Never used either, but I'll offer the advice that our charger has a front-panel LED that displays the current being sent to the car in real-time, and also has a simple push-button switch that you can use to change the current level. I have found both of these features to be extremely useful (and will note that many I5 owners have had to tweak their current inputs down to work around a widespread I5 L2 home-charger overheating problem).

 

which charger is that?

 

GoPlug 40A. It's relatively inexpensive for a WiFi-capable EVSE, although in the end I've never found any need to use the WiFi. At the time I purchased 6 months ago it was not UL-certified (its older sibling 32A version was), but I was told it was in process for certification. If that matters to you then you should by all means follow that up. I had some difficulty setting up its WiFi that may have been due to the particular WiFi topology of our house, but their phone support was great and they got it working for me (although I haven't used it since, as noted).

As it turns out, the I5 charging overheat in fact limits my charging (at least for now) to 32A, which is plenty of current for me to fully recharge overnight if I ever needed that, so buying the UL-certified 32A wouldn't be the worst decision in the world if that's still on offer (and you should double-check the UL stuff if you care). Another thing to consider is that my unit is installed in an always-warm garage, so if you have rainproofing or low-temperature needs you should consider those aspects as well.

In any event, if whatever EVSE you get has the two features I mentioned in my initial reply I can guarantee you will appreciate having them.

 

I like our Wallbox Pulsar Plus 40A. UL certified and I think European manufactured. Has an app which lets you program times (I don't use this feature though), see charging history, and adjust amperage output. 25 foot slim cable (important as our first choice, the Grizzl-E had a really fat cable which struggled to fit under our garage door).

 

I am still using level1 charger but I will buy Level2 charger.
It’s just hard to say there is “the best charger”……
I was looking at various reviews and there are pro and con.
Emporia has decent review for $400 but my power company offers wallbox for $400 and charging point for $499 and juicebox for $450… I am leaning towards to wallbox because of the price. Check your power company what their offers are.

 

Any rebates from the power company? Both of them are often included as they can be throttled by the power company.

 

There is no one best. Depends on your needs. I live in a climate that gets very cold in the winter so a priority for me was a cable that remains flexible in very cold temps. Do you want a “smart” charger or not? Many people find the added features redundant to what can be accomplished in the car already. I have a bare bones grizzle and it works great for me and my needs. It’s more cumbersome to adjust the amperage but I’ve never had to do that since installed. No bells and whistles but has a winter flexible cable

 

There is no one best. Depends on your needs.

Exactly. You will find several threads on this topic in this and practically every other EV forum. And you will also never see a post from anyone saying that their own charger is a POS and they should have bought a different one. Figure out which features are absolutely necessary and/or desirable for your situation, how much you are willing to pay, and decide based on that. I can also recommend Tom Mologney's StateOfCharge youtube channel for in-depth reviews of whatever chargers you manage to narrow your field down to. Also note that rebates are great, but you will hopefully live with this EVSE for years, so IMO it's not worth swapping long-term contentment for a few bucks up front.

 

We installed a ChargePoint. It works well so far, and is flexible as far as installation and amperage.
It can be configured for scheduled charging, and for the couple of months we've been using it, we are happy.

 

+1

 

I have been happy with the ChargePoint Home Flex we installed well over a year ago in anticipation of getting a full battery EV to replace our old PHEV. Once setup, I have not tweaked the settings at all so from that point of view it is not a big functional step up from a dumber EVSE.

One thing I do access is the charging history as I am compulsive about measuring MPG on gas cars and now mi/kWh on this EV. The actual mi/kWh I am getting based on ChargePoint and EA reports is different than the car reports by about 10% which I am attributing to charging losses.

 

We love the Grizzle-e, excellent build quality (made in Canada), UL certified, amp output is adjustable to work with your circuit, simple to use, reliable. It's not wifi enabled but I've never felt a need for that because you can manage and monitor it all with the car settings and the Bluelink app.

 

I have the same, great unit, and my energy company gave me 50% refund of purchase and installation.

 

Check to see if your state is offering any rebates. My brother got a $700 Juice Box for about $250 from a NY state rebate.

 

--> I can also recommend Tom Mologney's StateOfCharge youtube channel for in-depth reviews

+1

I bought, and am happy with, ChargePoint Home Flex.

 

I bought the juicebox 40 based on a lot of the reviews. It was at or near the top on a lot of them. Have not used it yet. Getting installed tomorrow

 

We've only had our I5 for a few days but I installed the hardwiredversion of the Autel Maxicharger a few weeks ago. They make it in a 40a version with a NEMA 14-50 plug. The hardwired version is 50a. I bought the one with the external cable holder.

I paid $479 on Amazon and the 40a version with the NEMA 14-50 plug is currently on sale for $449. These are WIFI and Bluetooth chargers with a nice app.

What sold me on the Autel (other than the name) was that is has an internal dial selector to set the max current that goes to the car. My setup currently has 10 gauge wire with a 30 amp breaker so I am limited to 24a charging until I upgrade the wire to 6 gauge. I didn't want to rely on just a setting in the app to limit the current.

On the app I can choose between 6 to 24 amps charge current. It allows scheduling (assuming you don't want to use the I5s built in scheduling). It also tells you the amount of each charge session cost. And the app of course shows the current going to the car. A future firmware update should allow two way communication with the I5.

It has dynamic load balancing that might be important if you are charging at max amps while also using 240v appliances.

I wanted a 50a for future use when we become a two EV home and will probably have an extended range pickup.

Amazon.com: Autel MaxiCharger Home Electric Vehicle (EV) Charger, up to 40 Amp, 240V, Level 2 WiFi and Bluetooth Enabled EVSE, NEMA 6-50 Plug, Indoor/Outdoor, 25-Foot Cable with Separate Holster, Dark Gray : Automotive

Buy Autel MaxiCharger Home Electric Vehicle (EV) Charger, up to 40 Amp, 240V, Level 2 WiFi and Bluetooth Enabled EVSE, NEMA 6-50 Plug, Indoor/Outdoor, 25-Foot Cable with Separate Holster, Dark Gray: Charging Stations - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

 

Hunt thru Youtube for the "Fully Charged" video review a flock of chargers, of all sizes, and in many different aspects of use. Be sure to get UL/CSA listed units, fire risk, and have a look at the Sandy Munro video on the risks of at home EV chargers. The fire risk comes from the equipment used for the electrick service that IS NOT designed to work with the constant use an EV requires for electricity. There is, it seems, NO EV specific electric equipment for the loads and use of an EV- they are all household rated. That MUST change, somehow.

 

Yep its an informative video even though kind of hard to watch. Best not to charge at full amps until EV rated breakers hit the market. And probably a good idea to hardwire your charger or at least buy the $50 heavy duty NEMA 14-50 receptacle.

 

Another satisfied customer with a Wallbox Pulsar Plus 40A here. I like the compact design, app, cable, and connector.

Pulsar Plus EV Charger - Solar & Smart Charger | Wallbox US

Explore Pulsar Plus, a compact and smart EV charger. Perfect for efficient and smart home charging with solar capabilities. Install Wallbox today!

wallbox.com

 

We have been using the ChargePoint Home Flex since last March with no problems. Most of the public charging options in our area are ChargePoint units and I like having one app that tracks our home and public charging.

 

Even though I received my 5 about 2 months ago, I have purchased a juice box 40 amp., hard wire. I picked that one for a couple of reason. The main being I am going to receive a rebate of $250.00 for it. I picked it because the reviews were very good and it was the highest amp on the rebate list. I haven’t had it installed yet.
One thing that is beginning to annoy me is the slow charging speed from the 150kw Electrify America charges. Only once has it charged at 135 kw. I set the pre conditioning probably 10 miles from the charger. Temp was 55 Fahrenheit. It started at 55kw and never got faster than 70.

 

Grizzle from Canada is in an aluminum case. I have been very happy with my purchase. Great customer service, less expensive, smart, sturdy.

 

Clipper Creek 24A hardwired on a 30A circuit which is a 3 wire 208V.

 

Emporia! UL, Energy Star, Wi-Fi, good app and warranty, $499. 14-50 or hardwired.

 

Did they raise price? I thought it was $399… then my choice will be power company rebate chargers which is wallbox or juicebox.

 

I have the Juicebox (hard wired) for about 2 months now and it works really well. Haven't used any other home chargers so I don't know that it is better or worse than anything else. It is 50% faster than the level 2 charger at my office (and much faster than the one at work that slows down when two cars charge). At one point there was a pretty good deal on it through Costco, but it had a shorter cable than I needed so I bought it direct. Like posters above I looked at reviews and it often was ranked in the top few, but it seemed like there were other good options, too.

I like that you just plug it in and it works without messing with settings, but if I want to see the history of charging I can use an app on my phone to do so. I'd hate to be dependent on the app to charge, but am happy to have it for confirmation of how charging went. (I used the app a lot the first few charges and now probably check it once every 5 to 10 charges to see how much energy I used and to estimate my efficiency).

 

Another very happy Grizzl E user. The thing is built like a tank. I live in a very rainy climate and we have it mounted out doors without any issues.

 

I am facing the same question. State of Charge YouTube reviews chargers. The big advantage of the Chargepoint seems to be its cold weather flexibility. If you live in a warm climate, the extra cost of the chargepoint may not be worth it. We have a house in the Adirondacks, so I will probably go with the Chargepoint.

 

I’d avoid Rolec, it relies on 4G phone signal and doesn’t have Wi-Fi. Might be ok for where you live, but no good in my village. Also it doesn’t allow manual timer for on and off so have to rely on the car settings. To be honest, a 32amp socket would have been a better bet for cost and ease of use.
*just realised you’re in USA 😀