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Which level 2 charger to get?

FlipWhiskey

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As I wait for my 4xe, I'm trying to decide which level 2 charger to get. Does anyone have any experience with one and a recommendation?
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millerjl

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I have a chargepoint. Not the cheapest but works well and obviously using them around town under the same account lets me track usage. It is programmable start times and wifi connectivity to my home network.
 

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I bought the Enel X JuiceBox 40, it was on the rebate list from my electric distributor (BGE). Won't know how well it works until I have a 4xe to plug into it....
 

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I was looking at Grizzl-e classic 399 to 499 depending on option made in Canada. It seems like all the ev’s you can program when to charge.
 

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I'm thinking of going with the ClipperCreek, 40a plug-in. They have one on sale right now for $559. The Jeep Branded version is $699. There are cheaper ones on Amazon but they are all no-name China chargers. ClipperCreek is Made in America which is pretty cool.
 

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Definitely want to follow this and see what folks think of various setups. Shooting from the hip, I'm thinking I'd like one that I can ceiling mount with the retractable reel like the EvoReel, but no clue on what reviews might be of those. Wife thinking of going with a PHEV here shortly, so the retractable reel would definitely be nice to have. Learning that there's a tax rebate incentive of 30% up to $1,000 would take the sting off the increased cost.
 

Mike DeSimone

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As I wait for my 4xe, I'm trying to decide which level 2 charger to get. Does anyone have any experience with one and a recommendation?
I've got a Tesla and a Fisker Karma and have a 4xe on order, as well as a Hummer EV reserved. I'm a little into EVs. For the Tesla I use the supplied 40A inline charger, and bought a second one for travel. For the Karma I bought one of those no-name 32A ones from Amazon (the car has only a 3.3KW onboard charger so only draws 15A) and just leave it plugged in in the garage. I was skeptical about it, but it's been charging it up fine for the past 5 years so I can't complain. We have a vacation house so I got an Enel (formerly Emotor Werks) JuiceBox 40 to just live there and charge either of them, and another JuiceBox 40 for my office. That one failed after about 4 years living outside, but they replaced it under warranty. (Great service.)
I'm probably going to have to bring in a separate 200A service for the garage so that I can charge all of them at once, and that will allow time-of-use metering when that becomes available so I can save some money by charging late at night. I know this doesn't apply to everyone reading this, it's just a way of saying that I have experience setting these things up in both residential and commercial settings. I don't know all there is to know about this stuff, but I probably have learned a few things NOT to do.
 

Demonic

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Also check to see if your state has any rebates for chargers, as they'll often specify a brand.
 
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FlipWhiskey

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Lots of good info here. Do I need a "smart" EVSE? The clipper creek that mopar recommends does not have all of the features that a juicebox or chargepoint does, but I'm not sure that is important to me or not. I anticipate my next new vehicle will be 100% electric, so whatever I go with now I want to be able to use down the road as well. Should I be leary of a charger that requires wifi/web app to control everything? If the manufacturer goes out of business, would I be stuck with a non-functional brick?
 

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Asterix2112

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Love my Clipper Creek. Inexpensive, bulletproof (rated for outside). Have had it for about 4 years now (have an EV already) and NO issues.
 
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FlipWhiskey

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Thanks everyone for your opinions - I ordered the Juice Box 40 - it's on sale for 599.00 right.now. It seems that almost everyone that has it likes it, and it's got a lot of features that the clipper creek doesn't have. No idea if I will use them all, but at least I have the option.
 

LoganDzwon

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The thing about the "chargers" is that they aren't really chargers... They are safety devices. The actual charger is onboard the vehicle. The device you buy is just a fancy handle, think wires, and an electronically controlled relay in the base. When the very low volt sensor circuit registers a compatible connection it flips the relay in the base and turns on the mains. Some of them have fancy features like a WiFi enabled voltage meter or timer. But those are only really useful I you need to control when you charge. (IE; some people pay less for power overnight.)
 

Phantasos

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New guy here, just ordered my 4xe (Sarge Green) this week.

I (that is my wife...) have owned a Nissan Leaf all electric since 2012. Initially, she was driving 10 or 15 miles per day, and we would run around town on weekends. Later, I commuted 45 or so miles each weekday charging only at home. In these 7 or so years, I have never had, nor had a need for, a level 2 charger. And I never ran into a situation where I couldn't recharge overnight. Granted, I have an ICE vehicle available if something unexpected popped up, but has occurred only 2 or 3 times.

With a hybrid that can drive without the battery and can even recharge its own battery at my command, I am even less worried about being only partially charged when I have to make an unexpected run to the store.

Further, if I were to buy a level 2 charger, after watching this video , I would not want to pay any more than the minimum reasonable price.

Frankly, I plan to use the $160 - $600 on useful accessories and just plug my 4xe in with the provided level 1 charger.

My recommendation is to delay buying the level 2 charger and see if the level 1 is good enough for your situation. You can always buy one later, if you decide that it will increase your electric only drive time.

These opinions are just that, my opinions based on my experiences.
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