Many drivers will want a Level 2 charger at home, though some don’t actually need one. Photo credit: Jason Siu / EV Pulse
If you’ve recently purchased or leased an electric vehicle and are currently shopping for a home charger, congratulations! Welcome to the wonderful world of never having to worry about stopping by a gas station and filling up your tank. But now you’ve been introduced to a new problem, especially if you live in an area where there isn’t a great infrastructure for public charging. We highly recommend all electric vehicle owners, or even plug-in hybrid owners, to have access to home charging. Not just for convenience, but it’s generally cheaper than public charging.
There are various things you need to consider when shopping for a home EV charger. For starters, if you’re planning to install a Level 2 charger at home, you’ll need a 240-volt outlet; and if you’re planning to get a hardwired option, you’ll want to contact an electrician unless you know what you’re doing. Next, you’ll want to determine the charging capabilities of your vehicle and its battery pack size. Everyone has a different need when it comes to range, and you’ll want to ensure the charger you’re buying is capable of giving you the range you need on a daily basis. For example, if you’re only needing 10 to 15 miles per day, you may not necessarily need a Level 2 charger.
We’ll jump into our recommendations for best home EV chargers first, but past our picks you’ll find more information on how to choose the best charger for you.
We’re huge fans of the JuiceBox lineup — in fact, we use one at the office (seen above, commercial version)! It’s available in 32-, 40-, and 48-amp versions, depending on your needs. The 32- and 40-amp JuiceBox models can be had either plug-in or hardwired, while the 48-amp model is only available hardwired. We recommend the 40-amp version, which offers up to 9.6 kW and you can choose between a NEMA 14-50 or NEMA 6-50 outlet if you want a plug-in model.
This charger is equipped with Wi-Fi connectivity, so you can control it through a smartphone app, which makes it convenient for you to schedule charging at lower rates. The app will also provide you with notifications when your vehicle is fully charged, and it can even remind you to plug in your vehicle if you’re the forgetful type. As a modern solution for a high-tech problem, it’s no surprise the JuiceBox 40 is also compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Home. So yeah, if you want to issue out voice commands to control your charger, go on ahead.
The residential version of the JuiceBox (seen above) comes equipped with a built-in cable rack for the 25-foot cable, a security lock, and the company provides a three-year manufacturer’s warranty. These chargers are indoor and outdoor rated, thanks to a waterproof, dust-tight, polycarbonate casing. Even if you don’t necessarily need everything the JuiceBox 40 has to offer with your current electric vehicle, it’s still smart to future-proof yourself. It’s highly likely you’ll get a more advanced EV in the future and you won’t have to worry about shopping for a new charger.
The Enel X JuiceBox is bit larger than other EVSEs out there, which is something to consider if you have limited space in your garage. If you want something smaller, look at our next recommendation. And while I still prefer having a separate holster so I can customize the installation in my garage, other users like that it’s an all-in-one solution with the holster attached to the charging station. These two points mostly come down to personal preference, but when it comes to reliability and consistent performance, the JuiceBox really can’t be beat. Finally, perhaps the biggest negative I found while testing the JuiceBox is its plastic connector. While it is well built, it’s only a matter of time before the white finish is full of scratches.
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The particular Pulsar Plus we tested was the 40-amp unit with a NEMA 14-50 plug, but there is a 48-amp version available that needs to be hardwired. The unit comes with a separate holster so you can customize your install and it works well, giving the connector a slight downward angle so it doesn’t protrude so much from your wall. It’s a smart charger, so you’ll need to connect to it with your phone via Bluetooth prior to setting up its WiFi connection. But afterwards, you’ll be able to remotely access the Wallbox Pulsar Plus and monitor its status from afar. You can also schedule charging and setup notifications, as I previously mentioned.
The compact home EV charger is UL listed for electrical safety and is NEMA Type 4 rated for water-tightness and dust resistance. This charger has a similar price tags to other smart chargers, but I really love its compact design. It’s not perfect though, as I did have some issues connecting to it via Bluetooth, although that could be specific to my device (Pixel 7 Pro). And while it does have one of the better quality connectors I’ve tested with its rubber finish, the 25-foot power cable isn’t as thick as other EV chargers I’ve evaluated — which may be an issue in cold weather conditions.
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The Emporia home EV charger is less than half the price of some chargers on the market and I was admittedly somewhat skeptical when I had the opportunity to review it. To my surprise, it is a very well designed smart charger packed with all the features you’d expect from a much more expensive unit. In fact, it’s the most affordable home EV charger we’ve tested and it has smart connectivity features, which are typically found on chargers that are priced several hundreds more.
But its affordable price comes with a few sacrifices. The biggest complaint I have about the Emporia EV charger is the included holster. It leaves the connector in an awkward position for removal, and you have to replace the rubber cap every single time you dock the connector. Otherwise, it’s facing upward and all sorts of debris can fall into it. Fortunately, you can just purchase a separate holster and not use the one that is included.
I also do not like the hard plastic connector, although it is surprisingly similar to the connector found on the Enel X JuiceBox. It’s a minor complaint because the connector does seem to be of good quality, but only time will tell how well it holds up to everyday use and occasional accidental drops. Finally, while Emporia’s app is packed with great features, I found its design somewhat clumsy and unintuitive.
Overall, the Emporia home EV charger is a very impressive unit, especially when you consider its price. The biggest issue I had with the unit can easily be fixed. It is now undergoing our long-term evaluation to determine whether it belongs in a better spot on our list of recommendations.
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If you’ve paid attention to the electric vehicle industry in the U.S., you may have heard of Electrify America. The company is responsible for building the largest public fast charging network in the country and will be building its first solar farm in Southern California. So it’s little surprise that Electrify America offers its own home EV charger, called the HomeStation.
As part of the Electrify Home brand, this EV charger offers up to 9.6 kW of available power at 40 amps, but it does offer flexible amperage so you can choose between 16, 32, and 40 amps. It comes equipped with a 24-foot charging cable and a standard NEMA 14-50 plug. Along with your typical suite of safety features and certifications, the company provides a standard three-year limited warranty.
What does make the HomeStation stand out from the crowd is the ability to use Electrify America’s app, which also connects you to its large public charging network. Features on the app include remotely controlling your charger, setting up notifications and reminders, as well as voice control with Amazon Alexa. The company did say that Google Home is currently under development. If you use Electrify America’s public charging stations, you’ll only need one account to manage everything. Naturally, that means it’ll sync the data between your home and public charging stations.
In our hands-on testing of the Electrify Home HomeStation, we loved the stylish and sleek design of the charger, its impressive packaging, and how easy it was to install and setup. We did find that the holster wasn’t the greatest and the charger is a bit bulky compared to other EVSEs on the market. Other minor issues include not being able to control the lights and we do wish the connector felt more premium. You can read our full review of the Electrify Home HomeStation here.
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After a month of evaluating the Lectron V-Box 48 and testing two different units, I feel confident in naming it my “best on a budget” home EV charger. The reason why I had to test a second unit was due to minor quirks specifically with my Polestar 2, but Lectron updated the charger to rectify those issues. You can read more about it in my review.
The Lectron V-Box 48 is a non-smart charger and while there are cheaper ones out there like the Grizzl-E, I prefer the V-Box 48 because of its informative display. Unlike other home EV chargers in the market, the V-Box has a built-in screen that shows your charging status, charging time, amperage, power delivered, and operational temperature. While you probably won’t sit there and monitor the entire charging process, it’s nice to be able to glance at the screen to see the charger’s status. After evaluating other EVSEs, I constantly found myself missing the screen of information Lectron provides with the V-Box 48.
Another huge plus of the V-Box 48 is its cable and connector. It has one of the thickest power cables I’ve evaluated, which does make it a little more cumbersome to maneuver but probably does better in the cold. The connector does have a plastic exterior, but I find it to be high quality and durable. Lectron includes a separate J-hook and holster to manage your cable and connector.
As for negatives, it has an IP55 weatherproof rating, so I would recommend mostly installing this indoors. I found that the front face does scratch easily and the overall finish of the exterior doesn’t feel premium. There’s no standby mode on the charger, so you have to actually toggle a power button on and off, which is a minor inconvenience. But perhaps the biggest negative is that Lectron only offers a 1-year warranty with the charger, which is noticeably less than the more common 3 years from other manufacturers. But if you can look past those flaws and want a non-smart charger that does the job well, check out the Lectron V-Box 48.
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We recently had the opportunity to review the Enphase HCS-50 home charger, which replaces the ClipperCreek charger that used to occupy this spot on the list. Although it’s no longer built in America — production has moved to Mexico as part of the acquisition — build quality of the Enphase HCS-50 is still impressive and is our recommendation if you need to install a charger outdoors. But the one feature that gets the Enphase HCS-50 on our list is its impressive five-year warranty. Most manufacturers offer three years, which is actually what ClipperCreek previously had on its charger.
As far as we can tell, and Enphase did confirm, nothing else with the charger has changed other than its branding and that it is now manufactured in Mexico instead of the U.S. You can choose from 32-, 40-, 48-, and 64-amp variants along with NEMA 14-50, NEMA 6-50, and hardwired options.
Safety certifications on Enphase’s home EV charger include ENERGY STAR, ETL, and cETL. It also comes equipped with a service ground monitor, that constantly checks for proper grounding for safe use. This recommendation comes in a fully-sealed, NEMA-4 enclosure, making it ideal for outdoor installations. This charger comes with a 25-foot charging cable.
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