Best Charging station to use at home

[Handsfree]

Being a new owner to EV's, does anyone suggest the best charge station to install at home? I ordered the Autel Level 2 Home Smart EV Charger for up to 50 AMps. I noticed that there are a lot of different ones available. I am just not sure if there is a better one to install for now and into the future.

So I have now gone with the Autel charger and have no regrets. Here is what I have learned and what might be useful for anyone considering in the future

The Autel load balances, this means that you can add several units onto the same circuit and it will adjust amps drawn to make sure that it does not exceed the amount of current on the breaker. This is handy because adding more circuits to the panel can be an expensive endeavour plus you may not have the capacity.
In addition, if you have a solar set up, the unit can draw off the excess being generated by your panels and not hit the grid. This is a nice future proof feature.

Customer service is excellent with Autel, I gave them a call and then hung up to talk to my installer. They actually called me back. That does not happen often.

The cord is fine and does not have an issue with the cold. Most times the cord is not wound up tight and is often straight, so no issues so far with a lack of flexibility in the cold.

Capacity is high and the sotware is second to none.

The system is energy star rated so less power loss I guess.

So I do recommend this charger after lots of learning, reading and watching Youtube for professional evaluations.

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[AKgrampy]

There are so many to chose from these days that you are going to get too many opinions and there are many good ones. My only advice would be if you have to upgrade your electrical service at all then plan for the future and go as much as you can. I was limited and am using 32 amps. If I ever upgrade I will add an additional 100 amp for future expansion.

 

[generaltso]

Being a new owner to EV's, does anyone suggest the best charge station to install at home? I ordered the Autel Level 2 Home Smart EV Charger for up to 50 AMps. I noticed that there are a lot of different ones available. I am just not sure if there is a better one to install for now and into the future

The Autel is fine. If you really want to know about the other big names, spend some time on the State of Charge YouTube channel.

 

[Handsfree]

There are so many to chose from these days that you are going to get too many opinions and there are many good ones. My only advice would be if you have to upgrade your electrical service at all then plan for the future and go as much as you can. I was limited and am using 32 amps. If I ever upgrade I will add an additional 100 amp for future expansion.

Good point, my electrician is coming this week to install, the idea is to give myself the highest amount of AMPS possible, not necessarily for now but future use.

 

[generaltso]

Good point, my electrician is coming this week to install, the idea is to give myself the highest amount of AMPS possible, not necessarily for now but future use.

Did you check with your utility provider? Not sure about Canada, but in the US, a lot of them offer rebates or subsidies on specific chargers.

 

[AliRafiee]

Did you check with your utility provider? Not sure about Canada, but in the US, a lot of them offer rebates or subsidies on specific chargers.

I second this. Ours gave a $500 discount/rebate.
I have 2 JuiceBox 40s.

 

[Handsfree]

Did you check with your utility provider? Not sure about Canada, but in the US, a lot of them offer rebates or subsidies on specific chargers.

Good point, not sure we have rebates. Will check, mind you our overnight rates are low $0.074/KW cdn

 

[RickMachE]

Good point, not sure we have rebates. Will check, mind you our overnight rates are low $0.074/KW cdn

Rate for electricity has no correlation to any rebate a utility company may provide.

 

[MellowJohnny]

Given you are in Woodstock, I'd pay attention to how the EVSE cable performs in the cold - some are stiff and hold their shape while others remain pliable down to some pretty low temps. This was a big deal for me and one reason I went with the brand I chose.

As mentioned above, State of Charge is a great resource, especially because Tom does sub-zero flex and drop tests.

 

[ShaggySS]

I went with the future proof version and did a Tesla Universal Charger. I have one of each so it makes the most sense, but in the future when we are all using the NACS I will be ready. I am sure most companies will sell a new cord when people need to transition.

 

[Space_Pony]

Being a new owner to EV's, does anyone suggest the best charge station to install at home? I ordered the Autel Level 2 Home Smart EV Charger for up to 50 AMps. I noticed that there are a lot of different ones available. I am just not sure if there is a better one to install for now and into the future

I've been using the 50 amp Autel for about 6 months and have no complaints. The software is good and shows how much electricity you're using along with the current amperage and voltage. It will also show the running costs.

 

[cknasaboy]

I have a ChargePoint Home Flex, but only because my buddy had an extra. If I were to go get another one today, I would also go for the Tesla Universal one.

+1 recommendation for the State of Charge channel!

 

[Handsfree]

I second this. Our gave a $500 discount/rebate.
I have 2 JuiceBox 40s.

I have a feeling that in the US, you get a rebate. I have not found any rebates for the install of a EV power station. If I wanted to sell commercially it maybe different. But thanks for the comments

 

[Handsfree]

Given you are in Woodstock, I'd pay attention to how the EVSE cable performs in the cold - some are stiff and hold their shape while others remain pliable down to some pretty low temps. This was a big deal for me and one reason I went with the brand I chose.

As mentioned above, State of Charge is a great resource, especially because Tom does sub-zero flex and drop tests.

Sorry, what brand did you decide on?

 

[Handsfree]

I went with the future proof version and did a Tesla Universal Charger. I have one of each so it makes the most sense, but in the future when we are all using the NACS I will be ready. I am sure most companies will sell a new cord when people need to transition.

Is there a conversion adapter so that my MachE can use the Tesla power station now, so I do not need to buy more power cords?

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