BMW ChargeForward 4+

App is fine, you can see and change charging schedules, see incentives etc. The biggest gripe is that it keeps overwriting the departure times that i setup in the car.

This app isn’t ready for prime time. The concept is nice, but the execution isn’t. I have had lots of problems with the vehicle and using this app together. When the app tells the vehicle to pause charging during ‘optimized’ times, the vehicle stops charging (which is expected). But when this happens, the vehicle reports that ‘Charing cable unlocked’ even when it isn’t. There is a setting in the car where it will release or unlock the charging cable when finished. Mine is disabled because I don’t want some rando unplugging my car when I’m not charging at home. Because the charging cable is reporting as unlocked, the vehicle won’t resume charging when the scheduled time arrives. This leaves me with an uncharged vehicle when I need it. I have to babysit the vehicle and unplug it when the schedule is ‘optimized’ or paused, and re-plug it so that when the time comes it will start charging again. In short, the vehicle doesn’t like to be paused when charging, because it won’t start again. But this is the point of the app, to start and stop charging when the timing is ‘optimized’ for green charging. Perhaps the app needs an update? Perhaps the vehicle also needs a firmware update? Scheduled charging has never really worked for my 2023 i4. The peak charging time for my area is between 4PM and 8 PM. I think I’ll just go back to remembering to plug in after 8 PM to avoid peak charges and save myself from all this hassle.

This app is dumb. All it does it delay charging until there’s just enough time to charge before your next scheduled drive. It also constantly overwrites your schedule in the BMW app, even if you delete the Charge Forward app. Overall, it introduces the worst form of neurosis about having a dead battery when you just happen to need to make an unscheduled trip, which is basically all the time. I don’t need the $100 gift card every year. I can do without this app and still do my power company and the environment a favor by charging between 9pm and 11am. BMW did not think this through.