Which home charger?

[DudleyNigel]

Hey everyone,

So I'm the market for a home charger and wanted to see what people around here are getting. I'm looking at the Grizzl-E, Chargepoint, or Juicebox. I seem to go back and forth between a smart charger and a "dumb" charger. Any thoughts?

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[RickMachE]

Hey everyone,

So I'm the market for a home charger and wanted to see what people around here are getting. I'm looking at the Grizzl-E, Chargepoint, or Juicebox. I seem to go back and forth between a smart charger and a "dumb" charger. Any thoughts?

Many threads on this. Have you checked to see if your utility offers discounted chargers or provides rebates on specific brands/models?

 

[DudleyNigel]

Many threads on this. Have you checked to see if your utility offers discounted chargers or provides rebates on specific brands/models?

I assumed there is a lot. They do not offer anything unfortunately.

 

[generaltso]

ChargePoint Home Flex.

 

[DR.J56]

I assumed there is a lot. They do not offer anything unfortunately.

Exactly what kind of information are you looking for if other threads did not provide enough info? This thread will pretty much end up with what is the most popular EVSE. I think there is even a poll somewhere. ChargePoint here.

 

[camdenlake]

Yes Charge Point Home Flex it has been a great unit and with the correct wiring and breaker can give you the fastest home charging the car can do.

 

[heisnuts]

Have you asked yourself first what you are looking for from a charger? Unless you are getting a rebate that greatly reduces the cost of the charger, I don’t see why anyone Would need to buy another charger for the home. You will want a nema 14-50 240V outlet installed where you plan on parking the MME, but other than that I don’t see the $700 advantage of having an additional charger. Yes, some of the “smart” chargers offer a few more features than the Ford standard charger, but I don’t know if these features really justify the $700 cost.

My plan is to have a nema 14-50 240V outlet installed in the garage and try using that first. Then if that doesn’t seem to be working I will look into what charger will help fix what I am missing from the standard charger.

 

[RickMachE]

I assumed there is a lot. They do not offer anything unfortunately.

Good you checked. So many don't, and leave money on the table.

There are many chargers on the market. The first thing you need to decide is IF you need one. Since you get no rebate, and the 30% installation and charger purchase tax credit has expired, price may be a deciding factor for you.

Many just use the Ford included charger. Specs for its wiring on on page 2 of the attached document. I'd recommend not buying the Ford Connected Charge Station as it costs more, and has poor support, as shown in several threads here.

If you're going to buy one, then the question is whether you want a plug-in model, which limits you to a max of 40amps, or a wired model, which allows you to go to 48amps. Won't be any significant difference in wiring costs, nor purchase costs, to go to 48amps. With a charger like the JuiceBox 48, you can lower the amps if you want to charge slower. I have mine set on 32amps, and can up it in less than 30 seconds.

A charger with intelligence allows you to set hours of charging, monitor sessions, look at total power usage, etc. I've charged for 17 1/2 hours so far in January, using 123.614kWh of power. Since I pay 12.5 cents per kWh, I know I've spent $15.45 charging my car.

ChargePoint HomeFlex and JuiceBox chargers may give you capabilities that you want. For example, if I get a 2nd EV, and buy another JuiceBox 48, they can use the same circuit and share power. Both can charge at once, or if one is done charging the other one will kick into full power charging mode. Another feature is setting the hours you want to charge in the charger, so that the car can't charge outside those hours even if it wanted to. You may find that you can charge in off-peak hours and get a new rate plan that provides a sizeable discount.

Also, make sure your charger is UL listed & Energy Star certified.

This Fall, my utility company had a program with Ford where they paid $100 to let them and Ford control your charging hours. Basically, if they had surplus power, they forced a charging session, even if you were in your peak rate hours. If they were tight on power, they forced a no charge session. Because my JuiceBox 48 had locked in hours, they couldn't do the forced charging on my vehicles at all, so I didn't get nailed on that. And, I got $100 for the Mach-E, and $100 for the Fusion Energi (which we sold).

Hope that helps.

 

[Rudy Bega]

Many threads on this. Have you checked to see if your utility offers discounted chargers or provides rebates on specific brands/models?

Michigan gives a $500 rebate for ChargePoint and Juicebox, basically paying for it ??

 

[ChasingCoral]

to quote a post from @connoisseurr the last time this exact question was asked:

At a minimum you're going to want something on 240V. This will allow you to use the included Mobile Charger, the Ford Connected Charger, or what most will recommend is an aftermarket wall charger. Many have the ChargePoint Home Flex.

Also, I see you're new here. I'd recommend you search for all threads with "charger" in the title and do you own reading. You'll gather plenty of information.

I've included that search link for you just below.

https://www.macheforum.com/site/search/693601/?q=charger&c[title_only]=1&o=date

 

[RickMachE]

Michigan gives a $500 rebate for ChargePoint and Juicebox, basically paying for it ??

Actually, Michigan doesn't give it, DTE gives it. And only if you buy the specific models they list. Consumers Energy only gives rebates on specific ChargePoint models, nothing on JuiceBox.

 

[ChasingCoral]

To follow on, one of the most comprehensive discussions is here:
https://www.macheforum.com/site/threads/what-charger-do-you-recommend-why.9885/

You might be interested in these polls as well:
https://www.macheforum.com/site/threads/home-charging-poll-the-brands.6029/
https://www.macheforum.com/site/threads/home-charging-poll-how-much-power.6031/

 

[jlauro]

Have you asked yourself first what you are looking for from a charger? Unless you are getting a rebate that greatly reduces the cost of the charger, I don’t see why anyone Would need to buy another charger for the home. You will want a nema 14-50 240V outlet installed where you plan on parking the MME, but other than that I don’t see the $700 advantage of having an additional charger. Yes, some of the “smart” chargers offer a few more features than the Ford standard charger, but I don’t know if these features really justify the $700 cost.

My plan is to have a nema 14-50 240V outlet installed in the garage and try using that first. Then if that doesn’t seem to be working I will look into what charger will help fix what I am missing from the standard charger.

I bought a charger for my home so the one that came with the car can be kept in the car as a travel charger. I do not need it to fail and leave me stranded. It's worth having a faster charger and keeping the one from Ford as a spare. It's also hard wired, so no nema outlet, but can see the appeal of an outlet to some. I don't see why anyone would not buy a dedicated charger for the home and have a dedicated travel one, except maybe if they never go over 100 miles round trip and have lots of near by public chargers. Not many public chargers in my area, and I travel over 100 miles frequently.

Definitely worth checking with your utility company. In order to sign up to get better time of day pricing, I had to get an approved charger that they could monitor. So, it's not just the rebate, but ongoing cost savings for TOD electricity rates.

 

[Rudy Bega]

Good you checked. So many don't, and leave money on the table.

There are many chargers on the market. The first thing you need to decide is IF you need one. Since you get no rebate, and the 30% installation and charger purchase tax credit has expired, price may be a deciding factor for you.

Many just use the Ford included charger. Specs for its wiring on on page 2 of the attached document. I'd recommend not buying the Ford Connected Charge Station as it costs more, and has poor support, as shown in several threads here.

If you're going to buy one, then the question is whether you want a plug-in model, which limits you to a max of 40amps, or a wired model, which allows you to go to 48amps. Won't be any significant difference in wiring costs, nor purchase costs, to go to 48amps. With a charger like the JuiceBox 48, you can lower the amps if you want to charge slower. I have mine set on 32amps, and can up it in less than 30 seconds.

A charger with intelligence allows you to set hours of charging, monitor sessions, look at total power usage, etc. I've charged for 17 1/2 hours so far in January, using 123.614kWh of power. Since I pay 12.5 cents per kWh, I know I've spent $15.45 charging my car.

ChargePoint HomeFlex and JuiceBox chargers may give you capabilities that you want. For example, if I get a 2nd EV, and buy another JuiceBox 48, they can use the same circuit and share power. Both can charge at once, or if one is done charging the other one will kick into full power charging mode. Another feature is setting the hours you want to charge in the charger, so that the car can't charge outside those hours even if it wanted to. You may find that you can charge in off-peak hours and get a new rate plan that provides a sizeable discount.

Also, make sure your charger is UL listed & Energy Star certified.

This Fall, my utility company had a program with Ford where they paid $100 to let them and Ford control your charging hours. Basically, if they had surplus power, they forced a charging session, even if you were in your peak rate hours. If they were tight on power, they forced a no charge session. Because my JuiceBox 48 had locked in hours, they couldn't do the forced charging on my vehicles at all, so I didn't get nailed on that. And, I got $100 for the Mach-E, and $100 for the Fusion Energi (which we sold).

Hope that helps.

Awesome note, all you need to know, very nice

 

[jlauro]

Actually, Michigan doesn't give it, DTE gives it. And only if you buy the specific models they list. Consumers Energy only gives rebates on specific ChargePoint models, nothing on JuiceBox.

Consumers Energy gives rebates on JuiceBox (top of 2nd page). Here is the approved list: https://www.consumersenergy.com/-/media/CE/Documents/pev/approved-chargers.ashx

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