BMW i8 Charging Cable

Inlet type	Type 2 on UK and European cars, AC only
Max onboard AC	3.7 kW, single phase at 16A
On a UK home supply	3.7 kW, which is the car's own ceiling
Charge port position	Front nearside wing, under its own flap
Cable we recommend	Type 2 to Type 2, 16A

A small pack and a deliberately modest charger

BMW's own product guides put the 2014 to 2017 coupe at 7.1 kWh gross and 5.2 kWh usable, and the 2018 to 2020 coupe and roadster at 11.58 kWh gross and 9.1 kWh usable. Both draw 3.7 kW at 16A. The facelift grew the battery by three quarters and left the charger alone, which is why the later car takes longer rather than less time.

A bigger cable cannot change this, because the limit sits in the car rather than the lead. BMW quoted two hours to 80 per cent on the early car and about three hours for a full charge on the later one, from a wall box. Those are the manufacturer's figures, not ours.

How long a full charge takes

Cable	Power drawn at home	Empty to full, 5.2 kWh battery	Empty to full, 9.1 kWh battery	Range added per hour
Type 2 to Type 2, 16A at 3.7 kW	3.7 kW	1 hours 30 mins	2 hours 45 mins	about 13 miles
Three pin from a 13A socket	2.3 kW	2 hours 30 mins	4 hours 30 mins	about 8 miles

Hours are worked from battery size against power drawn, plus a 13 per cent allowance for what is lost as heat, rounded to fifteen minutes. The columns are the two generations: 5.2 kWh for 2014 to 2017 cars and 9.1 kWh for the 2018 to 2020 update. Both are BMW's usable figures rather than the gross numbers you will see quoted elsewhere.

Nothing on this car takes DC. There is no rapid socket to fall back on, so the Type 2 lead is not an accessory you might use, it is the only route electricity ever takes into the battery. Buy a used one without a cable in the boot and it is a petrol car until you do.

Which length to buy

The charging flap sits on the front nearside wing, on its own, ahead of the door. On a right hand drive car that is the kerb side, and it does not swap over: BMW fixes the flap to that side of the body.

The i8 is low and short at 4.7 metres, and it is usually parked nose in because of the doors. Nose in with the charge point on the left and 5 metres is generous. Reverse in and the lead has to come the length of the car, so 10 metres. Park the car where it normally lives, walk the run with a tape, and buy the next size up from what you measure.

How these cables are built

IEC 62196-2 construction, CE marked, IP55 sealed and tested from -30C through to +50C.

Three pin leads are made to IEC 62752, CE marked and IP67 sealed, with a -30C to +60C specification. It carries a two year manufacturer's warranty, ships free on next working day delivery, and can go back inside 30 days.

Looking at another BMW? Start with the BMW 330e EV Charging Cable, or browse every model in BMW charging cables.