Electric vehicle charging stations are a crucial part of BMW EV ownership. We’ve covered a lot of aspects of BMW EV ownership so far – charging and long trips, for example – but haven’t talked a lot about ownership of the charging station itself. No less critical than picking the right electric vehicle, shopping and choosing charging stations can be a tiresome process.
This series of EV-related articles is brought to you by ClipperCreek powered by Enphase. ClipperCreek has been a pioneer in the EV charging market since 2006 with Level 2 AC charging stations. You can catch our first three articles here: Buying Your First BMW EV, BMW EV Ownership: Terminology, Charging, and Battery Health, How To Get Tax Rebates for Installing a Home EV Charger and BMW Electric Vehicles Ownership: Planning Trips – Short and Long.
A reality of EV ownership is that most charging takes place outdoors. Almost all public charging stations are open-air. And while you may have room for your charging station in your garage at home, having a smaller garage may force outdoor charging. And that assumes you have a garage at all! Thankfully, charging outdoors means you’re still in the EV game.
Outside charging at home has some drawbacks, but it shouldn’t prevent you from installing a home charger. Charging outdoors allows you to charge your vehicle in the rain, sleet, or snow, and many companies design their charging stations to drain water. The opposite is true, too. Even in extreme heat with direct sunlight, charging stations are safe and generally reliable. Although, as a current Arizona resident, I’ve learned the hard way that you might want to keep an oven mitt handy.
The biggest negative to charging outdoors is the climate’s effects on your vehicle’s battery. Extreme hot or cold temperatures will cut range from your EV. An excellent way to defeat this is to precondition the car every time you charge.
One benefit of outside charging is saving room in your garage, if applicable. Outdoor charging also makes it easier to charge vehicles that aren’t yours – maybe a friend is…
