BMW i7 Charging Cable

One battery, three badges

eDrive50, xDrive60 and M70 all sit on the same 101.7 kWh usable pack. The power output and the WLTP figure move with the badge, from 380 miles on the eDrive50 down to 348 on the M70, but the pack and the charging hardware do not. That is why there is one cable answer for the whole range.

On paper 11 kW, in a driveway 7.4 kW, and the difference is the supply rather than the car or the cable. The 32A single phase lead is therefore what you need at home, and it is the one that also covers untethered public posts.

How long a full charge takes

Times below are computed from the pack size and the power drawn with 13 per cent allowed for charging losses. Range added per hour assumes a year round 3.5 miles per kWh rather than a best case figure. Overnight on a seven hour night tariff window a 7.4 kW lead moves roughly 180 miles into the car, which is most of a week of normal use in a car this size.

The three pin figure is on the table for completeness and for the once-a-year use it deserves. On a pack this large a 13A socket is a two day job, and the point of carrying one is a hotel car park, not a charging strategy.

Which length for an i7

The flap is on the rear offside, the right hand rear wing, and the i7 is a shade over 5.4 metres long. That length is what drives the answer here more than anything else: a car this size rarely sits close to the wall box at both ends.

Reverse onto a drive with the charge point on the right and 5 metres will just about do it. Nose in, or park with the wall box on the left, and the lead has to clear five and a half metres of car before it reaches anything, so 10 metres is the sensible buy. Measure from the charge point to the inlet as the car actually parks, then add two metres of slack.

How these cables are built

The cable meets IEC 62196-2, carries the CE mark, is sealed to IP55 and is specified from -30C to +50C.

The three pin version is an IEC 62752 unit, CE marked and IP67 sealed, specified -30C to +60C. Two year warranty from the manufacturer, free next day delivery in the UK, 30 day returns.

Looking at another BMW? Start with the BMW 330e EV Charging Cable, or browse every model in BMW charging cables. For a wall box or public post the lead is the Type 2 to Type 2 charging cable.

BMW i7 charging cable questions

What cable does a BMW i7 use?

Type 2 to Type 2, and 32A single phase is the version to own. The car is quoted on three phase, but a British house supplies one phase, so 7.4 kW is what actually arrives.

How long does an i7 take on a home charger?

Around fifteen and a half hours from empty at 7.4 kW on the 101.7 kWh pack. Nobody charges from empty, though: a seven hour overnight window is worth roughly 180 miles.

Which side is the charge port on?

The rear offside, on the right hand rear wing. BMW puts the port there on all of its battery electric cars, and it stays on that side of the body on a right hand drive i7.

Is a three phase cable worth buying?

Only if you have a genuine three phase supply, which almost no UK house does. On one phase the three phase cable delivers exactly the same 7.4 kW as the cheaper single phase one.