Free EVSE through Chargepoint America or Ecotality's EV Project?

[Mormegil]

I think I live in an area where I am covered by both EVSE programs. ChargePoint installs Coulomb Tech's CT-500, while Ecotality uses Blink chargers (I believe). I'm in Los Angeles DWP, so I also get up to $2000 towards an EVSE install, as long as I put in a dedicated second meter.


Any advice on which company would be the best to go with?

[daninoah]

I used Ecotality and the Blink charger. Through the EV Project, the charger was free and I received a $1200 credit for electrical work for the installation. In my situation, that was more than enough so everything was free. The charger works great, has a big LCD screen to set up all kinds of things. Ecotality requires a wifi connection (or ethernet) so it can communicate with the charger and get information about how and when you charge it for the first three years.

[gadgeTT]

I don't think I'm eligible in South Florida for a free L2 charger, so any recommendations for one to buy? My contact at FPL (power company) recommended not getting the SPX at $499 because it's only 3kv and that may not be very future-proof. She recommended going for a more expensive 6kv charger instead.

[EZ Volt]

I've been very happy with the Blink unit at my home (since Sept). Good features, touchscreen. Basically it's also a separate meter. You can input your utility rate information and it tracks stats like kWh used per month, average kWh per charge, # charging events, total cost per month (calculated as single number after you load in the rate info once). Online access to other reporting info, graphs, etc. You can set parameters on when to charge or not based on rate (although the Volt can already do that itself anyway).
Some people had issues with the install taking a while, but mine was fine. Push them down on the install quote, and if you have a straightforward install, the $1200 allowance should cover it.

[cab]

I wish the BLINK charger wasn't so dang big!