EV Charging Station Buying Guide Return to buying guide overview I have evaluated the designs of various charging stations. I am going to be upfront that I do not have experience with all these stations. I will update this list as new models come onto the market. AV Aerovironment Aerovironment manufactures a compact 7.7 kw, electric vehicle charging station that is available in 15 foot and 25 foot cable lengths. We suggest staying away from the shorter 15 foot length as it restricts its use. Documents AV Product Brochure AV Operating Manual AV Turbocord 240 Volt This compact 240 volt station plugs into a dedicated 240 volt outlet, but is small enough to carry with you for traveling. Documents Turbocord Manual AV Turbocord Dual This interesting device in that it will dual charge at both 120 and 240. If you are looking for a traveling charger this is the one to get. The downside is this will not fit into a dryer jack so if you opt for this model you will still want to make an adapter to fit a dryer outlet. Documents Turbocord Dual Manual ClipperCreek ClipperCreek produces some of the most reliable electric vehicle charging stations on the market. Many of their early commercial electric charging stations from 2003 are still in service today. One huge benefit of ClipperCreek is most of their stations come with 25 foot long charging cords. HCS-40 This is a 32 amp model that provides up 7.7kW of power. This system requires a 40 amp circuit so make sure your service panel will not be overloaded. Prior to 2000, many older houses may only have a 100 amp service panel. If this is you then this may overload your panel. Do your homework before you commit to this station. While this system will function for all modern electric vehicles, it will not provide the higher 7.7 kWh feed for cars not designed to charge at this capacity. So therefore if you plug it into a Volt or other car that is set up for the 3.8 kWh charger it will only feed the lower amperage. If you are concerned about future proofing your install go with the model that is fitted with a NEMA 6-50 connector to support a 50 amp circuit. Although the station will not feed 50 amps into your car, it will allow you to install a higher amperage station in the future without having to revisit your wiring. You will have to install wiring to support a 50 amp circuit, but it might be worth the extra expense to you. Documents HCS40 Product Brochure HCS Installation Manual HCS-60 This station can charge at 48 amps, but most current electric vehicles cannot take advantage of the extra throughput. Few electric vehicles can charge at this amperage, so forking out the extra dough for this model might never payoff. It will still charge a Volt or your Leaf, it just won’t feed it 48 amps. Documents HCS60 Product Brochure HCS Installation Manual LCS-25 These compact units deliver 20 amps or 4.8 kW. These are kind of oddball units because most cars either accept 3.3 kW or 6.6 kW. However, it will work fine and charge a car capable of 3.3 kW without trouble. If you have a 6.6 kW capable car you might as well get a higher wattage station capable of supporting that. Documents LCS25 Product Brochure LCS25 Installation Manual LCS-15 This little 12 amp model puts out 2.9 kW which is under what most electric vehicles are capable of charging at. If you are going to the trouble of putting in an electric charging station go with something that deliver more amperage. Leviton EVB22 This is a 3.8 kWh charging station that provides the lowest Level 2 feed protocol. It requires a 20 amp circuit and will charge a Chevrolet Volt in about four hours. This charger would be well suited for Volts, early Leafs, Chevrolet Spark, Ford Energi, and Toyota Prius Plug-in. I do not recommend Leviton electric vehicle charging stations. This unit failed after 1.5 years. Rated for indoor or outdoor installation. Documents EVB22 Product Brochure EVB22 Installation Manual Leviton EVB32 This is a 7.7 kWH charging station that provides for twice the amperage of of EVB22-3. This system requires a 40 amp circuit so make sure your service panel will not be overloaded. Prior to 2000, many older houses may only have a 100 amp service panel. If this is you then this may overload your panel. Do your homework before you commit to this station. While this system will function for all modern electric vehicles, it will not provide the higher 7.7 kWh feed for cars not designed to charge at this capacity. So therefore if you plug it into a Volt or other car that is set up for the 3.8 kWh charger it will only feed the lower amperage. Rated for indoor or outdoor installation. I do not recommend Leviton charging stations as this unit failed within six months of installation. Leviton replaced the unit under warranty. Documents EVB32 Product Brochure EVB32 Operating Manual EVB32 Installation Manual Leviton EVB40 Leviton makes a 9.6 kWh charging station for the Rav4 EV. This high capacity charging station will only supply full power to a Rav4. The charge systems of other cars will downgrade to either 3.8 kWh or 7.7 kWh. This will work for other cars, but I do not suggest this unless you have a Rav4. This system requires a 40 amp circuit so make sure your service panel will not be overloaded. Rated for indoor or outdoor installation. Documents EVB40 Installation Product Brochure EVB40 Product Manual General Electric General electric makes the WattStation 7.7 kWh charging station. This large unit is rated for indoor and outdoor mounting. The large size allows for the cable to be wrapped around the unit. The problem with this unit is its large size takes up a lot of garage real estate. The station has bright colored LED's that illuminate showing the status of the system. Once nice feature of this station is it has the ability to turn off completely so it is not creating a phantom electrical load. Both of my Leviton charging stations have a tiny load when in standby mode that adds up to about $1 month. Not a lot, but annoying. Documents GE WattStation Product Brochure GE WattStation Fact Sheet GE WattStation Product Manual Bosch The Power Max line of charging stations come in 3.8 kWh and 7.6 kWh models. These units are rated for indoor and outdoor installation, and like the General Electric WattStation are large and allow for the cable to wrap around the unit. There is a downside to these units. At this time they are only offer hardwired models. The price is pretty low at $500 and $600, but the hardwired requirement is a real turnoff. Documents VersiCharge Product Brochure VersiCharge Product Manual Bosch also offers the Power Express line of stations that are compact and allow for either hardwire or plugin. Siemens The VersiCharge is a pretty nifty station with a lot flexibility. It allows for the amperage to be adjusted within the unit so if your house cannot support a full 7.2 kWh you can dial down the power. It can be hard wired mounted or use a NEMA 6-50 outlet. It also has a delay charge button so that you can delay charging up to 8 hours to take advantage of off-peaking charging. Most cars have this built in, but you can choose to use the charging station timer if you desire. This system also comes with a 20 foot cord which is a nice length. Documents VersiCharge Product Brochure VersiCharge Data Sheet VersiCharge Product Manual Return to buying guide overview