Choosing the right Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) for your home 🏡 can be tough, so Juicy Power wrote this guide and created the ChargeConnect EVSE selection wizard to make choosing and installing an EV charger easy! As it turns out, the right charger (EVSE) for you may depends on several variables, including: how often you drive, how far you drive, how much energy your car needs each morning, how many cars, indoor vs. outdoor parking, and more! In the next 5 minutes, we'll help you understand each types of charger, & we will help you narrow down which one fits your home/lifestyle best!
First, let’s talk about what types/levels of home charging are available. In North America, there are three (3) main home EV charging options that we recommend
A Level-2 220-volt EVSE (Charging Station / Wall Connector).
A Level-2 220-volt NEMA 14-50 Outlet.
A regular 110-volt NEMA-5-15 🔌 Outlet (Level 1).
While we explain how to choose the best EVSE in the paragraphs below, you can also use Juicy Power's ChargeConnect selection wizard, HERE, to automatically select which charging solution could work for your home.
Fast Level-2 EV Charging (Charging Stations / Wall Connectors)
The fastest available in-home charging options are 220V L2 EVSEs (Charging Stations / Wall Connectors). Some home EVSEs can pull up to 80 Amps @ 220V, adding up to 30-50 miles of range per hour. This means, you could conceivably “fill up” from an empty battery to a full charge in around 5-8 hours, depending on your vehicle’s battery 🔋 size.
L2 EVSE (Charging Station) installations can cost around $700-$2500, including equipment and labor. These L2 home EVSEs are great if you drive long distances/commutes frequently, charge multiple EVs, want to home-charge quickly, like a clean aesthetic look, or just want a premium, wi-fi connected, smart-charging solution.
Level-2 EV home charging stations come in 2 types:
Tesla-branded, or
Universal
Tesla-branded EVSEs
For Tesla-owners, Tesla home Wall Chargers will usually charge Tesla vehicles at a slightly faster rate than 3rd party EVSEs. You can see the Tesla home wall chargers' charging speed rates here. In addition, if you own a Tesla, there is no need to use an J-1772 adapter to charge. On the other hand, you can still charge a non-Tesla vehicle with a Tesla Wall Charger; you will just need to buy an adapter to make it work! You can pick an J1772-to-Tesla adapter up here!
Universal EVSEs
Conversely, Universal home EV charging stations all come with an attached J-1772 plug, and can charge any EV; so that’s good you plan to charge other, non-Tesla EV brands at home. If you own a Tesla, you'll need an adapter to use a universal charger's J-1772 plug. If you don't have one, or need to pick up an extra one, you can pick one up here!
Which L2 is Best?
So, which L2 home EVSE is right for you? Below, we list some of our favorites, but we strongly recommend using Juicy Power's FREE ChargeConnect selection wizard to automatically narrow down the choices before deciding on an EVSE purchase. It can also match you with one of our trusted, licensed, and qualified electrical installer in your area for a lower price! Click to use the ChargeConnect selection wizard, here!
ChargeConnect’s Top L2 EVSE Fast Charger Picks:
Wallbox Pulsar Plus Level 2 Electric Vehicle Smart Charger - 48 Amp Hardwired (Best all-round value and low profile universal charger)
ChargePoint Home Flex EV Charge (Premium EVSE, High-current 48-50A Charging)
JuiceBox 40 Smart Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Station with WiFi (Great App, Gets you a solid 40A)
Morec 32 Amp EV Charger Level 2, NEMA14-50 25ft 220V-240V Upgraded (Budget 32A Portable Travel Charger, requires a NEMA 14-50 outlet)
MEGEAR Level 2 EV Charger (240V, 16A, 25ft), Portable EVSE Home Electric Vehicle Charging Station with NEMA 14-50 Plug (A good budget choice for quickly charging PHEVs (plug-in hybrids), requires a NEMA 14-50 outlet)
Highest-power EVSE for Teslas
Semi-Fast Level-2 EV Charging (NEMA Outlets)
One very popular, economical, recommended Level-2 charging option utilizes the NEMA 14-50 outlet. A NEMA 14-50 outlet can pull up to 40 Amps @ 220V. This often means you can still charge your modern EV easily overnight, adding about 22-30 miles of range per hour.
Also, your home may already have a NEMA 14-50 outlet near your intended parking spot, since some appliances (like electric dryers) use them. If so, you might consider using your existing NEMA outlet for charging. However, if you don’t have an existing outlet a new NEMA 14-50 installation typically costs $300-700 to install (including required parts, adapters, labor). As such, NEMA 14-50 outlets can give you fast, Level-2, EV charging speeds at a budget-friendly price.
In addition, NEMA 14-50 outlets usually are compatible with all electric vehicles (Tesla and non-Tesla) if the driver has an L2 travel charging cord with a NEMA 14-50-compatible plug. As of 2022, more EV manufacturers started not including this cord/plug with vehicles, so if you don't have one, you can pick one up here (Tesla owners may need an attachment, available here)!
IMPORTANT: If you're going to install a NEMA 14-50 outlet, ensure that it is industrial-grade. Regular NEMA outlets are not usually designed for frequent unplugging, and are susceptible to malfunctions/breakage if you plan to take unplug your cord from the outlet frequently. Industrial grade NEMA outlets are made of sturdier and more durable materials that can withstand more unplugging cycles. You can pick up an upgraded Industrial Grade NEMA 14-50 outlet, here!
ChargeConnect’s NEMA 14-50 Outlets and Picks:
Industrial-Grade NEMA 14-50 Outlet
Budget-minded semi-fast charging solution for BEVs
Morec 32 Amp EV Charger Level 2, NEMA14-50 25ft 220V-240V Upgraded (Budget 32A Portable Travel Charger, requires a NEMA 14-50 outlet)
Lectron J1772 to Tesla Charging Adapter 60 Amp / 250V AC - Compatible with SAE J1772 Charger (Black)
Needed for Tesla Conversions
Lectron [Only for J1772 EVs] Tesla to J1772 Charging Adapter, Max 48A & 250V
Needed for Non-teslas to use Tesla L2 EVSEs
Level-1 EV Charging (Trickle Charging)
Guess what! The same regular household 110V outlet you use to charge your smartphone can be used to charge your vehicle! This method is called Level-1 (trickle) EV Charging. This 110V household outlet is technically known as a NEMA 5-15 outlet. Level-1 is the slowest version of EV charging. Level-1 (trickle) charging is typically about 5x slower than Level-2 charging. For every hour the car is connected to a 110V (Level-1) outlet, you can expect to receive 2-4 miles worth of drivable charging energy per hour.
Older (2021 and earlier) EVs typically come with a travel charger cable that can use this standard 110V household outlet plug, but the newer EVs (2022+) might not. As a result, check if your car has a travel charger cable with a NEMA 5-15 plug included. This is the cheapest option (no installation or purchases needed), but your car will charge very slowly (e.g. a full charge from 0% can take several days). However, an L1 solution may be all you need if you drive less than 30 mi/day & can reliably charge your car nightly. This is often OK for PHEV (plug-in hybrid) owners or infrequent BEV drivers.
Finally, Regular household 110V NEMA 5-15 outlets are usually compatible with all electric vehicles (Tesla and non-Tesla). If desired, you can pick up an L1 travel-charger cable, here!
Summary:
As you can see, there are lot of EV charger options to choose from, but Juicy Power can help! If you’re interested in a Level-2 home EV charging station or a NEMA outlet, we can help you choose a great one for your situation. Use Juicy Power's ChargeConnect charging solution selection wizard to choose the right charger by simply answering a few questions & taking a few photos. At the end of this quick wizard, we help you choose the right station and local electrician/installer for your needs. To use the ChargeConnect selection wizard. Click HERE.
Alternatively, our recommended list of best L2 EVSEs can be found HERE.
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