I greatly appreciate your reviews and these summary reviews! When I bought an EV I did a bunch of research on all the various car options out there, and there was a variety of sources of reviews... some seemingly more or less objective than others. But, when searching for an EV charger... oof... not a lot of reviewers... and not a lot of trust in the depth, quality, or impartiality of the reviews... except for your channel! You are willing to both sing the praises of a charger's good qualities and rail against the bad qualities. And, for the truly skeptical, it's not like we have to just take your opinion. Your videos show the tests and showcase all the evidence for anyone to draw their own conclusions if they have a different takeaway. Such a high quality and respectable channel. Thanks for all your research and reviews!
@StateOfChargeWithTomMoloughney I got a portable 220V 10A charger with my second-hand id 4 purchase . Do you know if i need a surge protector or a volt regulator to protect the car , in case of blackouts, etc, while i am sleeping? Highly appreciate your help .
@@AhooooooooIt's not necessary to have. EV chargers come with various protection features to ensure the safety of both the user and the vehicle, as well as to protect the charger itself from damage. These protections are crucial for preventing electrical hazards, maintaining charger efficiency, and extending the lifespan of the charger. Here are some common protection features: Overcurrent Protection, Overvoltage and Undervoltage Protection, Ground Fault Protection, Overtemperature Protection and Communication and Monitoring.
@ApexChargerOfficial Thank you for answering. I was asking because i don't have a wall unit . I am only using a portable charger that does 13A . So, I just assumed it would give less protection.
We've had the base (non smart) Grizzl-E charge station for over two years now and am very happy with it so far. We use it for both my EV6 and my wife's Tucson PHEV (no problem figuring out who can use it when). Our initial install was with a NEMA 14-50R, but the electrician used a cheap Home Depot residential grade receptacle and it failed. As such, it's now hard wired, which is what I wish we had done to begin with. If you install a level 2 charge station, PLEASE make sure your electrician uses the proper materials for the install, and take a hard look at hard wiring it vs. using a receptacle. I'm not convinced that a smart charge station is really necessary, as you can use your car's app to monitor your state of charge, and I typically charge over night. I just don't see the need to spend extra on being "connected" with a "smart" option...
Got my Autel MaxiCharger Lite for $400 on sale on Amazon (plus $250 rebate from my electric utility) and have been very happy with it. In addition to being able to use NFC cards/tags to activate it, you can export a spreadsheet will all of the charging session data including who activated it, how much power was delivered, etc. Great for shared usage.
I bought mine an sale on amazon for 450 or something - in blue to match my car - but havent installed it yet. Mostly waiting on my handy man to install a post for it. Looking forward to using it!
i bought eviqo because of your review and love it. and im changing charge rate all the time because i dont have to charge at 40 amps, most of the time its 20 to 30 amps
I did exactly what you’re recommending this time last year. Ended up with the Charge Point Home Flex that I ordered with the NEMA wall plug. Home was built with the 50A car outlet I ordered at the garage door opening to be able to charge any visitors that stop by based on you noting often the maximum cable length. I never wanted for more speed but if I were scheduling two EV’s to improvise power sharing I would set them each up on 70A breakers to max out the rate in the given time. Love that with a coin I can pop the cover and swap the plug to match our next EV. Thanks for your service to all of us Tom. 💯👍🏼 35:12
Thanks you your reviews, I purchased the Tesla Universal Wall Charger. It's the most future proof EVSE on the market. With more and more manufacturers changing to NACS, it made the most sense. Works great with our Polestar. Thank you.
Purchased the EVIQO because of your review. I've had it for 4 weeks and love it. The app and scheduling abilities with cost estimates are great. It is a great unit. Thanks for reviewing it!
Thanks for everything that you do Tom! I bought a used Polestar 2 in January and through your reviews (and a discount from my utility company out here in Arizona) I got a great deal on a Wallbox Pulsar Plus 40amp. Also used Qmerit to assist with installing a more robust nema 14-50 outlet
So the Rivian charger I ordered with my Gen2 R1T, at $800, is a dubious purchase. I’m new in the EV world, and like most things in life, you learn truth the hard way.
I’m an app skeptic (and I personalize your scoring system by removing points for Alexa) and would love to see a discussion of how various equipment functions without internet
My Autel app will let me set up power sharing without any additional hardware, though it looks like you do need additional hardware if you want it to load balance based on other loads in your home. But if you just want to load share multiple Autel EVSEs, I think no extra hardware is needed.
I bought the 40 amp rated ClipperCreek charger seven years ago with hardwired junction box. I didn’t want to deal with any issues with 14-50 outlets. It is a dumb, non-Wi-Fi connected charge station and therefore nothing to become obsolete or break. I’m completely happy with it.
Just installed the Tesla Universal Connector last week. Agree with the app comments. I have a Tesla currently and feel like I am managing more of the charging settings at the car level, rather than the charger level. Chose it for the flexibility, being able to help my neighbors with J1772 port cars, and if we get a used EV down the road with J1772. So far so good! Coming off of that 110 life, so it’s great to be able to be back on scheduled charging. Thank you, Tom! Love all these options we are getting!
@@danielam3829 yeah it’d be perfect for that! And they really did a great job with how well the J1772 adapter is integrated into the unit and is able to be used. The locking clip on the adapter that Tom seems to be worried about is metal on mine, so maybe it was plastic on the version Tom has and they’ve now made it metal after feedback from users?
@@James_Greene out of curiosity did you go through a Tesla certified installer found on the Tesla website, use Qmerit (Tom’s sponsor), or other solution for your install?
I picked up a home flex yesterday on Amazon for $494 on a sale. Honestly couldn’t believe the find. I used to be like ehh ChargePoint, but as I’ve driven my EV more I’ve learned they’re quite reliable. They may not all be the fastest but they generally always work. Being able to add NACS later was also nice.
I'm on my third HomeFlex. I got my first in April of 2022. The WiFi module failed in the first two. ChargePoint was good about sending the replacements. I have a plug in version and handy enough to change out the unit myself. Otherwise it's a nice L2 EVSE
Love watching your Ford video’s! Just purchased a Mach E Premium almost 2 weeks ago and I love it far more than I imagined I would! Went with Premium since it’s my first EV and it fits my needs for mostly around town driving. Maybe in a few years I will upgrade to the GT or maybe Rally, I absolutely love the look of the Rally.
I installed the ChargePoint home flex 6 months ago. There is an important item that should be mentioned in the review. The maximum wire size that will connect to it is 6 AWG. The instructions describe installations on up to 80 amp circuits- where you could set it to 50 amps. I contracted for an 80 amp circuit. During the installation my electrician said he would have to make it a 60 amp circuit as that was the maximum temperature rating his business was willing to do 6 AWG at. 4 AWG will not fit the ChargePoint connection. 80% of 60 amps is 48 amps and what I have the ChargePoint set to. My electrician told me if I replace the ChargePoint in the future and want an 80 amp circuit, to pull the 3 feet of 6 AWG, replace it with appropriate gauge for 80 amps and replace the circuit breaker with an 80 amp breaker. Easy Peasy. The 3 foot run is through conduit. In my opinion, if the ChargePoint is going to advertise that it can be wired to an 80 amp circuit, it should in fact be able to be wired to an 80 amp circuit. And your review could mention this. I am also aware that electrical standards may vary and 6 AWG for an 80 amp circuit might be legally acceptable in some jurisdictions.
My CP Home Flex review is 3 years old. I need to update it and I will soon. I was aware of this issue and will certainly mention it. They shouldn't say it can be installed to deliver 50-amps. It should simply be marketed as a 48-amp unit. There's virtually no benefit (OK, a very little) from the 2 extra amps even if it could support a #4 wire.
As a professional computer person, smart devices are usually a really bad idea. Why were all of the chargers smart chargers? What's the best option for a not-connected charger?
My 2018 tesla came with the mobile connector at not extra cost. I can charge at 32 amps which is enough for me. 6+ years later, it is still working great even with charging two separate Tesla vehicles since 2021.
I bought wallbox 3 months ago the last month my box does not working properly, the wallbox does not have costumer support , now I am stuck with broken box €1300 please take the wallbox of your self thanks
Tom, Love the videos. When you reviewing these charger, can you also please comment on which one has a built in GFI/GFCI and does not require the breaker with GFI/GFCI feature.
FYI the Wallbox (40a) was sold by the Fisker auto company along with the Fisker branding. Since Fisker is going bankrupt, the Wallboxes are being liquidated for $250. Definitely a great deal while they still have them in stock.
I'm in the 16 amp charging gang! I'm glad us low-speed chargers got a mention towards the end. It's safer for the wiring, safer all around, and I drive 80 miles per day, so even 16 amp easily fills up my Bolt. I could daily drive an F150 lightning and still recoup my commute every single day on 16 amp no problem.
I've had my KIA Niro EV for 2 1/2 weeks now and on day 2, ordered from Amazon the ChargePoint Flex home charger. As part of a State program, I am getting a rebate check for $250 which will offset the cost. No worries about it's ability to only link to 1 EV, as my spouse won't get an EV for a long time (their next Camry will be a hybrid). Just visited my first public EV charger today, so I'll be ready for my home charging by the time the electrician comes to install the ChargePoint. Yes, my charge lasts 2 weeks.
i bought a chargepoint flex recently and got it installed. did the plug in style not the hard wired version because I had the 14-50 plug already installed connected to a 50 amp breaker. anyway when I set it up and paired it to my car and app, it only let me choose 40 amp or 50 amp. since I have a 50 amp plug I chose 50 amp. Charging my car I was getting a 9.2 kWh steady stream. My car can handle a 60 amp connection. But with a 50 amp connection, max you can go is 40 amps per electrical code so this unit knew that and dialed it down to 40 amps. (9.2 x 1000) / 240v = 38.3 amps current. So this is spot on with staying in code. Your diagram says this can go up to 50 amp which isn't really true. It can be connected to a 50 amp circuit and go 40 amps which is code for that circuit. Remember 80% of the max amps for continuous usage. It can spike to max amps but it must come back down.
I appreciate the development and content of this video, but man is Qmerit doing us customers wrong. And The proof is on the BBB page. Sorry Tom, you do good work, but you’re backed by the WeWork of Home Electrification companies.
Thanks for this video, Tom. Your EVSE reviews contain a lot of useful information, which is invaluable for EV owners. The HomeFlex charger that I bought ~2 years ago, based on your recommendation, is still working like a champ. Thanks again!
When you talk about cable performance, for example, the Grizzl-e, does that just mean it becomes stiff or the actual flow of electricity is impeded by cold weather?
I'm not impressed with Grizzl-e's warranty policy. The strain relief failed on my unit and they told me it was not covered under warranty because "Per our policy, we are able to send replacements and replacement parts for defective units and parts. However, the cable that you received was fully functional without wear and tear. Therefore unfortunately the cable would not fall under warranty." So what exactly does the warranty cover? I question what you'd get paying extra for a 5 year warranty.
You mentioned the Grizzly had a negative feature of only being capable of 40 amps instead of the other brands 48 amps. You should note that all the other chargers are rated at only 40 amps when plugged in with a NEMA 14-50 plug. 48 amps requires hardwiring. Grizzl-e markets as plug-in convenient so the are honest stating 40 amps. The others have fine print of ‘48 amps when hardwiring’.
Easy to make the Tesla wall connector plug in. Go to your local hardware store and purchase an electric range replacement cord with 14-50 plug.and a couple cable fittings.
This is the one I need to see Tom! I hope there is one that can tell me how much money we spend a year charging. But I’ll probably have to calculate it.
@@mowcowbellI love the UMC but I really want a dual voltage 40 Amp instead of 32 amps and I haven't decided which one is best. I hope Tom helps in this category.
Just out of curiosity, how much should I expect to have a charger hardwired in my garage with an existing Nema 14-50 and appears to have been wired for 100A (all new construction). I expect it shouldn't be that expensive since it should be a quick install, but I have no idea if a quote may be overcharging for what I believe is a quick install.
I am a newby to EV chargers and your video was by far the most informative and best video I have watched so far. Well done. Being from Canada, I was interested in the Grizzle unit but read a lot of reviews that complained about the glitchy app and the stiff cable, especially in our cold winter temperatures. I was also very interested in the Emporia unit, and your review confirmed my interest in it. But unfortunately, just another unit with a very stiff cable. Its good to hear that the manufacturers are addressing these issues, but when will the upgrades be available!! I will continue to monitor your site for updates. Thanks for the thorough test results.
This is a fabulous review. Thank you. My Leviton 40amp charger died last week (the circuitry inside looked fried). I used this video to confidently order my new unit (ChargePoint Home Flex).
Because of your reviews, I was able to settle on the Emporia. I will send an email to Emporia as to how I came to the conclusion to buy their product. Thank you.
I noticed that you linked to all the chargers on Amazon except the EVIQO model. I'm not sure if you're aware, but it's listed on Amazon, so maybe you should update the link.
Great honest review Tom of the various chargers that are available for electric vehicles. One thing that I would ask that you lobby Tesla for is the availability of an 240V 80/100 amp charger. The reasons for this are that as battery sizes are becoming bigger and the super off peak mains electricity price periods are remaining the same, an 80/100 amp/hour charger would be a really useful upgrade from the current 48 amp.
Great video Tom, I apprecaite all the information. I just recently got a tesla and I am looking at the best home charger and leaning toward the Chargepoint. I also live in North NJ and wanted to see if you know of any rebates the state provides. I checked JCPL and it looks like all the funds were used. Thanks again for the great video.
Hi, Greatly appreciate your review and sharing. This is Andrea from Chargecore, we are honored to launch our AC003 Plus for your reference, if you have any interest please let me know. 😊
Question What EV charging brand allows me to set the amount of Percentage charge. Allow me to stop charging at 80% full. My plugin hybrid does not allow me to set any setting of a % charge Thank you RB
Tom you need to add plug temperature sensor, my Juice box died (contactor fused closed), so I opened up my Bosch EV charger 30 amp and it has a temperature sensor in the NEMA 6-50P plug, that would eliminate issues on socket overheating that has caused so many issues you have noticed!
Another great point on the Tesla Universal, its bidirectional. So as PowerShare becomes available beyond just the CyberTruck, if you have Tesla Solar/Powerwalls already, your good to go pretty much to feed your microgram from you car/truck. A no brainer if you have a Tesla system, and a Tesla.
Tom, will any of the chargers reviewed perform billing and manage multiple users as needed in condos, HOAs, & apartments? Juicebox Pro is the only one I know at a reasonable price, but its software is unfriendly for the operator.
Thank you so much for your amazing content. As a new EV owner planning a level 2 home charger, your channel has been a wealth of information. Question, have you had any luck charging a EcoFlow Delta Pro with the J1772 options that comes with the Tesla Universal Wall Charger? In your video about charging the Delta Pro, many chargers didn’t work doing this. Would love to have one that does since I have this setup. Thank you!
I love mine too but recently it has these two problems that tech support cannot solve: 1) it logs sessions as “anonymous” instead of me and 2) it does not account for all kWh replenished. For example on 2), I can charge an i4 from 50-80% and it might say I replenished 13 kWh. Uhhh nope.
You can find deep discounts on Charge Point Flex chargers I got two of the J1772 48amp models with plugs NIB for $300 each in two separate eBay sales. I thought that was a good price for them.
Tom, are there any chargers that can virtual power share? By that i mean reduce their current draw when on separate circuits to decrease the overall demand on the main panel?
More of a question. I am charging an F150 truck, with an 80 amp Ford Pro charger. Set for full power, but not getting that to the battery per the Ford Pass app. Does the truck reduce or regulate the power going in from a level two charger?
QQ. In the USA what percentage of people have the opportunity for home charging? I’m in the UK and having off street parking home charging our two EVs means I rarely need to use a public charger.
I'm looking to install a level 2 EV charger at my home but it has to be outside. Are there any outdoor covers that can lock, so only I can have access to the charger?
It would be nice if the charts differentiated between app-based and switch-based adjustment, because letting an app raise the amperage limit sounds pretty sketchy.
Other than Tesla, still have not found a 48 amp smart EVSE with powersharing and good cold weather performance. I hope the new Flo X6 will tick all the boxes at fair price before my Equinox EV arrives... I'd rather have the NEMA 4+ case of the Flo than the NEMA 3 of the Tesla
Hi Tom, did you ever tested the Emporia or ChargePoint charger's for power interruption as you did for Topdon PulseQ charger (posted last year)? Do they automatically resume charging after power interruption while charging?
Interesting most operating temperatures only go down to -30 Celcius (except the Autel which has a bad cold weather cable?)... Was thinking of getting an EV but our weather here in Northern Canada gets below -40... not sure there are any chargers that work outside below -40 well?
Question. For the chargers that are 50 amp capable, do you have to hook that up to a 70 amp? Is that really worth it for an extra 2 amps of delivered power from one of the 48 amp units?
Not worried about the cost but my ChargePoint gets to hot here in Arizona, and throttles my charge speed on my Rivian R1S to 10miles per hour…. Who should I switch to? I want fast!!! I have 50amp breaker with 4gauge wire… please give me 2 options!!!!???
Tom, based on a user suggestion, Elon promised to update the software of the Tesla home charger enabling the user to set a time when the car needed to be done charging. Like I put in for charging to be done by 8am, etc. Is there an independent charger working on something like this? Or does one already exist?
You don't mention it - Does the Grizzl-e offer power sharing? Just watched you long review, had to wait for the ChargerRater section where I found it does not power share. I think I'll go with the Grizzl-e for my home and wait to see if they add power sharing for a multi-user unit I will be installing at a B&B in 2025. There I want to install 4 units - 2 each on 50 amp circuits so 40 amps each if two vehicles are charging (assuming they are not on a set of shared chargers) and 20 amps each if four vehicles are charging (or two are using a set of shared chargers). Thanks for providing these reviews.
So I’m confused: is there ONE unit that can charge two EVs simultaneously? My current charger is on a 50A circuit…We just got a 2nd EV and so I want to be able to charge both of them without installing a whole new circuit.
Apparently, GM released their NACS connector this week for preorders, for $25. Any chance you’ll review that? I’m curious if it even works if the charger doesn’t recognize GM vehicles like the Bolt.
Thanks for the review... I am looking to horizontally install a EV Charger in the ceiling of my garage. I had my electrician rough in my 220 to the center of my double tandem during the build of my house. I was planning on using the EvoCharge cable management reel (but turns out it is limited to 24amps - cable size) so, I'll have to figure out some other way of managing the cable. Is there any reason why a EV Charger can't be horizontally installed? Are you aware of Chargers that are certified for horizontal installation?
There is a rumor going on at a Bolt EV facebook group that the Chevy Bolt EV will not be allow to charge at supercharger stations because they charge too slow once the adaptor becomes available. Do you know anything about this?