Level 2 Charger Recommendations

[Boffingham]

Hello,

First post to this forum. I am looking into buying an i3 in the near future. With that in mind, are there any recommendations for a Level 2 charger for Canada? I have a 30 amp 220 Volt service that I want to split between my clothes dryer and the level 2 charger. Has anyone done this and what would be the recommendations. Thanks very much!

 

[eNate]

A device like a Splitvolt will handle your receptacle-sharing needs.

As for EVSEs, rather than suggest a brand (I installed a Clipper Creek, but there are a bunch of suitable choices), I only recommend you pick a reputable company who will be there to assist you if any problems arise.

The main choice you'll face is whether you want a EVSE with bells and whistles such as a wifi connection for monitoring and control from your phone, or if you prefer a "dumb" device with no foo-faa, just plug and charge. There's no right answer there specific to the i3, unless you're looking for the ability to remotely cut power to your i3 before reaching 100 (the i3 lacks a cut-off that's common on other EVs).

 

[agzand]

Since you are from Canada, Grizzl-e gets good feedback. They will set it internally for the max charging power based on your circuit.

There are at least three dryer plug splitters in the market, the original was Dryer Buddy, then Splitvolt and NeoCharge. I am not sure which one is better. I saw a coupon code for NeoCharge in some youtube channel.

 

[Boffingham]

Thank you both for the feedback, much appreciated!

 

[SSi3]

Highly recomment Canadian-made FLO
https://www.flo.com/drivers/single-home/

The G5 has a manually adjustable current if needed for ones install situation.

 

[tjsean0308]

ENate hits the big decision, smart or dumb. Do you need it to be WiFi and allow you to control the tariff charging times or are the car's built in timers enough? I had a dumb charger at first, but quickly got frustrated with the car's controls combined with my variable work schedule. I wanted the charger to control the black out period and the car to just take the juice as soon as it got it. Added bonus was I picked a ChargePoint which was the more common network for public chargers near me. That meant I got aggregated charging data for my home and public use all in one app, just a nice perk.

Check out Tom Moloughney on YouTube, he's one of the writers for InsideEv's and does an excellent job reviewing EVSE's. He even includes a severe cold temp cord test which I imagine would be interesting to you north of the wall.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4oXe6BofLEfQGuIT9a2djL5kVWZQZgTY

 

[brinton7]

+1 on Grizzl-e. I've heard good things about it.

 

[Egbert]

I just installed my Grizzl-e last week. So far, I love it. I purchased a 16A charger first- Morec- from Amazon, and was going to live with that. It would have been fine for my use- I commute 12-ish miles/day round trip, and a few close-by stores otherwise. I'd been living with the 120v Delphi that took 24hours from 3/8 charge level to full since I bought the car in Feb.
First test with the Morec, though- it got HOT when using it with 240v source. Its display shows internal temp, and it was ~140F when I tried it at 120v, but >160F when moved to 240v. I couldn't get it to slow down either when selecting Reduced rate in the car, either- 16A no matter what. So, I returned it and spent the extra for the Grizzl-e.

The 32A rate is very nice! I feel spoiled- 3/8-to-full in just over 3 hours. It seems built like a tank, barely above ambient temp to the touch after charging for a few hours. The J1772 plug is more substantial as well. I'm happy overall- it will be useful when the next EV enters the garage.