Electric-car charging stations rated: what's best, what's cheapest, what to avoid?

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GRA

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Via GCR: http://www.greencarreports.com/news...rated-whats-best-whats-cheapest-what-to-avoid

. . . So, what are some of the best charging stations on the market?

Research and tests by The Wire Cutter concludes that the Siemens Versicharge VC30GRYU is the best all-round choice for an at-home charging station. While it may not possess the most features, it's powerful enough to charge most electric cars, it's convenient, and it doesn't cost a fortune: just $500 when purchased from online retailer Amazon.

The runner-up charging station is the eMotorWerks JuiceBox Pro 40. It provides more power for longer-range electric vehicles like the Chevrolet Bolt EV and includes Wi-Fi connectivity. The JuiceBox Pro 40 may be a good investment as future electric cars become more powerful and house greater ranges in the future.

Finally, as a portable option, the AeroVironment TurboCord Dual is a top pick. The portable charging station can plug into any 240-volt, 15-amp tool outlet, but an adapter will also also allow to charge more slowly via a 120-volt outlet. . . .

All units tested are UL listed, 30A or more, and have a plug (hardwired versions are available, and usually cheaper). The test vehicle was a 2017 LEAF SL, and testing occurred over a 1 month period. They also tested the two fastest units on a Bolt, to see if there as any significant difference in charge speed (no).

Direct link to wirecutter article: http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-ev-charging-stations/
 
It's pretty common knowledge that Juicebox hasn't produced any UL or ETL certified units to date, so not sure why they're mentioned in the article. They've been claiming that the UL certification is "real close now" on their website and elsewhere for at least 2 or 3 years...Kinda make you wonder what the problem is...

Clipper Creek gets high marks from me. I own two of them and they look like they are built well (in the US, no less), are reasonably priced, and are UL Listed....You can't go wrong with their units...
 
I would have said Clipper Creek or Schneider, odd that neither of those made the list.

These may all go the way of the dodo if Tesla UMC becomes the defacto standard.
 
It is a shame the author didn't present the data on the full set of chargers evaluated in addition to the 5 physically tested. If the analysis was indeed thorough, a comparison list of each model with a column providing a score for each criteria evaluated similar to what Consumer Reports does would have been very useful data. But that would be considerably more work to compile and present, so I understand the omission.

Speaking of Consumer Reports, have they done a review of EVSEs? If not, we probably need to needle them on this oversight. As more people get into EVs, this is a significant purchase that soon follows. Having their methodology applied to EVSEs would give this growing group of consumers some very useful info.
 
Randy said:
It's pretty common knowledge that Juicebox hasn't produced any UL or ETL certified units to date, so not sure why they're mentioned in the article. They've been claiming that the UL certification is "real close now" on their website and elsewhere for at least 2 or 3 years...Kinda make you wonder what the problem is...

Clipper Creek gets high marks from me. I own two of them and they look like they are built well (in the US, no less), are reasonably priced, and are UL Listed....You can't go wrong with their units...
Speaking of which, it looks like they just launched a UL-listed version: https://emotorwerks.com/store/residential/juicebox-pro-40-smart-40-amp-evse-with-24-foot-cable
2uBjceA
emwmnl2
 
surfingslovak said:
Randy said:
It's pretty common knowledge that Juicebox hasn't produced any UL or ETL certified units to date, so not sure why they're mentioned in the article. They've been claiming that the UL certification is "real close now" on their website and elsewhere for at least 2 or 3 years...Kinda make you wonder what the problem is...

Clipper Creek gets high marks from me. I own two of them and they look like they are built well (in the US, no less), are reasonably priced, and are UL Listed....You can't go wrong with their units...
Speaking of which, it looks like they just launched a UL-listed version: https://emotorwerks.com/store/residential/juicebox-pro-40-smart-40-amp-evse-with-24-foot-cable
2uBjceA
emwmnl2
No thanks!
I'll keep my old Juicebox that has been working great for several years, it has a nicer longer input cable(so the EVSE doesn't have to hang by the input cable :roll: ) and is also missing the unused neutral pin on the plug, which allows me to plug into several different 14-xx series outlets, not just the 14-50 the pin requires.
I wonder how many nice "features" of the older Juicebox EVSEs had to be dropped to comply with UL standards.....
I mean people use non UL listed devices all over the world and they aren't dropping like flies, wonder why us Americans are the only ones who can't manage life without it......
Don't get me wrong, I'm fine with standards and safety features but the way some people carry on it seems like they'd like to restrict all sales of non UL listed devices which IMO is way off base. Built to quality specs is great, just because a device has a little UL sticker on it doesn't make it good, I've seen lots of UL listed devices fail and become unsafe, just as I've seen non UL listed devices be safe and work for years. It's the way something is made, not that it's got the little UL sticker on it.

Interesting quote from Wiki:
"In 2012, UL transformed from a non-profit company into a for-profit corporation." ............seems like a lot of power for a private for profit company.....
 
jjeff said:
No thanks!
I'll keep my old Juicebox that has been working great for several years, it has a nicer longer input cable
I know a lot of EVSEs keep it ridiculously short, to comply with NEC 625 (not UL). So yeah, that's been a pro of the JuiceBox. I was going to ask where you saw the length mentioned, but I see it's under "Specifications": "15 inch NEMA 14-50 input cable". Which actually is still longer than NEC 625 allows (only 12 inches), even though the Specifications section also claims it's "NEC 625 compliant". Hmm. Anyway, the dumbest part of NEC 625 IMHO, I wish more would defy it.
 
surfingslovak said:
Speaking of which, it looks like they just launched a UL-listed version:
Here's the most interesting change, to me: "LED indicator lights provide status on power, WiFi connectivity and charging." Not seen on a JuiceBox since the original battery-shaped model, AFAIK.
 
My Juicebox Premium basically has a 6' 14-50(missing the neutral pin) dryer cord. The downside is it's quite stiff and impossibly stiff in cold or sub freezing temps. Below zero and it's really awful, almost afraid to bend it as I feel it could easily shatter into bits of plastic. I'm guessing Juicebox has changed it's input cord since my older EVSE which is probably designed more for N.Cal Wx than the Northern Midwest.
My Juicebox has a nice blue fluorescent display that displays voltage, current rate and total Kwh, even a cool key sized multi button RF remote to adjust output amperage, they don't make em like that anymore ;) downside is it's quite bulky and heavy, built like a tank!
 
LTLFTcomposite said:
I would have said Clipper Creek or Schneider, odd that neither of those made the list.

These may all go the way of the dodo if Tesla UMC becomes the defacto standard.
From the original wirecutter article:
ClipperCreek charging stations have a reputation for being simple, cheap, and safe. The ClipperCreek HCS-40P is a 32-amp unit with a sound basic design that is very simple to use, but it doesn’t offer many extra features for its higher price compared with our top pick: Plug it in and it charges the car; unplug it and it stops. This EVSE has no Wi-Fi and no buttons on the front to control the charge, though it does have small indicator lights. We like the ClipperCreek’s long, narrow, and deep design that doesn’t take up too much room on the wall and gives you plenty of room to securely wrap the cord. The plug hanger is a flimsy plastic unit that we mostly didn’t use, though. eMotorWerks, which makes the Juicebox Pro 40, also sells a version of the ClipperCreek HCS-40 with Wi-Fi connectivity using the JuiceBox software. It’s more convenient to use than the JuiceBox Pro 40 but is rated at only 32 amps, so it doesn’t bring any more value overall. . . .

The Schneider Electric EVlink EV230WS costs more than our top pick, even without a wall plug or wireless capability.
 
wmcbrine said:
surfingslovak said:
Speaking of which, it looks like they just launched a UL-listed version:
Here's the most interesting change, to me: "LED indicator lights provide status on power, WiFi connectivity and charging." Not seen on a JuiceBox since the original battery-shaped model, AFAIK.
Indeed. From the wirecutter review:
The JuiceBox Pro 40 has Wi-Fi for controlling the unit using an app and seeing charging stats such as rate. Though it’s convenient to be able to control the charging station from your phone, we think being able to control charging from the unit itself when you’re standing in front of it, plugging in your car (as with the Siemens), is more convenient. The JuiceBox also uses its Internet connection to automatically check your area’s electric rates for the least expensive time of day to charge, and then charges at only the most cost-effective times.

The front of the JuiceBox has no indicator lights—if your car doesn’t have its own charging indicator, opening up the app is the only way to verify that it’s even charging. . . .

The 40-amp charge cord on the JuiceBox Pro 40 is very thick and heavy, which made it hard to coil or even collect in our arms as we dragged it to and from the car. The flimsy plastic cord hanger that comes with the JuiceBox also doesn’t help with cord management: The top is angled down, and once you make more than a couple of coils, the cord often falls off the hanger. Worse, the plastic hanger is wider than a wall stud, so unless you mount a large sheet of plywood to your garage wall, as we did, you’ll have to use a wall anchor for one of the two mounting screws, making the cord hanger even flimsier than if both screws were anchored to a stud. We can’t emphasize enough how heavy the 24-foot cord on the JuiceBox Pro 40 is. It’s a lot of weight to hang on a cheap plastic hanger that isn’t securely mounted to the wall. . . .
 
GRA said:
wmcbrine said:
surfingslovak said:
Speaking of which, it looks like they just launched a UL-listed version:
Here's the most interesting change, to me: "LED indicator lights provide status on power, WiFi connectivity and charging." Not seen on a JuiceBox since the original battery-shaped model, AFAIK.
Indeed. From the wirecutter review:
The JuiceBox Pro 40 has Wi-Fi for controlling the unit using an app and seeing charging stats such as rate. Though it’s convenient to be able to control the charging station from your phone, we think being able to control charging from the unit itself when you’re standing in front of it, plugging in your car (as with the Siemens), is more convenient. The JuiceBox also uses its Internet connection to automatically check your area’s electric rates for the least expensive time of day to charge, and then charges at only the most cost-effective times.

The front of the JuiceBox has no indicator lights—if your car doesn’t have its own charging indicator, opening up the app is the only way to verify that it’s even charging. . . .

The 40-amp charge cord on the JuiceBox Pro 40 is very thick and heavy, which made it hard to coil or even collect in our arms as we dragged it to and from the car. The flimsy plastic cord hanger that comes with the JuiceBox also doesn’t help with cord management: The top is angled down, and once you make more than a couple of coils, the cord often falls off the hanger. Worse, the plastic hanger is wider than a wall stud, so unless you mount a large sheet of plywood to your garage wall, as we did, you’ll have to use a wall anchor for one of the two mounting screws, making the cord hanger even flimsier than if both screws were anchored to a stud. We can’t emphasize enough how heavy the 24-foot cord on the JuiceBox Pro 40 is. It’s a lot of weight to hang on a cheap plastic hanger that isn’t securely mounted to the wall. . . .

The nice thing about Tony's cable at Quick Charge is that he copied Tesla's approach and used paired L cables. This makes for a 40A cable that is thinner than most 30A cables.
 
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