EVSE Recommendations

The Juicebox 40 can charge up to 40A, and any qualified electrician will insist on installing a 50A breaker to support it. So also consider how big a electric box and the amperage service you have. For example, do you only have a 100A box or do you have 200A or More?

I got two quotes from electricians, one said I had to upgrade my panel because their wasn’t enough room, and the other didn’t. The first quote was nearly double the second . I went with the second bid.

I went with plug in versions so if I move, I can take them with me. I also went ahead and had them install two 50A plugs and circuits because it is cheaper then having them come out a second time. And now my garage can support two EVs at the same time.

However, a coworker who is a safety engineer in our electronics group does not recommend the Juicebox. He plugged his in and there was a big spark in the box. He got permission to open the box from the company and showed pictures. One of the main power wires was too long and had been clamped in the casing. That they didn’t somehow catch this in testing is beyond me. They sent him a new one, which was missing any of the safety labels and UL stickers. Again, Taking it apart, he noted several mfg defects and safety concerns.

That said, I had already purchased mine and haven’t had any issues. But I wish I had gotten the ChargePoint.

 

By the way, the Juicebox apparently has some way to couple two JuiceBox chargers so that they don’t pull more than a set amperage when both working. So in theory, you could install two on the same 50A circuit and if one is plugged in pulling all available amps, and then a second one is plugged in to a second EV, it is supposed to drop how much each one is using to level them out.

But, seemed a bit sketchy to me, and not sure if that really meets electric code or not.

 

My guess is the current is the more important number, that is what generates the heat, and the Clarity seems to draw no more than 30 amps.

At 220 Volts (typical loaded rating of a 240 V circuit) this would be 6.6 kw. However, my voltage is closer to 244 V even with the Clarity charging, so the 29.5 amps the clarity draws is 7.2 kw.

Load ratings are generally different than supply ratings. The 6.6 kw is the worst you would get on a 240V circuit if your voltage sagged to 220 when it charged (maybe from a long wire run).

 

I have had a Siemens charger for my Leaf for years with no problems.
https://www.amazon.com/Siemens-VersiCharge-Hard-Wired-VC30GRYHW-Compatibility/dp/B00MFVI8UG/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1515299216&sr=1-1&keywords=Siemens+VersiCharge+Hard-Wired

 

Does it have to be hard wired? I have the universal one with the 240v plug which is outdoor rated. I think it is about $50 more. Mine is indoors so I unfortunately can't comment on how well it holds up outdoors.

 

I had to call Honda to get the app setup correctly. I think with Clarity being so new to their lineup that it causes issues with the app. There is a special team that deals with the app and they are very nice and helpful and will get you hooked up quickly, but you do have to call them first. I would think they would be past this by now but I don't know how it all works on their end so maybe owners will always have to call first.

 

I think the number popped up on the app itself.

 

The resolution for me was to go online to Honda’s owners portal and set up your account from a browser and not the app. Make sure the name and security questions are filled out. Then go back to the car and restart. Then you can restart the process. Good luck


Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs

 

I didn't know their EV app worked with the Clarity. Isn't the HondaLink app the only one compatible?

 

Clipper Creek if you want a high quality, commercial grade device.

OpenEVSE if you are a DIY type and are interested in what the heck that box on the wall does anyway.

I personally have a Gen2 DIY OpenEVSE that I built from scratch using one of Chris’ boards and lots of parts and bits. It’s been working great for over 3 years now and has been upgraded with WIFI. Again, this path is only for the Heathkit/Extreme DIY crowd because of fire/shock/death/etc hazards. Having said that, the parts they sell are really good quality compared to some of the cheap stuff you see in the knockoff EVSEs. Caveat emptor.

 

I got the Siemens Level 2 Charger. One of the cheaper options without many bells and whistles, but exactly what I was looking for. Less stuff to break and no worries of a company going belly-up and leaving my charger dysfunctional without the cloud. Seems to work well and I like having a good 'name' behind it. I've been using it since just before the new year.

Only cons:
1) Slightly bulky compared to most
2) Once it had an error when it was sitting there disconnected. Power cycling took care of it and it has never come back.

Sidenote - the 'plug-in' version of the Siemens charger is actually the waterproof one, not the hardwire.

I got mine online at the big box orange hardware store (it was on sale cheaper than anywhere else. Approx $450 for the plug-in version.)

 

Thanks. I just ordered this. It was $489 ($529 w/tax). Not as good a deal as you got, but it seems to be the best deal among 32A Level 2 chargers.

 

Hi Alan,

You're the only other person I know who's talked about owning an OpenEVSE. I built mine (from their kit, not from scratch) a few weeks ago and spent some time working with Chris on troubleshooting an extreme temperature issue. Ended up replacing the LCD board which has the temperature sensor. However, I'm still getting what I think are higher than normal temperatures. Here's a graph of the temperature readings (in Celsius) for this past week:

The rounded humps show the EVSE warming up and cooling down over the course of the day, while the flatter plateaus show overnight charge sessions. A couple sharp peaks for quick daytime charge sessions at high current. The temps just seem a lot higher than expected, esp. since the ambient temperature in the garage that the EVSE is located in has been peaking at less than 70 F (20 degrees C) and dropping to about 10 C at night.

Curious if the one you built has the temperature sensor and if you've set up data logging on your OpenEVSE?

 

Indoors or Outdoors? I had assumed we would put ours in the garage because it would be more protected (an easier to wire). Our cars are almost always parked outside the garage though. I didn't see this as a problem as long as the cable was long enough to reach outside. I am assuming the garage door with its thick rubber gasket could safely close on the cable. However, our neighbors have theirs in the garage in the same situation and now find it annoying to always need to open the garage door to charge. Do folks have any thoughts/advice on this?

 

Just a word of warning: I have had the Siemens since 2013 with zero issues and a month ago the plastic back, which is used to secure it to the wall, snapped and it fell to the ground. I thought the wires had pulled out and it was broken so I ordered a new one but I put it back together and it still works like before. I just had to come up with a way to put it back on the wall, which I did with a bike rack and a bungee cord. The new one was sent back without even opening the box.