After three weeks with the Volt I’m thinking about investing in L2 charging. So far I’ve made it work with L1 charging at home and topping up at work, but with winter coming and what I assume will be some diminished range having L2 at home to cut charging time in half will help a lot. I likely could get by without L2, but taking advantage of the EVSE rebate and prepping for a possible future Bolt or other pure EV down the line while the government is willing to help out seems prudent.
I currently have no easy access to a 240V outlet so I’ve received a quote from an electrician who would put one in the garage along with an appropriate panel, wiring and a L2 charger. He has suggested a Schneider EV230WS. I’m a little wary of this unit as a quick forum search suggests some of the units had problems with the Gen I Volt. Plus the enclosure is only NEMA 1 (indoor only certified) and the warranty is a mere 18 months indicating it’s not the most robust unit out there. Is anyone currently using one with a Gen. II Volt and if so how are you liking it?
My wariness with the Schneider has me considering other comparable 30 amp chargers and I’d love any feedback/opinions/advice. Here’s what I’m considering:
GE Wattstation
This comes with a three year warranty, a NEMA 3 enclosure (weather resistant for outdoors) and is available via Costco (pain free for returns should you have a problem). Otherwise it seems like a simple, basic no-frills unit, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing given it means less to go wrong. A bit of digging reveals some forum users have reported issues with these chargers in the past, but I wonder if that’s still relevant with the Gen. II.
ChargePoint Home (CPH25)
This looks like one of the most compact units and it too comes with a three year warranty and a NEMA 3 enclosure. But the defining feature seems to be WiFi and connectivity with your smartphone via their app. I know the Volt tends to handle delayed charging very well and the myChevrolvet does a pretty good job of monitoring, alerting and even allows for some changing of charge settings, so much of this value added connectivity is reduntant. Also even with all this connectivity one thing I’m still awaiting an answer on is whether the charger will automagically resume charging after the power returns in the event of a blackout. I hope it does otherwise that’s a major oversight. It also seems on the higher side when it comes to the price tag and I wonder if the connectivity and small footprint are worth the premium.
Sun Country Highway EV40R/Clipper Creek HCS-40
This looks fairly compact (in between a Wattstation and a ChargePoint) and looks to be the most durable with a NEMA 4 enclosure (outdoor and watertight rated) plus a five year warranty. Clipper Creek is very well regarded in these parts so I’m confident in the hardware, but I wonder if service is as good dealing with Sun Country Highway. It also seems similar to the Wattstation in that it looks to be a simple no frills unit (a few indicator lights with no buttons, WiFi or app.), but I’m told it does resume charging automagically after a blackout. The one draw back is this appears to be the priciest charger of the bunch and I’m wondering if that’s justified.
Flo Home
This is brand new and built in Canada. It’s so new it's not even out yet with a promised arrival early this autumn. It looks quite attractive (aluminum with a built in holder and cord stand) and the specs point to being rugged NEMA 4X (watertight, outdoor and corrosion resistant). My worry with it is that it’s brand new and there’s no track record plus not promising a firm release date is worrisome. It’s also on the pricy side even with a pre-release sign-up discount.
So if any one can share any experience/feedback/opinions you have about any of these L2 chargers or any others, especially if you’re in Ontario, it would be greatly appreciated.
I currently have no easy access to a 240V outlet so I’ve received a quote from an electrician who would put one in the garage along with an appropriate panel, wiring and a L2 charger. He has suggested a Schneider EV230WS. I’m a little wary of this unit as a quick forum search suggests some of the units had problems with the Gen I Volt. Plus the enclosure is only NEMA 1 (indoor only certified) and the warranty is a mere 18 months indicating it’s not the most robust unit out there. Is anyone currently using one with a Gen. II Volt and if so how are you liking it?
My wariness with the Schneider has me considering other comparable 30 amp chargers and I’d love any feedback/opinions/advice. Here’s what I’m considering:
GE Wattstation
This comes with a three year warranty, a NEMA 3 enclosure (weather resistant for outdoors) and is available via Costco (pain free for returns should you have a problem). Otherwise it seems like a simple, basic no-frills unit, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing given it means less to go wrong. A bit of digging reveals some forum users have reported issues with these chargers in the past, but I wonder if that’s still relevant with the Gen. II.
ChargePoint Home (CPH25)
This looks like one of the most compact units and it too comes with a three year warranty and a NEMA 3 enclosure. But the defining feature seems to be WiFi and connectivity with your smartphone via their app. I know the Volt tends to handle delayed charging very well and the myChevrolvet does a pretty good job of monitoring, alerting and even allows for some changing of charge settings, so much of this value added connectivity is reduntant. Also even with all this connectivity one thing I’m still awaiting an answer on is whether the charger will automagically resume charging after the power returns in the event of a blackout. I hope it does otherwise that’s a major oversight. It also seems on the higher side when it comes to the price tag and I wonder if the connectivity and small footprint are worth the premium.
Sun Country Highway EV40R/Clipper Creek HCS-40
This looks fairly compact (in between a Wattstation and a ChargePoint) and looks to be the most durable with a NEMA 4 enclosure (outdoor and watertight rated) plus a five year warranty. Clipper Creek is very well regarded in these parts so I’m confident in the hardware, but I wonder if service is as good dealing with Sun Country Highway. It also seems similar to the Wattstation in that it looks to be a simple no frills unit (a few indicator lights with no buttons, WiFi or app.), but I’m told it does resume charging automagically after a blackout. The one draw back is this appears to be the priciest charger of the bunch and I’m wondering if that’s justified.
Flo Home
This is brand new and built in Canada. It’s so new it's not even out yet with a promised arrival early this autumn. It looks quite attractive (aluminum with a built in holder and cord stand) and the specs point to being rugged NEMA 4X (watertight, outdoor and corrosion resistant). My worry with it is that it’s brand new and there’s no track record plus not promising a firm release date is worrisome. It’s also on the pricy side even with a pre-release sign-up discount.
So if any one can share any experience/feedback/opinions you have about any of these L2 chargers or any others, especially if you’re in Ontario, it would be greatly appreciated.