Is it true non-Bosch level 2 chargers can be problematic?

[jiveman]

Hi! Just recently got my first EV, and it's a 2017 e-Golf. So far loving it, but don't have a level 2 charging station at home yet.

So... I called a couple of electricians who listed as doing EV charging station installations on their websites. One of them offers Bosch Power Max 2 through them. They also said that they've seen issues with other brands (like JuiceBox) when it comes to e-Golfs, since "Bosch is OEM for Volkswagen..." Seemed a little fishy to me, and brand-centric (maybe they have a deal with VW/Bosch or something). They also said that non-OEM charging stations might report 100% charge, but the car isn't actually charged, while the Bosch units seem more accurate and "rock solid" and they supposedly haven't had to fix any.

I don't really have a problem going with Bosch if the price is right, but seems like I might be able to go a little cheaper if I buy another brand myself. The electrician quoted $650 for a Bosch Power Max 2 40A charging station (just the purchase price for the unit), + $900 for new 40A circuit for labor and materials (they have to do a far run to the electrical panel in the crawl space underneath the house in order to get a 240V outlet all the way to the garage). This is in San Diego, California.

I'm mainly interested in whether or not there is any truth to Bosch units being any "better" for the e-Golf, at all. And I'd appreciate any pointers about other lessons learned regarding e-Golf and home charging station installs at home. I've been reading on the forum and I see a lot of people like and advocate for Clipper Creek and JuiceBox.

Thanks!

 

[f1geek]

B.S. If the car charging system is designed to the J1772 standard and the charging station is designed to the J1772 standard, then I doubt there will be problems. Juicebox, Clipper Creek ( I have one), Chargepoint, G.E., Bosch, Aerovironment, are all decent. Yes, I 'm sure there can be individual cases of problems, but I suspect it's very rare. I would be sure you station is UL (or equivalent) listed (not CE - that means nothing as far as safety is concerned) and most likely stay away from the Chinese knockoffs. I did have a problem with delayed charging in my 2015 e-Golf using my Clipper Creek, but that's because VW screwed up. After VW replaced a module (free of charge), it worked fine. I'm sure all 2017s work just fine with Clipper Creek .

 

[jiveman]

OK, great, good to know! Thanks for sharing your experience.

 

[Rsolaregolf]

Hi! Just recently got my first EV, and it's a 2017 e-Golf. So far loving it, but don't have a level 2 charging station at home yet.

So... I called a couple of electricians who listed as doing EV charging station installations on their websites. One of them offers Bosch Power Max 2 through them. They also said that they've seen issues with other brands (like JuiceBox) when it comes to e-Golfs, since "Bosch is OEM for Volkswagen..." Seemed a little fishy to me, and brand-centric (maybe they have a deal with VW/Bosch or something). They also said that non-OEM charging stations might report 100% charge, but the car isn't actually charged, while the Bosch units seem more accurate and "rock solid" and they supposedly haven't had to fix any.

I don't really have a problem going with Bosch if the price is right, but seems like I might be able to go a little cheaper if I buy another brand myself. The electrician quoted $650 for a Bosch Power Max 2 40A charging station (just the purchase price for the unit), + $900 for new 40A circuit for labor and materials (they have to do a far run to the electrical panel in the crawl space underneath the house in order to get a 240V outlet all the way to the garage). This is in San Diego, California.

I'm mainly interested in whether or not there is any truth to Bosch units being any "better" for the e-Golf, at all. And I'd appreciate any pointers about other lessons learned regarding e-Golf and home charging station installs at home. I've been reading on the forum and I see a lot of people like and advocate for Clipper Creek and JuiceBox.

Thanks!

Our 40A Clipper Creek works fine with our 2015 SEl. No problem ever

 

[JoulesThief]

I run an emotorwerks 40 amp JuiceBox Pro. Going on 3 years now, no problems, ever. Works great with timed charges on my 2015 SEL. You've been fed a story line, pass on using that electrical contractor.

 

[jiveman]

Thanks, yeah, I had a hunch they were BS-ing.

I like the sound of JuiceBox Pro 40. Going for $579 on Amazon right now, with WiFi. Is that a good price?

Come to think of it, I really only need an electrician to install a 240V outlet over a 40A (or maybe 50A) circuit. I can mount the charging unit myself and plug it in easily enough. Right?

 

[miimura]

Thanks, yeah, I had a hunch they were BS-ing.

I like the sound of JuiceBox Pro 40. Going for $579 on Amazon right now, with WiFi. Is that a good price?

Come to think of it, I really only need an electrician to install a 240V outlet over a 40A (or maybe 50A) circuit. I can mount the charging unit myself and plug it in easily enough. Right?

Yes, just pay the electrician for the 50A circuit and NEMA 14-50 outlet. You can do the rest.

 

[GlennD]

I had no problems charging with my OpenEVSE. I think that any J1772 EVSE will work fine. The electrician has a vested interest in pushing the Bosch. I am sure it works fine but at what cost?

I build OpenEVSE units and I built two very basic JuiceBox EVSE's. As far as I know they are still working fine but I prefer the OpenEVSE units. I like the display and menu structure better that using the internet. That was a couple of years ago and I do not know what cars they were used for.

 

[jiveman]

Thanks, good to know. I've gone ahead already, though, with Juice Box Pro 40 with WiFi. The reviews are good, price is better than the lower powered Bosch through the electrician, and it's well regarded here on the forum, too. Seems like a no brainer.

I decided to use the same electrician to install the outlet, as his price was better than two other quotes I received.

Thanks all! Looking forward to having a Level 2 charger at home! Will just have to be conscientious about electricity usage, as prices are high here in San Diego. Plus they have this multi-tier system, such that your rates go double if you use more than a certain amount of electricity. They're slated to go to a time-of-use system, but my understanding is that there will still be per-usage tiers on top of that. We'll see.

 

[tbier]

It’s been work, but I haven’t had to plug into my EVSE for two months now. Even though I’m only paying $0.08 per kWh I’m always looking for a free plug. My first 5,000 miles on my 2017 has cost me less than $15.

I’ve got Areovironment 32 Amp L2 that came with our Pacifica. Wired it into my panel for $80. It works great on the eGolf at a full 7.2 kWh.

 

[jiveman]

...I’m only paying $0.08 per kWh ....

:shock:

$0.22 / kWh in San Diego, and that's off-peak.

but I hear ya. I'm also looking for free whenever I can. There is a VW dealership with a free Chargepoint station near my house, so I do go there occasionally. But it's hard to manage all that with a busy schedule. My guess is that I'm going to combine home charging with free charging whenever I can, to balance it out.

Still cheaper than gas in CA.

 

[GlennD]

Thanks, good to know. I've gone ahead already, though, with Juice Box Pro 40 with WiFi. The reviews are good, price is better than the lower powered Bosch through the electrician, and it's well regarded here on the forum, too. Seems like a no brainer.

I decided to use the same electrician to install the outlet, as his price was better than two other quotes I received.

Thanks all! Looking forward to having a Level 2 charger at home! Will just have to be conscientious about electricity usage, as prices are high here in San Diego. Plus they have this multi-tier system, such that your rates go double if you use more than a certain amount of electricity. They're slated to go to a time-of-use system, but my understanding is that there will still be per-usage tiers on top of that. We'll see.

The JuiceBox seems to be good. I do not like smart phone apps. I always install metering on my EVSEs. To me I would rather walk up tho the unit and read it. My Bryant thermostat can be read and set through a smart app. Again I live alone and I have no need for remote settings.

OpenEVSE has RAPI and many use it through the internet. Chris even runs a GUI site. I totally ignore the bells and whistles. I just want a basic unit that works every time.

 

[GlennD]

Tell your electrician that you have an RV and that you need a 14-50 outlet installed. Saying it is for an electric car is a good way to pay top dollar.

 

[RonDawg]

[Our 40A Clipper Creek works fine with our 2015 SEl. No problem ever

Are you able to fully use the timer charging functions? The eGolf's timer, at least for 2015 models, for some reason doesn't work well with Clipper Creek units, and one person here had to have something replaced under warranty in order for his to work as intended.

 

[Rsolaregolf]

[Our 40A Clipper Creek works fine with our 2015 SEl. No problem ever

Are you able to fully use the timer charging functions? The eGolf's timer, at least for 2015 models, for some reason doesn't work well with Clipper Creek units, and one person here had to have something replaced under warranty in order for his to work as intended.

Our electric coop doesn't offer off peak rates so we don't use that feature as we are 100% solar but grid tied. We just plug it in when we get home and unplug it when we leave.

 

[RonDawg]

[Our 40A Clipper Creek works fine with our 2015 SEl. No problem ever

Are you able to fully use the timer charging functions? The eGolf's timer, at least for 2015 models, for some reason doesn't work well with Clipper Creek units, and one person here had to have something replaced under warranty in order for his to work as intended.

Our electric coop doesn't offer off peak rates so we don't use that feature as we are 100% solar but grid tied. We just plug it in when we get home and unplug it when we leave.

My local utility doesn't either (well, they do but there's no price advantage off-peak) but the reason I would like it to work with my car is so I can set the charge level to something less than 100%. On the 2015's anyway, you have to use the charge timer to do that. This is both for longevity (especially in summer) as well as the fact that I live in a hilly area and almost all of my drives start off downhill, so I'd like regen braking from the start. Right now I have to unplug the car or use CarNet to stop charging early if I want to keep it from going all the way to 100%.

Another member PM'd me how he had it done, I'll do it at the car's 20k service (assuming I keep the car, which is a 90% possibility). I tried it at my local dealer but they claimed it was "working properly."