Recommend EV Level 2 Charger for home (US)

My car is charged mostly in my driveway, plugged into an outdoor outlet. I don’t know if I would trust the included cord for long term outdoor use. I’d at least want to do my homework first.

In the end, it is moot since my ‘21 only came with a Level 1 cord (limited to 10A at 120V)


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We wanted a hardwired EVSE to future-proof our home for EV’s. We installed a ChargePoint Home Flex on a 60 amp breaker so we can charge at up to 48 amps if future cars are capable. We are also on the waitlist for a Kia EV6 which will probably be a few years from what we hear.

Also, I’ve not seen anyone in Canada actually confirm with photos of the level 2 EVSE being included so I was taking an “I’ll believe it when I see it approach”. We will likely use it for traveling if we do get it.

 

The included level 2 charger is very robust and has port covers so no dirt should really get into it. I have 0 worries about it as an outdoor options and it was included, saving me $600.
Only downside is maybe less charging control via the mini app.

 

2023 owner here, the one that came with it works great but like others I want something a little more built-in. No garage, so I want to put a hard wired one on the side of the house facing the driveway to make it as easy as possible, instead of dragging a heavy cable out of the basement hatch every couple of days to charge 'er up.

I'm in MA, and my electric company has a program (currently closed, but should open up again in Q3) to allow you to do managed off-peak charging and get some incentives, but it does require specific compatible wifi chargers:
ChargePoint Home Flex
Juicebox
SolarEdge

Leaning Juicebox, but we're also looking at solar panels which might come from a SolarEdge installer anyway and then we could bundle the projects together... but I'm committed to dragging that cable until the incentive program opens up again either way.
I might grab a DryerBuddy clone in the interim for about $250 to avoid having to swap the damned NEMA 10-30 every time.

 

Electrician just came by to do the final hookup for a NEMA 14-50 in my garage. I did the rough-in of the 6/3 cable, a run of about 11 feet plus a foot at the outlet and four extra at the panel, so he was in and out in 25 minutes. He said local code doesn’t yet require a GFCI breaker for a plug-in EVSE, but he thought I was wise for wanting to meet the current NEC — it made no difference for him. He measured for leakage and thinks it’s highly unlikely the EVSE’s GFI would cause the breaker’s to trip. I asked for an invoice so I might try to get the government EVSE incentive if I purchase one; it would cover about 80% of a Grizzl-E classic or 75% of the smart, and I could keep the Flex at a different location.

 

How long is the cord that comes with the SE? (2023MY)

 

I think I saw it measured out at 20'.

 

I haven't measured mine exactly but it goes a good 20' from the wall. I thought I needed a 25' cable but am very happy with the included cable.

 

Do y'all just keep it plugged into the socket and hang it up when not in use? I've read it's not a good idea to keep plugging and unplugging as it can damage the connectors.

 

Correct. I kept my Tesla charger plugged in for the entire 2.5 years we had it. The L2 charger that came with our ‘23 SE is now plugged in, and will remain so.

 

My Grizzl-E Avalanche is 24 ft long.

 

Should it matter which brand your outlet is if it stays plugged in permanently? (cue the "why didn't you just hardwire it?" posts I wanted flexibility just in case...)

 

Ultimately I do not think it matters, but I think $40 more for a bit of peace of mind isn’t that dear.

 

True, I actually don't know what brand mine is, so I need to check. And since the breaker and wiring need to be replaced anyway (which reminds me, I need to get in touch with the electricians that under-specced it and jump on them for that and try to get them to fix it for free since they're the ones that screwed up (if I tell them I have a 32A charger, they should've known to give me a 40A circuit and breaker)).

 

The electrician should also know that they can’t install an outlet that is rated higher than the circuit itself. You can’t put a 20 amp outlet in the kitchen on a circuit running 14 gauge wire to a 15 amp breaker; same thing here.

 

Yeah, we've been over this, I'll hopefully talk to them tomorrow. Is it really *that* dangerous to have a 50A outlet on 8 gauge wire with a 40A breaker if your charger and SE will never go over 32A? But yeah, I guess I could do it all 50A since it's all going to be replaced anyway, by them or someone else.

 

Sorry, I’ve got brain fog!

 

*except one may install a 14-50 (50 Amp) outlet on a 40 Amp breaker, since no 40 Amp outlet exists. Properly labeling the 14-50 outlet as being safe at =< 40A is essential, so that future owners don't try to plug in a 50A device and melt the house.

 

Personally? No, I wouldn't have much issue with a residential grade (ie - Leviton) 14-50 outlet and an EVSE so long as you weren't constantly pluggin/unplugging.

Like other posted mentioned though - if you're paying an electrician to install, might as well get a better grade outlet just in case. If it's already installed? Just leave the EVSE plugged in and keep rollin'!

 

Part finally arrived, got the MINI in to the dealer and the book time for replacing a KLE is 4.5 hours, but they said it would probably take them closer to 6-7 because nobody has ever done one there before. Got it back after a couple of days and level 2 charging is working - Lefanev 32A charger continuously delivered 31.2A to it for a couple of hours. Electrician is coming out tomorrow to replace the 10 gauge wiring and 35A breaker with 8 gauge and a 40A breaker. NEMA 14-50 outlet is a Pass & Seymour, finally looked at it.

So if you're in the US, the odds of having a bad KLE are apparently at least 1 in 3000 (the number of SEs that are in the US, read that somewhere recently). :-(