I bought a BMW 530e onboard battery charger - now what?

[Gregski]

so it started out innocent enuff, another overpriced eBay listing for a 2018 BMW 530e "battery charge control module" ok, oh this one is local, from a wrecker in my town (helps to live in a town with one of the world's largest wrecking yards, but I digress) and free shipping, but hey I could pick it up, maybe chat them up for additional parts, I know I'll low ball 'em and forget all about it - um how about $300 ? Offer Sent

[Gregski]

Wait what? Offer accepted? Great !

[Gregski]

wait, my bad, this isn't from a BMW at all, it fell off an alien space craft, what in the world are these tubes?

[Gregski]

so I'm starting to piece together some info on this unit, forgive me if this is known already and redundant

5' G30 530e Control unit, KLE convenience charging

5' G30 530e Various wiring harnesses, hybrid

#1 High-voltage wiring harness SLE- EME
Part # 61126823572

#3 High-voltage cable set, EDH
Part # 61126823582

#4 HV wiring harness for el. AC compressor
Part # 61126823581

[TheSilverBuick]

I'm envious of you being near Rancho Cordova. I did a day trip there to pick up the Lexus MGR I have. I tried lowballing them a few times on some GS450H's, but they weren't too keen.

Does this unit handle BMS duties for the batteries you are using?

[Gregski]

so cable #1 looks like this in the wild and is going for only $500 bucks on eBay

[Gregski]

I'm envious of you being near Rancho Cordova. I did a day trip there to pick up the Lexus MGR I have. I tried lowballing them a few times on some GS450H's, but they weren't too keen.

Does this unit handle BMS duties for the batteries you are using?

Which place did you visit, because I have good news and bad news yes we have the hugest wreckers in the galaxy but they are also the most expensive wreckers in the galaxy, and I heard the big fish I swallowing the mom and pops shops so they can control the pricing

I don't think so if you watch one of my videos I point out that inside the BMW 530e battery pack that I am using there is a BMS box in there

[Gregski]

and then there's this diagram of Inductive charging where Cable #1 runs to something called a Car Pad Module aka CPM (#1 below) whatever that is, if you know please chime in


5' G30 530e Vehicle wiring harness induct.charging

5' G30 530e Car Pad Module CPM

[Gregski]

is it just me or do these diagrams go out of their way of being not helpful, I mean ok, here's an orange cable, where the hell does it plug into? that charger has 17 ports on it


5' G30 530e Charge socket with charge cable
Part # 61126841559

[Gregski]

so first I removed the two funky mounting brackets

[Gregski]

not having a wiring diagram, then I took a peak inside

ah yes, a rainbow

[Gregski]

the good ol' cover under the cover trick

[Gregski]

I just had to know where those tubular connectors run to, so I think this first one is actually the AC input plug that runs to the charging port socket, I rerouted it for demonstration purposes, at least in the end it's just a ring terminal connection, so that can easily be replaced with a regular high voltage orange cable, but what are those green thin wires for?

[OutlandishPanda]

Possibly HVIL (High Voltage Interrupt Loop)? The mating part of the connector shorts them out or takes the loop on another journey to another connector. If the whole loop is conducting end to end, it means all the connectors are in and secure. It runs all around the HV system, sometimes critical low voltage connectors also. If you pull a connector when the system is live, it will open the contactors to prevent, well, nasty accidents...

[Gregski]

Possibly HVIL (High Voltage Interrupt Loop)? The mating part of the connector shorts them out or takes the loop on another journey to another connector. If the whole loop is conducting end to end, it means all the connectors are in and secure. It runs all around the HV system, sometimes critical low voltage connectors also. If you pull a connector when the system is live, it will open the contactors to prevent, well, nasty accidents...

Ah, makes sense thank you for that.

[Gregski]

QUESTIONS:

1. What do they mean by inductive charging, is that just another way of saying regen?

2. Why does one of the front tube connectors run to the AC Compressor, I have never seen that on a battery charger?

3. Can this be a charger/converter combo unit?

4. What is that other gizmo in the first diagram below the AC Compressor where wire #3 runs to? EDH?

[Pete9008]

I would guess:

1. Inductively coupled - it's got a transformer in it??
2. Is it to allow it to run the AC to cool the battery? The battery does have refrigerant lines to it so it kind of makes sense.
3. No idea, they could just be using it as the HV junction box with integrated switching for the AC and heater?
4. Looks like a water heater to me.

[Pete9008]

Can't be this can it?
https://www.press.bmwgroup.com/global/a ... anguage=en

[Pete9008]

Can't be this can it?
https://www.press.bmwgroup.com/global/a ... anguage=en

Fairly sure it is this, didn't know they were commercially available.

A company I used to work for researched a system like this for charging vehicles back in the 90s - never went anywhere! Seem to remember they tried again charging buses in the 00s. They had problems with power dissipation in the coils, alignment (they had to build special kerbs to guide the bus into perfect alignment), size and reliability. Not sure it ever got as far as prototype trials. Looks like BMW might have got it working though??

[Gregski]

Can't be this can it?
https://www.press.bmwgroup.com/global/a ... anguage=en

Fairly sure it is this, didn't know they were commercially available.

A company I used to work for researched a system like this for charging vehicles back in the 90s - never went anywhere! Seem to remember they tried again charging buses in the 00s. They had problems with power dissipation in the coils, alignment (they had to build special kerbs to guide the bus into perfect alignment), size and reliability. Not sure it ever got as far as prototype trials. Looks like BMW might have got it working though??

great I'm sure that doesn't add to the complexity at all

[Gregski]

some more pictureness


one of the do dads going to the main bus bar thingie

another of the do dads going to the same bus bar thingie

[Gregski]

and I took the guts out and flipped it belly up

[Gregski]

I wanted to see where these pins ranned to but there's a dam preventing it from happening

[jalovick]

Based on the charging speed for those vehicles, it's a 3.6 kW single phase charger. It's used across the BMW plug-in hybrids and on the Mini Countryman Cooper SE plug-in hybrid. I've been hunting around for the 11 kW KLE for the Mini Cooper SE EV, but keep coming across these. They're quite cheap on eBay, some part numbers for this or similar KLE's are 61449485031, 61448742334, 61448699722, 61-44-8-742-334, 61-44-9-469-686, 61-44-9-456-002, 61448742334, 61449469686, 61449456002, 61-44-8-697-850, 61-44-8-699-722, 61-44-8-741-470, 61448697850, 61448699722, 61448741470, 61-44-8-655-217, 61-44-8-657-865, 61-44-8-661-458, 61448655217, 61448657865, 61448661458, 61-44-8-678-851, 61-44-8-654-202, 61-44-8-654-728, 61448678851, 61448654202, 61448654728, 61-44-8-663-249, 61-44-8-667-579, 61-44-8-671-959, 61448663249, 61448667579, 61448671959, 61-44-8-677-319 61448677319, 61445A02157 61449456002; 61449469686, 61-44-5-A02-157, 61-44-9-456-002; 61-44-9-469-686, 61-44-5-A2A-F55

If you come across the 11 kW version, let me know...

[Gregski]

Based on the charging speed for those vehicles, it's a 3.6 kW single phase charger. It's used across the BMW plug-in hybrids and on the Mini Countryman Cooper SE plug-in hybrid [...] They're quite cheap on eBay,...

define cheap, as I have seen them going for $800 bucks here in the states, and are you saying you know how to control one of these?