Level II EVSEs at Costco

My Nissan Leaf Forum

Help Support My Nissan Leaf Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Joined
Mar 23, 2019
Messages
17
Location
Eugene, Oregon, USA
Now that we've got our Leaf, my wife and I are looking into Leve II EVSEs.

Upshot: We've got a sub-panel in our garage with capacity, and it's on the same wall where we'd want to put the charging station. I'm looking at having it hard-wired to the exterior wall, up near the front, so it's easy access. (We keep our cars in the driveway, and are actually about to convert the garage into 2 home offices.)

Not in a rush to do this, btw. Just see what's best for us. We're also still getting a feel for how often we'll be charging and all that. But odds are this is just our first EV :) A 20–25 ft cable is likely what we'll need.

I've looked through some of the recommendations for Level II EVSEs on here, and wanted your take on the 2 available at Costco right now:

JuiceBox Pro 40 Amp Electric Vehicle Charging Station EVSE with JuiceNet, 24-ft cable https://www.costco.com/.product.100397573.html

$549.99

VersiCharge LVL 2 Universal Electric Vehicle Charger https://www.costco.com/VersiCharge-LVL-2-Universal-Electric-Vehicle-Charger.product.100295506.html

20' cord

$459.99, with a $60 discount right now through May 28, so it's only $399.99.

I understand the VersiCharge is available in Plug-In or Hard Wired, but I'm not clear if there's a hardwire option listed on the JuiceBox.
 
Depends on your needs and budget, but I love the Zencar 32A (programmable amperage draw) EVSE that I purchased direct from Zencar for $300. You can also order one from Amazon (price is a little higher though):

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=zencar+32A&ref=nb_sb_noss_2

Another similar one:

https://tinyurl.com/y8lkcxuw

The advantages of the Zencar 32A EVSE, for my needs:

  • Has multiple amperage set points, so I can use it with pretty much any 120V/240V supply, including TT30R (120V@24A), NEMA 14-30R (240V@24A), NEMA 14-50R (240V@32A), regular NEMA 5-15R (120V@12A), to name a few. It's quick and easy to change the amperage draw (12/20/24/30A) to match the supply available
  • Has overvoltage, overheat, UL94V-0 rating flame resistance and overcurrent protection and it's also IP55 waterproof rated
  • Unlike cheaper portable units, it's capable of full rate charging on a LEAF and the components are all UL rated
  • Is portable, which is great for camping trips as I can charge full rate at RV parks (see above bullet point)
  • Has eyelets on the back of the unit, so I can mount it semi-permanently inside our garage. We keep the J1772 handle outdoors, mounted to our garage wall (under cover), using one of these:
    Holster-1.jpg

I use it at home every night to charge our LEAF and use it occasionally as a portable EVSE when doing road trips or going camping. No issues at all, had it for over 2 years now.
 
China seems to have no enforcement of rules. Many Chinese EVSE's claim to be J1772 but they lack the GFCI circuit. Just beware of what you purchase. Units with no GFCI protection work fine normally but they lack a defined protection.

Very early OpenEVSE boards lacked GFCI but they worked fine. GFCI has been present for years. Currently the entire GFCI circuit is tested at power up.
 
Since it will be a new, short cable run and you expect more EVs, a 50A circuit and 40A EVSE might be in order. Clipper Creek makes good, US-made ones with 3 year warranties. They do lack bells & whistles. The prices are higher than Chinese but lower than higher-end EVSEs. Figure about $650 for a 40A.
 
While I really like my Zencar and like Alozzy got a great deal by ordering directly from China, Juicebox does make an excellent EVSE and for those that care it's UL listed with all the GFCI circuits. While I could have ordered my Zencar with GFCI they suggested not doing it to avoid false trips using in in portable situations, I agreed and haven't ever had a problem.
While the Zencar lets you adjust the maximum current, it only had a few settings. Mine has 3 while I believe Alozzy ordered 4? settings on his, Juicebox lets you adjust the current in 1a increments which is kind of nice. Whats not so nice(IMO) is with the Juicebox you need to use your cellphone and a App to adjust the current, no WiFi, no adjustment :( To adjust the Zencar I simply need to shake the EVSE within the first 30 seconds and before it starts charging to change current setting, KISS.
I believe all Juicebox's plug in, personally the way I'd want to go but if you must have yours hardwired you'll probably have to look elsewhere than JB or Zencar.
The VersiCharge is OK, I don't believe it has anyway to limit charging current but in your case that might be OK, cord lenght is OK, not as short as some but shorter than the JB or how you can get the Zencar configured.
If you go with a plug-in style, the RV plug 14-50 is most common and can handle up to 50amps.
 
jjeff said:
The VersiCharge is OK, I don't believe it has anyway to limit charging current

Pages 18 and 19 of the owners manual reference the ability to change the maximum charging current to 5 different settings, from 1.44 kW to 7.2 kW: https://w3.usa.siemens.com/powerdistribution/us/SiteCollectionDocuments/VersiCharge%20SG%20Installation%20and%20Operations%20Manual.pdf
 
So, I am also in the market for a new Level II charger. We just sold the 2011 Leaf and will be purchasing a 2019 in a couple of months. I want to replace our Blink charger that has had issues for several years now. My question is, the JuiceBox is a 40 amp/10kW charger. Since the new Leaf's have a 6.6kW charger on board, how can 10kW be advantageous? By the way, the JuiceBox just went on sale at Costco, $50 off, now $500.

Thank you!
 
countryleaf said:
... the JuiceBox is a 40 amp/10kW charger. Since the new Leaf's have a 6.6kW charger on board, how can 10kW be advantageous?
It can't. The only advantage might be future-proofing.

But neither is it disadvantageous. It's not like they sell a cheaper, lower-rated JuiceBox.* :) The car will draw 6.6kW, and that's fine. Maybe if your friend comes over in his Chevy Bolt, he can charge at 7.2kW. And your other friend can charge her Tesla Model 3 at 10kW. (This is assuming that you've sized the circuit for a full continuous 10kW.) But, if it never goes above 6.6kW, it won't complain.

* (They do, but not at Costco. The 40A unit at Costco is the same price as the 32A unit at juicebox.com.)
 
RonDawg said:
jjeff said:
The VersiCharge is OK, I don't believe it has anyway to limit charging current

Pages 18 and 19 of the owners manual reference the ability to change the maximum charging current to 5 different settings, from 1.44 kW to 7.2 kW: https://w3.usa.siemens.com/powerdistribution/us/SiteCollectionDocuments/VersiCharge%20SG%20Installation%20and%20Operations%20Manual.pdf
Nice know, thanks, I'll try and remember that. IMO it makes an EVSE much more flexible if it allows the user to derate the maximum charging rate, my old white GE has jumpers to do this but other EVSEs I've seen don't.
 
wmcbrine said:
countryleaf said:
... the JuiceBox is a 40 amp/10kW charger. Since the new Leaf's have a 6.6kW charger on board, how can 10kW be advantageous?
It can't. The only advantage might be future-proofing.

But neither is it disadvantageous. It's not like they sell a cheaper, lower-rated JuiceBox.* :) The car will draw 6.6kW, and that's fine. Maybe if your friend comes over in his Chevy Bolt, he can charge at 7.2kW. And your other friend can charge her Tesla Model 3 at 10kW. (This is assuming that you've sized the circuit for a full continuous 10kW.) But, if it never goes above 6.6kW, it won't complain.

* (They do, but not at Costco. The 40A unit at Costco is the same price as the 32A unit at juicebox.com.)
And it has components rated for 10 kW. That might translate to a longer life.
 
Back
Top