Reliable Smart Chargers?

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I want to get a smart EVSE for monitoring my energy use over time and manually calculating mi/kWh. In doing research there seem to be overall highly positive reviews but then checking Google Play, reviews for the EVSE apps have some very not-good-sounding things being said. For instance the ChargePoint Home Flex, which seems to be at the top of most peoples' lists, apparently can't charge the car without a data signal via WiFi, and some people reported that their car would fail to charge overnight if there was a WiFi hiccup or something. WiFi signal in my garage is kinda meh so this is concerning to me.

Another seemingly high-rated option, the Wallbox Pulsar Plus, had even worse reviews about its app. People said that sometimes the charge statistics would just disappear or fail to be recorded at all. The whole point of me spending money on a smart charger would be to get these statistics, so if that doesn't work reliably, then the Wallbox is not for me.

I just learned that the Ford Connected Charger is available for sale again (I realize this is not new news) but there doesn't seem to be a lot of info about people using this option.

Anyway if you own a smart charger, which one do you have, and would you describe it as reliable? Have you ever had a failure to charge, or a loss/failure of charge statistics?
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Regarding the FCCS... It's been reliable for me so far, for its primary purpose of refueling my vehicle. But the main "smart" interface for it is FordPass, which is buggy.

Since you care about data collection, you may want to look elsewhere. The data graphs in FordPass are nice, except there's no export option and all the history disappears if you do something as trivial as clearing the app cache (at least for me on Android).
 

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I want to get a smart EVSE for monitoring my energy use over time and manually calculating mi/kWh. In doing research there seem to be overall highly positive reviews but then checking Google Play, reviews for the EVSE apps have some very not-good-sounding things being said. For instance the ChargePoint Home Flex, which seems to be at the top of most peoples' lists, apparently can't charge the car without a data signal via WiFi, and some people reported that their car would fail to charge overnight if there was a WiFi hiccup or something. WiFi signal in my garage is kinda meh so this is concerning to me.
I have had my ChargePoint Home Flex since late 2019 and have had zero issues with it. It doesn't rely on Wifi to charge, that is only needed to communicate to get data.
 


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I use the Wallbox Pulsar Plus, and while the app isn’t the best, it does record my charging sessions and allows me to schedule my charging times.
 
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I have had my ChargePoint Home Flex since late 2019 and have had zero issues with it. It doesn't rely on Wifi to charge, that is only needed to communicate to get data.
That is great to see. I looked back at the critical review and they were trying to use scheduled charging which they said failed without wifi. ?‍♂

If only the CP wasn't sold out so much, although I suppose that's a good sign...
 
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Since you care about data collection, you may want to look elsewhere. The data graphs in FordPass are nice, except there's no export option and all the history disappears if you do something as trivial as clearing the app cache (at least for me on Android).
Ouch. That's disappointing. I'd use another app for actually recording my data long term but this is good to know. Thanks for sharing that.
 
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I use the Wallbox Pulsar Plus, and while the app isn’t the best, it does record my charging sessions and allows me to schedule my charging times.
Thanks for sharing. I'm glad that the app is functional. Do you have issues getting the app to load? That seemed to be a common complaint on the Play Store reviews.
 

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Ouch. That's disappointing. I'd use another app for actually recording my data long term but this is good to know. Thanks for sharing that.
Ok I need to correct what I said. The data cleared when I cleared the app cache, but now it's back. I guess it took a while or some special action on my part ?‍♂ for it to come back.

Ford Mustang Mach-E Reliable Smart Chargers? Screenshot_20210621-204830
 

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I have had my ChargePoint Home Flex since late 2019 and have had zero issues with it. It doesn't rely on Wifi to charge, that is only needed to communicate to get data.
I now have 2 charge points installed in our garage for 3 EVs. Also zero issues in over 6 years.
 

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That is great to see. I looked back at the critical review and they were trying to use scheduled charging which they said failed without wifi. ?‍♂

If only the CP wasn't sold out so much, although I suppose that's a good sign...
I set up the charging schedule in the car, not on the charger. For my Bolt it will condition the battery using the charger power, even during off peak hours, but will not activate charging during those hours. It appears to me that the Mach E only conditions the battery during charging, I never hear the cooling system running when it is not charging.
 

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As long as you don't mind your Mach-E sounding like a fan-boat, the Tesla Wall Charger is 500 and gets damn good time when it comes to recharging.

Pretty sure you can lower the amperage on the webpage / through WiFi, but haven't the time.
 

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