Hey NU2EV. There are expensive alternatives like ChargePoint and there are cheap alternatives. Since I'm cheap I went with a reasonably cheap alternative: If your breaker box is in your garage it will be kind of piece of cake. You first need an electrician to install a 240V line (I was lucky enough to have a friend). The installation is not a big deal, you just meed the appropriate double breaker minimum 20A, a NEMA 6-20 outlet and a few feet of #12 cable (all found at your local Home Depot) and buy a level 2 16A charger like mine by slightly less than $200 (see https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075GJK2S9/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1). There are others with higher amperage (ex 32 A) that could charge your car faster but I've heard they somehow can adversely affect the battery. My 16A would fully charge my car from 0 to 100% in 4 hours. I have had it by 5 months with no hiccups. Hope this is helpful.
You heard wrong. Anything less than 1C is considered harmless, and the Clarity will pull 30A which is <.4 C on the PHEV version. The BMS will also transition from constant current to constant voltage as the SOC increases (resulting in a tapered charge rate) which further protects the battery.
For L2, from cheapest to expensive: 1. Find out if you have 240V running around in the garage - as others have said, you can repurpose a 240V dryer or welding outlet. 2. Look for 2 different polarity/phases of 120V running in the garage, an electrician can test the outlets and if so, you can join the 2 different phased lines into a single 240V. 3. If not, you will have to find an electrician to run 240V from the breaker.
