What level 2 charger is everyone purchasing for home use?

[pdxzzr]

I have a ChargePoint Home Flex.
Check with your utility to see if they offer discounts/rebates on certain chargers.

Check to see if your State, local government, or other adjacent organization offers incentives, too.

I have a Siemens US2 VersiCharge unit that I bought off Amazon four years ago for a Nissan Leaf we had back then, and got a rebate for 50% of the unit and installation charges from a clean energy consortium in Oregon that was offering it at the time.

If you're interested in the unit itself, I'm not sure it's really available anymore. It has some limited charging time options, would probably be considered a "dumb" charger, and only charges at a rate up to 30 amps from a 40 amp breaker, so it isn't really any better than the mobile charger that comes with the car. I figure it's good enough for charging overnight.

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[Jmcconn27]

This video explains everything in a very easy to understand way and should help you decide what you might want for home charging. A 14-50 240v 50 amp outlet with the charger that comes with the car will work for many people.

This video was so helpful! Thank you so much.

 

[JSW]

Still using my old ClipperCreek (which I used with my Bolt). It’s built like a tank.

 

[exact33]

While not as fast as hardwired, the plug gives me flexibility in the moment. That's the tradeoff I made

 

[HuntingPudel]

I bought a black Siemens back in '14 when I got my Fusion. It died a few years ago and I bought a white Siemens Versicharge. The white ones are much more robust. Yes, it's only 32A, but it's been working great for nearly 4 years now.

 

[@kWhpony]

Just to be clear, FordPass can do some of the things a smart charger can do, but not everything. Showing the charging speed (power draw) is one example.

Agree with your comment about how feature-rich FordPass is or isn't compared to smart EVSEs. But when my MME is sitting in my garage charging overnight, I'm not gonna be waking up to check the charging speed. If/when I'm at a DCFC while on a road trip, knowing the charging speed is vital.

 

[Maquis]

Oh man I didn't know the ford ones were recalled! I just ordered my mach e a week ago so I have time on the charger lol. Trying to learn about all of this is so overwhelming.

Point of clarification: The Ford Connected Charge Stations have not been recalled. They issued a "stop sell" order so you can't buy them any more. Apparently, they will randomly stop working - permanently.
Mine is working flawlessly, but I have kept the original packaging and await the day it fails!

 

[dtbaker61]

Agree with your comment about how feature-rich FordPass is or isn't compared to smart EVSEs. But when my MME is sitting in my garage charging overnight, I'm not gonna be waking up to check the charging speed. If/when I'm at a DCFC while on a road trip, knowing the charging speed is vital.

you can get an ODB2 adaptor (around $25) and a phone app (free) to display current in/out as long as MME is 'on'. I wish kW in/out could be displayed on instrument panel and FordPass dashboard..... but it isn't

https://www.macheforum.com/site/thr...rent-datastream-to-calculate-power-in-kw.5806

 

[bcraven01]

I have a ChargePoint Home Flex.
Check with your utility to see if they offer discounts/rebates on certain chargers.

I also purchased a ChargePoint Home Flex

 

[dtbaker61]

I also purchased a ChargePoint Home Flex

why did you purchase a second charger? why not use the included portable?

 

[CivilJeep]

why did you purchase a second charger? why not use the included portable?

For me, there were several reason. First, I like to have the mobile charger in the car, just in case. I don't ever expect to use it, but I feel better knowing it's there if needed. Second, my service panel has room for a 50 amp circuit, which allows me to charge at 40 amps. This isn't a huge improvement over the Ford Mobile charger, but I figured I'd take advantage of it. Lastly, it turns out my electric company will rebate $500 up front, and $500 in electricity charges over the next 3 years by installing a Level 2, which means I will make a small profit from having the charger once tax credits are factored in.

 

[bcraven01]

why did you purchase a second charger? why not use the included portable?

Want to leave the included charger in the car and not have to pull it out to charge. Only reason really.

 

[dtbaker61]

Want to leave the included charger in the car and not have to pull it out to charge. Only reason really.

...just asking because I do 99% of my charging at home, and just leave the charger plugged in at my garage. If and when I ever go on a 200+ mile trip, I'll pack up the charger, with both 120v and 240v plugs, and take'em with me on a trip.

I don't see any reason to spend an extra $500+ on a second charger.

 

[eStang]

...just asking because I do 99% of my charging at home, and just leave the charger plugged in at my garage. If and when I ever go on a 200+ mile trip, I'll pack up the charger, with both 120v and 240v plugs, and take'em with me on a trip.

I don't see any reason to spend an extra $500+ on a second charger.

You can definitely be content living with the included charger on 120v. I did this for a month while at my second home. running errands in the neighborhood during the week and some 200ish mile road trips on the weekend and I never had to hit a public charging station.

 

[dtbaker61]

You can definitely be content living with the included charger on 120v. I did this for a month while at my second home. running errands in the neighborhood during the week and some 200ish mile road trips on the weekend and I never had to hit a public charging station.

for people who have longer daily commutes, like over 40 miles, you probably do want a level 2 (240v/40amp) outlet at home UNLESS you can convince your workplace/school or wherever your car is parked during the day to install Solar carports in their parking lots and give away 'slow charging', or set up reasonable reserved space parking for EVs.

There are ways to add pay stations, but they are pretty expensive compared to just giving away the electricity as a 'perk' with available lvl 1 outlet since you can only extract about a dollar's work of electricity in an 8 hour workday.

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