Which is the best home charging system?

[Thinjake]

The air will be my first EV, so I only need 1 charger now, but I envision my wife's next car being an EV as well, so we need the ability to charge two.

 

[hmp10]

You don't really need any of the listed chargers. They all require a 240-volt line which you're going to have to install, anyway, if you don't already have it. The Air comes with its own charging cable that plugs into a 240-volt outlet (NEMA 14-50). Just make sure you have at least 50 amps to the plug.

 

[Bill55]

I have the ChargePoint unit and have not had any issues. It was easy to instal and program. I recently moved and have not set it up at the new house as in SC there are no demand charges so I have been using the included cable which works fine, the only issue with the included cable is if you want to be able to do scheduled charging. Not currently available with the Lucid app, but on the list of future updates.
Should mention I had (2) 50amp 14-50 plugs installed in the new garage.

 

[Neurio]

We have both the chargepoint and the juice box. Both work just fine and the apps are both reliable. I will say that the chargepoint plug feels much sturdier and of higher quality than the juice box's plug, which is lighter weight.

 

[magesh]

I have this: https://www.electrifyhome.com/homestation

Does the usual stuff - start / stop charges remotely, etc Build quality is solid. And got it at a discount during Amazon Prime day & costing me about $70/- after WA utility rebate.

But the biggest peeve is I have 2 EVs and the unit does not recognize which EV is plugged in. (Unsure if any of the units do this. This one does not & hence cannot track energy feed based on vehicle from the EA app.). I can get a total view of the charges done; but does not drill down to which EV got how much from the app.

And the unit is bulky.

 

[dotmatrix_cloud]

+1 on the JuiceBox - it has worked flawlessly with my Bolt for the last 6 years

 

[DeaneG]

It depends on what attributes are most important to you. We love our Chargepoint for its charge scheduling, appearance and how pleasant it is to use. The downsides are slightly higher price and lead time. Also the phone app can only handle one charger - so if we get a second unit, I'll make a new account on my wife's phone and have one charger tied to each phone.

 

[dotmatrix_cloud]

It depends on what attributes are most important to you. We love our Chargepoint for its charge scheduling, appearance and how pleasant it is to use. The downsides are slightly higher price and lead time. Also the phone app can only handle one charger - so if we get a second unit, I'll make a new account on my wife's phone and have one charger tied to each phone.

The older JuiceBox that I have allows for multiple devices and multiple vehicles, for what it is worth....

 

[DeaneG]

Also, if you haven't already had an electrician install a 14-50 outlet, consider hardwiring your charging station instead. It's safer and can charge the car faster.
For a dark horse candidate, you could additionally consider Lucid's (planned) charging station.

 

[Rob Nelson]

You don't really need any of the listed chargers. They all require a 240-volt line which you're going to have to install, anyway, if you don't already have it. The Air comes with its own charging cable that plugs into a 240-volt outlet (NEMA 14-50). Just make sure you have at least 50 amps to the plug.

Thanks for your feedback. I'm planning to add the 240 before the car is delivered.

 

[hydbob]

Thanks for your feedback. I'm planning to add the 240 before the car is delivered.

You could future proof if and make it a 100amp line

 

[magesh]

Thanks for your feedback. I'm planning to add the 240 before the car is delivered.

If I were you, I would pony up extra $$ to get a 100A installed,If you decide to buy Lucid's home charger in the future, it will require a 100A breaker and you can use it to power your home if electricity fails.

 

[DeaneG]

If I were you, I would pony up extra $$ to get a 100A installed,If you decide to buy Lucid's home charger in the future, it will require a 100A breaker and you can use it to power your home if electricity fails.

I'm hoping to use an existing 60 amp circuit for Lucid's home charger - hoping the car's V2H capability has an adjustable current limit.

 

[magesh]

I'm hoping to use an existing 60 amp circuit for Lucid's home charger - hoping the car's V2H capability has an adjustable current limit.

I doubt it, but you can check with Lucid.

Most modern homes come with a standard 100A panel to run most or mostly used electricals. A couple of refrigerators, several room lights, fans, central A/C, etc .. Dfntly not a hot tub & spa, etc.

So, if your car needs to 'push', say 48A instead of 80A, you will need to start turning a few breakers off in your electrical panel.

Electrical experts in this group: Feel free to chime in/correct me.

 

[Steveinarizona]

I doubt it, but you can check with Lucid.

Most modern homes come with a standard 100A panel to run most or mostly used electricals. A couple of refrigerators, several room lights, fans, central A/C, etc .. Dfntly not a hot tub & spa, etc.

So, if your car needs to 'push', say 48A instead of 80A, you will need to start turning a few breakers off in your electrical panel.

Electrical experts in this group: Feel free to chime in/correct me.

That is my problem except I have a 225 amp panel and still don't have enough juice available.

 

[hydbob]

That is my problem except I have a 225 amp panel and still don't have enough juice available.

It shouldn't be too bad to do that, at least for us in here in SoCal. The draw we are pulling during the nighttime (during charging times) is not enough to push us over.

 

[Drendino]

You don't really need any of the listed chargers. They all require a 240-volt line which you're going to have to install, anyway, if you don't already have it. The Air comes with its own charging cable that plugs into a 240-volt outlet (NEMA 14-50). Just make sure you have at least 50 amps to the plug.

That’s interesting, I don’t think I have seen anyone recommend Lucid supplied cable for anything other than emergency charging. For the price of the car, I would think that the cost of the L2 and panel upgrade would be negligible for the convenience.

 

[hmp10]

That’s interesting, I don’t think I have seen anyone recommend Lucid supplied cable for anything other than emergency charging. For the price of the car, I would think that the cost of the L2 and panel upgrade would be negligible for the convenience.

The supplied Lucid cable supports L2 charging. The limiting factors are the Wunderbox in the car and the amperage of the 240-volt line -- just as they are with aftermarket chargers. We have been using the cables supplied by both Lucid and Tesla and always start the day at the 80% charge limit we set in both cars, no matter how much driving we did the day before.

We already had an EV when we built our current house and knew we would become a multi-EV household. So we put in a 400-amp panel, with 50-amp and 100-amp lines for charging two EVs.

There are only two reasons to get the Lucid wall connector or an aftermarket charger instead of using the supplied cable. You'll need the Lucid wall connector if you want to do V2H charging; and until Lucid installs the software to set charging times for off-peak rates, you'll need an aftermarket charger with that capability. (We don't have off-peak rates in our area.)

Different people have different situations, but V2H is of no use in our house. We have a whole-house generator, and its transfer switch cannot be ganged to the Lucid connector's transfer switch (or so our electrician tells us). Also, using the Lucid for V2H charging increases the use cycles on the battery pack, thereby accelerating the pace at which the car's range declines.

Finally, we were without power for nine days after Hurricane Irma in 2017. With available gas limited to emergency vehicles and most gas stations without power for their pumps, it was our Tesla that kept us and the friends sheltering with us mobile during that time. We used the generator to keep the Tesla charged and would not have used the car to power the house.

 

[Drendino]

The supplied Lucid cable supports L2 charging. The limiting factors are the Wunderbox in the car and the amperage of the 240-volt line -- just as they are with aftermarket chargers. We have been using the cables supplied by both Lucid and Tesla and always start the day at the 80% charge limit we set in both cars, no matter how much driving we did the day before.

We already had an EV when we built our current house and knew we would become a multi-EV household. So we put in a 400-amp panel, with 50-amp and 100-amp lines for charging two EVs.

There are only two reasons to get the Lucid wall connector or an aftermarket charger instead of using the supplied cable. You'll need the Lucid wall connector if you want to do V2H charging; and until Lucid installs the software to set charging times for off-peak rates, you'll need an aftermarket charger with that capability. (We don't have off-peak rates in our area.)

Different people have different situations, but V2H is of no use in our house. We have a whole-house generator, and its transfer switch cannot be ganged to the Lucid connector's transfer switch (or so our electrician tells us). Also, using the Lucid for V2H charging increases the use cycles on the battery pack, thereby accelerating the pace at which the car's range declines.

Finally, we were without power for nine days after Hurricane Irma in 2017. With available gas limited to emergency vehicles and most gas stations without power for their pumps, it was our Tesla that kept us and the friends sheltering with us mobile during that time. We used the generator to keep the Tesla charged and would not have used the car to power the house.

Thank you for the explanation. Sone great info here.

 

[LucidNC]

Also, if you haven't already had an electrician install a 14-50 outlet, consider hardwiring your charging station instead. It's safer and can charge the car faster.
For a dark horse candidate, you could additionally consider Lucid's (planned) charging station.

Deane .. just curious, how does hardwiring charge the car faster? I'm waiting for a VIN assignment and was going to install a 14-50 outlet (and then decide which charger to buy), but if hardwiring is better, then I may order the Chargepoint home flex now.. thanks