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What Level 2 charger do you recommend

iam-s-Hon

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what’s the rationale for only charging at 24amps?
1- going much higher, plus rest of my regular house usage, can exceed what my solar panels produce thus I incur higher peak electric rates during the day. I can finish topping up overnight or the next sunny day depending on my driving plans.
2- lower amps puts less stress and heat on the whole electrical system from panel to battery than at the full 40amps

i‘ve found I don’t need a full battery in 2-3 hours. When I return home from a trip w <10% SOC I can let the charge take all night. I use the full 40 like when I forget to plan ahead and want to leave with 100%
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RickKeen

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The biggest complaint that people seem have [Re the Emporia] is the diameter and weight of the cable and the adapter holster but that is supposed to be updated in future versions.
I ignored the provided holster and just loop 3 wraps of the cable over the unit itself (which seems to be designed for that).
 

G-Zeus

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Best option is the free/subsizied one you get from your utility, if they have a program for that. Mine offered the ChartPoint one, I had mixed feelings about that company... but I do like that it has a holder where I plug in the charging head so it doesn't just dangle around and fall. I'm not a cable winder and don't want to spend the time to roll up the cable and neatly place it on some hangar. I like that I can just unplug the truck and then plug into the charger unit. Done.
 

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gheron75

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I highly recommend the Grizzl-E 40 amp wall charger. We had it hardwired on the outside of our house 3 years ago, and we regularly charge two EVs, and it has always worked perfectly. One thing to keep in mind-- it's not a smart charger, but we didn't need one. However, they have smart chargers if you're looking for one.
 

FreshDaddyE

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All of these are probably great recommendations.

I've used this one daily for a year now with zero issues...

Amazon.com: AMPROAD iFlow P9 EV Charger Level 2, 10 to 40 Amp, 110-240V Universal EVSE, Versatile for Portable & Wall Charger (NEMA 14-50, 25 Feet Cable) : Automotive

The price was right and I went with a NEMA 14-50 option inside the garage next to the door so I could run the cord outside and keep connections sheltered.

I also only have a 200 amp service to the house and a full panel thanks to a lot of woodworking gear so a hard-wired mega-charger was out of the question for me.
 
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Pod

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I second that…the AmpRoad charger is great. Use it regularly.
 

Gman

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I've been using the Emporia charger for about 6 weeks and find it works as advertised but I don't have anything to really compare it to. It charges at the advertised 48 amps/ 11 kw. It comes with a NEMA 14-50 plug already attached that allows up to 40 amps / 9.6 kw. It's easy to convert to a hardwired arrangement to get the full 48.

The biggest complaint that people seem have is the diameter and weight of the cable and the adapter holster but that is supposed to be updated in future versions. I hang my cable on handlers from the ceiling so it doesn't affect me. The adapter hangs right beside the charge port.

I also use the Emporia home energy monitor so it ties right in to that.

Jetfixr1 indicated that he wants to upgrade to 80 amps which is great for his 2023, but 2024s can't handle that high an AC feed as they don't have the dual on-board transformers.
I have the Emporia charger as well and really like it. The charger cord is thick but after using it for several months it is not an issue anymore. Like you I also have the Emporia home monitor system which works great for tracking energy consumption and the charger integrates nicely. I keep the supplied Ford charger in the frunk when traveling out of town when visiting friends and family. I highly recommend.

Ford F-150 Lightning What Level 2 charger do you recommend EmporiaCharger
 

strahanjen

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I would second the suggestion to check with your power company. They may be able to offer discounted electricity for charging with some chargers that they support.

Outside of that, I really like the Emporia. Comes in J1772 or Tesla versions. I am assuming either version could charge the other type of vehicle with the appropriate adapter (but you should confirm that if that is something you need). I just have the J1772 version for my Lightning.

I like that it integrates with my Emporia home electrical usage monitor. Also cheaper than the Tesla universal charger.
+1 for checking with your power company. Ours offers off peak charging from midnight to 6am for only 3.8 cents per kwh, but we have to have the Charge point home flex and a strong wifi signal to the garage so the charger can transmit data back to the power company. They also have an option for renting the charger and they will install and maintain it. I bought ours, however.
 

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htobin

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The one that came with the truck works fine for me at 220 V but, for some strange reason, doesn’t work at all at 110 volts
 

RickKeen

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With my Emporia, I just loop the cord over the top of the unit. Mounted on the wall at back of garage between the two stalls.
Ford F-150 Lightning What Level 2 charger do you recommend 1733066961054-w2
 

spacepirate

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Another vote for the ChargePoint Home Flex and especially for checking with your power company.

My power company (Eversource CT) gave me a $500 rebate for the charger, almost exactly what I paid for it, and an additional $1k for having it professionally installed. I also get a small discount on my monthly bill for charging during off peak hours. In a 100% electric house every little bit helps :-/

I'm running it on a 40A breaker with 32A rate limit because it replaced an older charger that was already using the same circuit.

Edit: Adding photo since we're apparently doing that too.
Ford F-150 Lightning What Level 2 charger do you recommend ChargePoint Home Flex Charger - Copy
 

pullinggs

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what’s the rationale for only charging at 24amps?
As a matter of course, there is no down side to charging at 24A. Charging at that rate, the truck is ready at just about the same time I am.

Without any data to back this up, my intuition tells me that running everything at redline all the time can't be a best practice. At the very least, you will generate more heat (and thereby loose efficiency) without any positive return.

What's the rationale for charging at anything higher?
 

Jseis

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As a matter of course, there is no down side to charging at 24A. Charging at that rate, the truck is ready at just about the same time I am.

Without any data to back this up, my intuition tells me that running everything at redline all the time can't be a best practice. At the very least, you will generate more heat (and thereby loose efficiency) without any positive return.

What's the rationale for charging at anything higher?
During the winter we get powerful wind storms that can knock power out for an hour, 12 hours, 24 hours, at worst 3 days. While there’s no predicting when, there’s a justification for shorter charging periods as a strategy to keep more KW stored for power outages. So I charge to 85% to cover my winter daily burn (about 40 KWh) plus “some“ for the house. We do get advance warning of such storms, usually 24 hours in advance so strategically there’s time to get the truck’s charge up to power the house.
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