Great charger. Have one and it’s been flawless.

 

Question for you... if I may since mine is simply "on order" at the moment: What app are you using to control it? Thanks!

 

None. Set the car for what you want, plug it in and it works. If I want to check charging status or time left, I use Car-net to check.

 

No one has mentioned having it it yet. I think that backorder status is more like preorder. Plenty of us have the Classic version, which works fine.

 

Just replaced my ancient 10+ year old charger with the basic Grizzl-E. Set it to 32A to accommodate my 10+ year old circuit and it works like a charm. Simple, but very well built. Should last at least a decade.

 

I called grizzl-e this afternoon while setting up my classic, as I'd noticed that the mainboards of the classic and smart chargers are identical. Figured maybe there will be an upgrade path, which they confirmed there will in fact be in the future. Good news for folks who couldn't wait for their smart version to come out like me.

 

I just put an order in for the smart version. Is it easy to set the schedule and to change the amperage? I'm planning on upgrading the breaker for my EV soon, so I would like to up the current to 40 amps as well.

 

Um.. in my case it turned out to be premature for my utility. So I really can't answer that. What I can say is that unlike some other chargers (which are mostly out of stock!), Grizzl-e doesn't have its own app... for better or worse. So there's a bit of an issue there. You will be able to configure it on AmpUp... but the main purpose there is to share your charger with the wider world... and get paid for it. It's primarily a commercial app for commercial chargers, so I uninstalled it. So basically... right now, I can't really give better info than this. Sorry. Best of luck... and keep me posted on what you discover.

 

Were you able to get it configured for time of use charging? I don't even see that level of functionality on the app. TIA.

 

you can set the amperage to multiple settings, yes. i originally used mine on a 30 amp circuit so set the dip switches accordingly, but now am on a 50 amp circuit running the full 40 amp.

 

I think there is some confusion in this thread due to the title. The Grizzl-E is not a smart charger. It is set up with dip switches and then you just plug in and charge. The United Chargers Alpha is a smart charger with a touch screen built on the Grizzl-E charger but it is not in production yet. It is only available to Beta testers but should be out soon and yes, it is available for preorders, not back order...yet.

 

Grizzl-e has a smart version now, as well as an upcoming upgrade path for the dumb version. The smart is just a daughter board added to the v2 dumb version.

 

Ah, never saw that one before. Think they need a bit of a website redesign. Thanks for the clarification.

Grizzl-E Smart Connect – GRIZZL-E

 

I got a Grizzl-e dumb charger, and the one I got was a dud. HOWEVER, their customer service sent a replacement charger out with absolutely zero fuss, so they got that going for them.

 

Same thing happened to my Grizzl-E, and I was pleased how painless the return was. The replacement has worked fine.

 

Yes, the Grizzl-e IS a smart charger. The SMART can be controlled by an app and by the utility using OCP protocols - which is what many require in order to allow you access to the cheapest charging rates. My utility isn't doing this YET with Grizzl-E but will likely next round. Currently, I can use time-of-day billing with a smart meter.... but that is an indiscriminate rate and applies to all electric in the home - not just the charger. The SMART charger rates by giving the utility access to controling the electricity apply ONLY to the power going to the car's charging... while the house remains on other billing.

United Chargers' ALPHA unit dresses the process up with a touch screen. It's a fancier unit, and appeals to the techno dudes. What appealed to me was the owner's inner channeling of John Cameron Swaize's 1960's era Bic Pen commercials: Running over the unit with a truck, an ATV, dunking it in an ice fishing hole, etc. I don't think he'll be doing the same thing with the ALPHA.

 

Yes, the Grizzl-e IS a smart charger.

No, the Grizzl-e IS NOT a smart charger. The Grizzl-E Smart is a smart charger.

 

I just ordered a Grizzl-e Smart the other day. Anyone know if SDGE does OCP managed charging and is there an app recommendation to use?

 

I received my Grizzl-e Smart charger today. After a few hiccups, I was able to get it to working. The one that I received looks like it had already been used. The bolts were a little stripped already, the WiFi daughter card was not properly fitted to the motherboard, and there are a few small dings on the outside of the case. The cable and the connector both look to be in immaculate condition however.

If you don't have a server pre-set, then don't change the information at the bottom when you set up the WiFi for the first time. If you make a mistake in configuring it, you can unplug it, flip the #1 dip switch which is the reset switch, wait a minute, and then unplug it again and then plug it back in and try over. If you need to switch servers later you will need to repeat this process again.

Their website to configure the device is totally unintuitive and unrecommended by me. I will try to use an alternative app or website and report back if it's any better.

 

Skirmish: Gee, thanks for the precision? Fact is MY Grizzl-e IS the E Smart AND reportedly the older Grizzl-e chargers will supposedly be upgradable with a board replacement or add-on. So that actually makes your notes both correct and incorrect at the same time.

My point is that in many cases smart charging isn't exactly what I think we're after... as drivers who'd like a bit more color and stats on the charging process. At least in my case, I'm less interested in kwH rate optimizing because convenience tops price since under ALL my utility's rate scenarios the energy is less expensive per mile than an ICE in my area.

What I wish I had were more stats on and control of the charging process. United Charger's new Alpha chargers look like what I was after.... but having plunked $500 for the current unit, I'll just have to live without it. And y'know... I'll be fine.

 

No. AmpUp isn't a driver's app but a multi-station charging vendor's app. I got started with it, but deleted my station once it became clear that the whole purpose in setting up the app was to publicly sell charging. That's not my objective.

I think for a hotel or retailer this might make sense.

But for drivers who just want a charge, I'm using it as a dumb charger and it just works. It's ready to do more... but I'm not sure that's on Universal's DO-list.

 

Figures. I'll be trying to figure out how to properly set it up for scheduled charging over this weekend I guess.

 

Just installed the Grizzl E Classic non smart and it works beautifully. No problems at all. (If you buy non smart version through United Chargers website, you save on sales tax and have an option for a 5 year warranty.) I do not need a smart charger because the apps always have glitches. How many of us have issues when using the Electrify America application? Car Net provides me with all the information I need to know.

 

Has anyone with the Grizzl-e Smart got the online scheduler to work? I've tried to figure it out, but any changes that I make don't seem to have any effect.

 

I see there are a couple of folks on this thread trying out the Grizzl-e with the smart charger. Has anyone had luck finding an app that will allow for tracking kWh used in home charging sessions? I don't have need for TOU yet where I live--just want to track usage.

I have a Grizzl-e Classic, but I would like to track how much of my energy usage is going into charging the car. I'm wondering if I get the daughter card upgrade if there is an iOS app that will allow me to log my car charging energy use. I'm not interested in the charge sharing of the AmpUp app.

Alternatively, I might get one of these Shelly energy monitors and install it in the Grizzl-e box: Shelly EM Smart Energy Meter with WiFi Monitor Power Consumption Relay (1 X 50A) - - Amazon.com
I have used other Shelly products (Shelly 1 PM) and so I already use the Shelly app. I would prefer to use the Grizzl-e smart daughter card upgrade if there is a simple iOS app to pull out charing session information, but I'll see if I can set up the Shelly energy monitor if there's no good way to get charging session information from the Grizzl-e daughter card.

And speaking of the Grizzl-e daughter card, has anyone had luck getting that order as an upgrade to the Classic charger?

 

I've spoken with them and they say it can track usage, though I've got no more details than that. They also say the daughterboard will be available once the component shortage allows, which is understandable.