ChargePoint Discounting Home Chargers for Earth Day

FWIW Autel also discounting $120 off on a 50A home charger

https://a.co/d/7RDhAnG

On the portable side, this one is really cheap at $249 for L2 / L1 combo with an additional $50 coupon

https://a.co/d/8DbFT4u

@bayoubob Thanks for sharing additional options. Seems like ChargePoint "charges" a premium. Pun intended!

@bayoubob Can I get some suggestions on how to start getting smart on what I need in a charger.  I'm assuming level 2 is a starting point.  I have solar and will be generally charging at home over-night.  For those of you who already have EV's, you have some runtime with a range of different home chargers.  Would love some thoughts and suggestions.

Thx!

@fiskeroceanbytheocean Unless you drive very little or able to charge elsewhere, Level 2 is definitely required.  There are two main options for Level 2 (240 V), (a) a NEMA outlet (most common are 50 or 30 Amp outlets) with a plug-in unit or (b) a hardwired unit - typically available up to 48A (requiring a 60A breaker).  The Fisker branded Wallbox unit is a 40A plug-in unit (on a NEMA 14-50 plug) but can also be hard-wired.  I have the same unit (non-Fisker branded) hardwired.  I prefer hardwired unit as there is less than can go wrong but I know others prefer plug.  For capacity, I would recommend the largest you can get; a good electrician can recommend a size that will work for your house.

As far as selecting a unit, make sure it is UL certified (or equivalent).  State of Charge on Youtube does a lot of reviews on various units and would recommend checking out his site for reviews to decide which you prefer.  He also created a video on properly setting up your home (video seems a little infomercial-like but good information).

https://www.youtube.com/@StateOfChargeWithTomMoloughney

@ttrinchi Thank you very much for that info.  When I had my solar installed, I had them install the 240V NEMA outlet (confirming this looks like the outlet you plug your dryer into) in the garage.  That is there and I'll have to do is flip the circuit to use.  What are the implications of UL certification..why does this matter?  I will plan to make sure I do.  Is it is simple as hanging the charger the wall and plugging it into the outlet and then plugging the charger into the EV?  If so, is there any compelling reason for me to hire an electrician to hard wire it?  Just trying to understand all the pros cons.  Are most of these chargers fairly similar or is there a clear industry leader?  Sorry for all the questions..this is all brand new to me.

Posted by: @fiskeroceanbytheocean

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@ttrinchi Thank you very much for that info.  When I had my solar installed, I had them install the 240V NEMA outlet (confirming this looks like the outlet you plug your dryer into) in the garage.  That is there and I'll have to do is flip the circuit to use.  What are the implications of UL certification..why does this matter?  I will plan to make sure I do.  Is it is simple as hanging the charger the wall and plugging it into the outlet and then plugging the charger into the EV?  If so, is there any compelling reason for me to hire an electrician to hard wire it?  Just trying to understand all the pros cons.  Are most of these chargers fairly similar or is there a clear industry leader?  Sorry for all the questions..this is all brand new to me.

The UL certification has more to do with the fact that there are a lot of Chinese knockoff units available on Amazon & Ebay; you do not want to go cheap on the EVSE.  Any unit reviewed on State of Charge would be perfectly safe.  If you already have a NEMA outlet installed, I would suggest going with a plug-in charger.  If it is a dryer-type outlet; it would be a 30A outlet allowing you to charge at 24A.  The most common EV outlet is the 14-50 (50A charging at 40A).  Attached is a chart to identify what outlet you have.  Just make sure you buy an EVSE with the correct plug for your outlet.  Unless you drive a lot; even the 30A plug will give you plenty of charge.  A 24A will likely charge about 15-20 miles/hour.  0-100% would take about 20 hours but you would never be charging 0-100%.  Even if you average 100 miles a day, it still would only be 5-7 hours to charge each night. 

The cheaper outlets are not good for multiple connection and disconnections and also they use plastic parts known to catch fire due to heat. I have Hubbell https://www.hubbell.com/wiringdevice-kellems/en/Products/Electrical-Electronic/Wiring-Devices/Straight-Blade-Devices/Industrial-Receptacles/Straight-Blade-Devices-Receptacles-RTP-Industrial-Grade-3-Pole-4-Wire-Grounding-50A-125250V-14-50R-Black-Single-Pack-/p/1636632

@harik_fisker Ok..so I also need to be certain that I have the right type of outlet in terms of the build on it.  Hmm...never would've thought to be clear about what the solar guys would install.  Will it be obvious on my outlet who the manufacturer is? Should I pay to have it replaced it its not a Hubbell? Lol..so many details!

@fiskeroceanbytheocean solar installers know how to install the 240v outlet. You can order hubbell or ask them to install. I replaced the cheap 15 buck unit the solar guy installed for me. I replaced it myself. I had to go to ace hardware to replace the face plate because hubbell uses a bigger opening than the cheap one. Have the solar guy install 100A wiring and a 60A breaker with nema 15 50 outlet. Get a wallbox pulsar mobile charger you can take with you on the road in case you rent a place with the outlet. In future if you use Fisker v2h to power your home, you would need hardwired bi directional charger to 100A and a disconnect so that if Fisker powers the home the box outputs 240v 2 phase and disconnects the power company feed.