EVSE Home Charger

I have the same EVSE and it seems to work very well especially with scheduling charging.

Many choices are available. This article lists many of them. I have a JuiceBox and I recommend it highly.

This thread now moved to the appropriate section where there is abundant insight (many of us have had our ID.4's for almost 17 months so good long term data, and therefore even more reason to be availed of existing thread input).

@Captain78 asked the same question just a few days ago. Recommendations on Level 2 Home Chargers so this time I won't be handing out any fish.

MadhavWarrier said:

So I am waiting to take delivery of my ID.4 so in the meanwhile I am looking for chargers. What are some of the chargers you guys have installed inside of your homes? Currently I am looking at the Enel X JuiceBox 40 because I have found that the Electrify America chargers aren't that good..Please recommend any other chargers that you guys have found to be good. Thanks!

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MadhavWarrier said:

So I am waiting to take delivery of my ID.4 so in the meanwhile I am looking for chargers. What are some of the chargers you guys have installed inside of your homes? Currently I am looking at the Enel X JuiceBox 40 because I have found that the Electrify America chargers aren't that good..Please recommend any other chargers that you guys have found to be good. Thanks!

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I’ve been very happy with the Chargepoint Home Flex. It’s a 50A charger vs 40A for the Juicebox, so you can charge the id.4 at the max rate given the appropriate circuit breaker and wiring. Amazon is showing a $500 rebate for a total price of $250. I installed mine myself for about $150 in materials on a 60A breaker with 6 gauge wire. If you want to go to the max power rating you’ll have to hardwire it, so the plug type doesn’t matter.

Spin said:

Many choices are available. This article lists many of them. I have a JuiceBox and I recommend it highly.

JuiceBox 40 named best EV charger for 2022

https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/best-ev-charger/?utm_campaign=Newsletters&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=205450406&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--qUun7GD0U6-_NRUvDZeKBiHQ7S6ZlayZffnfFHnVmsuzwfRpope6LO11zv4myieoY7iQ_U6NTJQ5o8EVL3S6B0LaOAw&utm_content=205450406&utm_source=hs_email

www.vwidtalk.com

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Thanks so much!

Greg H said:

I’ve been very happy with the Chargepoint Home Flex. It’s a 50A charger vs 40A for the Juicebox, so you can charge the id.4 at the max rate given the appropriate circuit breaker and wiring. Amazon is showing a $500 rebate for a total price of $250. I installed mine myself for about $150 in materials on a 60A breaker with 6 gauge wire. If you want to go to the max power rating you’ll have to hardwire it, so the plug type doesn’t matter.

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Thanks for the insight! but a quick question, won't the car charging at max rate be harmful to the batteries after a long period of time?

MadhavWarrier said:

Thanks for the insight! but a quick question, won't the car charging at max rate be harmful to the batteries after a long period of time?

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I wouldn’t think so. It’s still nowhere near the fast DC charging rate: 11 kw vs 135.

MadhavWarrier said:

Thanks for the insight! but a quick question, won't the car charging at max rate be harmful to the batteries after a long period of time?

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In a word, no. At least not for AC charging. DC fast charging too much can lead to degradation over a long period of time. The manual has specific warnings about not doing it too much.

VW also recommends only charging to 80% for daily use when you don’t need the full capacity. Letting the car sit for long periods at very high (e.g. 100%) or very low (e.g. below 20%) states of charge can also lead to degradation over long periods of time.

Our very own @VW TECHNICIAN suggests limiting AC charging to 24 amps when able to in the name of battery and cooling system longevity. Slower is always less impactful – the magnitude of anyd ifference is certainly debatable.

Despite this advice I charge at 40A because that's what I have installed. However if VW ever gives us in-car rate selection, I'd certainly drop it down for an overnight top-up.

Nai3t said:

Our very own @VW TECHNICIAN suggests limiting AC charging to 24 amps when able to in the name of battery and cooling system longevity. Slower is always less impactful – the magnitude of anyd ifference is certainly debatable.

Despite this advice I charge at 40A because that's what I have installed. However if VW ever gives us in-car rate selection, I'd certainly drop it down for an overnight top-up.

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I could be wrong, but I thought his recommendation of 24 amps was for the summer months. That is what I run my JuiceBox at in the warm weather. If I need a quicker charge I boost it up to 40.

I fail to see why 11 kw is bad, 9 kw is good and 5 kw is better if 135 kw is OK (although not too often). The owners manual says:
"For AC charging, Volkswagen recommends charging the high voltage battery with maximum charging power".
If I didn’t already have one, I’d definitely grab the Chargepoint home flex for $249 after rebate.

11kw and lower is totally fine for the battery health. Using a lower setting like the 24A mentioned is better since its more efficient when its real hot outside, since then the AC compressor, coolant pump and radiator fan will have to run less often and all 3 at lower variable speeds. And this is also a reason to not start charging right after driving in real hot weather (>90F) wait for it to cool down first. For example if you are charging at 11kw and the AC compressor, pump and fan is drawing 4kw thats a big loss at >30% of your power going to cooling.

Greg H said:

I fail to see why 11 kw is bad, 9 kw is good and 5 kw is better if 135 kw is OK (although not too often). The owners manual says:
"For AC charging, Volkswagen recommends charging the high voltage battery with maximum charging power".

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I'm a bit confused as well, because these chemistries are generally rated to charge at 0.5C or higher. The AC power coming in is under 0.15C at 11kW. So it doesn't seem to be a battery health thing that's related to charge speed. Things get more complex with heat though, as normally you don't charge a laptop outdoors on a hot day. You charge indoors where temperatures tend to not get above 80F often.

SunWizard said:

11kw and lower is totally fine for the battery health. Using a lower setting like the 24A mentioned is better since its more efficient when its real hot outside, since then the AC compressor, coolant pump and radiator fan will have to run less often and all 3 at lower variable speeds. And this is also a reason to not start charging right after driving in real hot weather (>90F) wait for it to cool down first. For example if you are charging at 11kw and the AC compressor, pump and fan is drawing 4kw thats a big loss at >30% of your power going to cooling.

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Emphasis mine.

This makes a lot of sense to me. Especially if the BMS is going to try to avoid letting the battery ride too close to the thermal limits they are rated for, and instead will spend energy on cooling because it actually can keep the temperature well away from the limit (unlike a laptop).

MadhavWarrier said:

So I am waiting to take delivery of my ID.4 so in the meanwhile I am looking for chargers. What are some of the chargers you guys have installed inside of your homes? Currently I am looking at the Enel X JuiceBox 40 because I have found that the Electrify America chargers aren't that good..Please recommend any other chargers that you guys have found to be good. Thanks!

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We bought and installed the JuiceBox 40 in 2019 when we moved to first one (Kona EV) and now to all (added ID.4). Better than no problems ... Enel's software is so much better than others, since I can keep records of kWh consumption easily for each while also manipulating hours of use. Drawback: unwieldy cord. I would consider this time, however, an JuiceBox 48 given where it seems EV batteries are headed.

MadhavWarrier said:

So I am waiting to take delivery of my ID.4 so in the meanwhile I am looking for chargers. What are some of the chargers you guys have installed inside of your homes? Currently I am looking at the Enel X JuiceBox 40 because I have found that the Electrify America chargers aren't that good..Please recommend any other chargers that you guys have found to be good. Thanks!

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I've had a Clipper Creek 32amp since 2008 and haven't had any issues with it. Sometimes my breaker trips when the HVAC comes on, but that's more a factor of my old house than the EVSE.