners out there?

Comments