Recommendations for NEMA 30 Level 2 Charger

Yellerledbetty

Yellerledbetty

Member
Hey folks,

I’m on a 100A service at my home and am looking at installing a level 2 charger. I’m at about an estimated 55A use after accounting for all the standard household items. No big ticket items like hot tubs or HVAC, etc. I’m looking for a charger that I’ll be able to ‘throttle’ and keep below the 25A drawi can afford before crossing that 80% capacity threshold. I have to somehow account for building code (BC, Canada) as it’s an outdoor setup. I’m going to get an electrician to come and properly assess the capacity but was hoping to narrow the charging contenders beforehand so I can get an accurate take on what’s doable. Advice or links to past threads much-appreciated!!


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At home, I use a 32A 240V Level 2 EVSE, on a 40A circuit. However, at my cottage, I use a 16A 240V Level 2 EVSE on a 20A circuit, the largest I can have on the garage subpanel. The cottage charger delivers 3.6 kW, about 5% charge per hour. It was $200 on Amazon.ca and ships from Canada. No issues with it yet. https://www.amazon.ca/Charger-110V-...d=1556120225&s=gateway&sprefix=level+2&sr=8-3

The install was fairly cheap, depends on where your panel is and the plug location. This might be your simplest option.
 
We use the JuiceBox 40 which is 240vac at 32 amps. It can be throttled back to a minimum via software on my phone. You can also throttle the Kona back with the settings in the settings in the charging menu in the Kona. I would do both. Lastly You can set it to charge at certain times of day and not allow charging after certain hours. We charge ours from 10pm to 6am and any time Sundays. This is when our rate is lowest. Tom Moloughney has published pretty good reviews about specific chargers and rated them. He doesn't review the versatility of the phone apps that are provided with the chargers.
 
I also have the Juicebox 40 and it's been flawless since the day it was installed. I've been very happy with it.

GeorgeS said:
We use the JuiceBox 40 which is 240vac at 32 amps. It can be throttled back to a minimum via software on my phone. You can also throttle the Kona back with the settings in the settings in the charging menu in the Kona. I would do both. Lastly You can set it to charge at certain times of day and not allow charging after certain hours. We charge ours from 10pm to 6am and any time Sundays. This is when our rate is lowest. Tom Moloughney has published pretty good reviews about specific chargers and rated them. He doesn't review the versatility of the phone apps that are provided with the chargers.
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I was vascillating between the Juicebox and the ChargePoint - both appear to be excellent choices. What tipped me to ChargePoint was Tom Moloughney's video review of several (maybe 5) home charging stations and specifically the flexibility of the ChargePoint cable vs the somewhat stiffer one of the Juicebox. Really a minor difference, you won't go wrong with either. (Also the ChargePoint shipped a day earlier which was better for my electrician)...
 
Check with your local utility to see if there are any incentives that may apply to you. It's possible they recommend or require one of a few select makes/models of EVSE which may narrow down your options.

I use a Chargepoint Home Flex (same as MSimpsonNJ) though I had mine hard-wired since it lives outdoors. Survived the winter's snow and ice just fine. I can log into the website and view usage history, and that same account links to a wide network of public chargers including Chargepoint, Blink, and EVGo. Figure it was worth mentioning since it's a single company to deal with for both at home and public charging access.

Ultimately your car will *probably* draw a hair over 7.5kW peak, or 32A at 240V - so the current capacity of the EVSE isn't necessarily the limiting factor, though it's good to limit at the EVSE in case you get a car capable of faster charging in the future.
 
I'd just go with a 16A charger, or even a 24A if you can find one. Yes, more powerful chargers will let you reduce the amperage. But why pay for a 32A, 40A or higher charger if you're not going to use it?

There are plenty of cheap Chinese-made chargers on Amazon that max out at 16A or 24A, but those aren't UL certified and aren't meant to be used outdoors. I'd go with one of the ClipperCreek models, like this: https://www.amazon.com/ClipperCreek-LCS-30-Charging-Station-Certified/dp/B01KYO54K2

And then a general note for outdoor use: your best bet is to hardwire the charger, and I believe some codes require that. If not, you could probably get away with a properly covered receptacle.
 
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