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When I bring an EV or plug-in hybrid home, I usually charge it with the included mobile charger. I'm still shopping for a Level 2 charger for the garage (and an electrician to install the 240-volt NEMA outlet), but even once I've got one installed, I'll still likely make occasional use of these mobile chargers for testing purposes, and because my Beetle project takes up a good chunk of my garage space. I usually run the mobile charging cable under my garage door to an outlet in there, or to the plug on my porch. There's a slight problem I run into with some cars, though, as the 15-amp breaker that governs my porch and garage outlets can be finicky. Many times, plugging into that circuit trips the breaker.

Thankfully, Autoblog's long-term 2022 BMW 330e xDrive has a menu in the infotainment system that allows you to adjust the charging amperage. You can dial in anything between 6 and 16 amps. I limited it to 12 for my purposes to balance charging speed with an uninterrupted power supply from my outlets. This means I don't have to run an extension cord to a plug on a different, more stable circuit (usually the one just inside the house near the door to the garage).

It’s not unusual, but not a given, for EVs or PHEVs to offer different charging amperage settings, but I like that I can dial it in precisely within that range. It’s certainly better than just having two or three predetermined settings … or worse, none at all (looking at you Nissan Leaf and Ford Mustang Mach-E).

Now if I could just remember to close the damn charging port cover when I unplug it.

Autoblog accepts vehicle loans from auto manufacturers with a tank of gas and sometimes insurance for the purpose of evaluation and editorial content. Like most of the auto news industry, we also sometimes accept travel, lodging and event access for vehicle drive and news coverage opportunities. Our opinions and criticism remain our own — we do not accept sponsored editorial.

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