How to buy an electric-car charging station: buyer's guide to EVSEs

Size comparison of electric-car charging stations (EVSEs) on sale today, March 2016

Electric cars all come with a 120-volt charging cable that can charge the battery from a household socket if there are no other options.

But sooner or later, most battery-electric car owners will want a 240-volt Level 2 charging station that can recharge the car as much as four times faster.

Owners of plug-in hybrids with ranges below 30 miles may find the standard charging cable fine, but as plug-in ranges rise, they too may decide a charging station will increase their all-electric driving.

While 240-volt charging stations aren't complicated, there are many different options on the market.

You will likely need to hire an electrician, too, so some preplanning is in order to ensure that you get the right charging station and the installation goes smoothly.

First, be aware of a little bit of terminology. Modern electric cars have the actual chargers built into them.

So the unit installed on your garage wall is not actually a "charger," although it is commonly called that. The unit is also called an EVSE, for Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment.

If you're looking to install something to charge your electric car in your garage, carport, or elsewhere, a "charging station" or EVSE is what you want.

We've used both terms interchangeably throughout this article.

Circuit-breaker box showing 240-Volt circuit for electric-car charging station

Wiring

If you are going to hire an electrician to install wiring and the dedicated circuit that charging stations need, consider asking him to put one in that carries at least 50 amps.

It will likely only cost slightly more, but will save you significant money in the future if you end up with a future electric car that can charge at a higher rate than today's offerings.

Plugging in vs hardwiring

Many charging stations come with a 240-volt plug on them.

Others are set up to be permanently hard-wired, with either a "pigtail" (a wire with bare copper ends) or a knock-out panel where a wire will run into the interior.

Either approach works, but you should know the pros and cons of each before you press the "BUY" button.

2016 Nissan Leaf

Plugged in: Getting an EVSE with a plug means your electrician can install an outlet without having the actual charging station there, letting you install it later on your own.

It also means that if the EVSE ever fails, or you want to upgrade to a more powerful station (within the limits of your wiring), you can install a new one on your own.

The plug on the EVSE also serves as a “service disconnect,” potentially eliminating the need for a local sub-panel installation or a separate disconnect box that may be required by code if your main circuit box is not within sight of the EVSE.

The plug on the EVSE also allows you to quickly dismount it and take it to another location if you move or rearrange your garage.

Hardwired: A hardwired charging station that fails will require an electrician to come out once to remove the defective unit, along with a possible second visit to install the new one. The same scenario plays out for upgrading to a new unit.

On the other hand, hardwiring can yield a cleaner installation. There is no junction box or plug to clutter things up or interfere with wrapping the cord around the EVSE to store it.

In the end, there is no right or wrong approach (unless your local code specifically requires hardwiring). It is a matter of personal choice.

NEMA 6-50 plug in socket

Terminology

Not all EVSEs labeled "40 amps" are the same.  Some EVSEs are advertised that way because they are to be connected to a 40-amp breaker, although they actually only output 30 or 32 amps.

Other units are advertised as 40-amp because they output 40 amps, meaning they actually need to go on a circuit with a 50-amp breaker.

This confusion in labeling is partly the result of code compliance. For a device to be operated continuously for hours, it must operate at 80 percent or less of the maximum capacity of the circuit breaker and wiring.

Home EVSE From ChargePoint Now On Amazon

The electric vehicle (EV) charging network firm ChargePoint has released its first home charging station product — the ChargePoint Home — on Amazon.

The new home EV charging station is available for order on Amazon with a retail price between $499 and $749, depending on the specific specs chosen.

“Customers choose our stations for their reliability, connectivity and convenience. Now, EV drivers can access the power of ChargePoint from their own home,” stated ChargePoint CEO Pasquale Romano. “The future of our homes, our cars and our lifestyles will be smarter and more connected because of products like ChargePoint Home. This station is unlike any other on the market, and it will change the way people think about driving, home charging and smart energy management.”

Other features of the new charging station are: the ability to control operation of the station via a smartphone app; the ability to integrate the station’s operations with Nest products (energy use and cost tracking); tailored recommendations (based on the utility company used) concerning when to charge; and access to the ChargePoint network.

As one can probably guess, the higher-priced versions of the EV charging station are higher powered than the lower options. Individual configurations can be determined here (redirection to purchase options at Amazon follows on completion).

Here’s a basic overview of the options available:

• ChargePoint Home 12 EV Charger Bundle: 16 Amp Hardwire Station with 12′ cord: $499
• ChargePoint Home 12 EV Charger Bundle: 16 Amp Plug Station with 12′ cord: $549
• ChargePoint Home 25 EV Charger Bundle: 32 Amp Hardwire Station with 18′ cord: $649
• ChargePoint Home 25 EV Charger Bundle: 32 Amp Plug Station with 18′ cord: $699
• 
ChargePoint Home 25 EV Charger Bundle: 32 Amp Hardwire Station with 25′ cord: $699
• ChargePoint Home 25 EV Charger Bundle: 32 Amp Plug Station with 25′ cord: $749

Pike Research ranks ChargePoint, DBT as top EV charging equipment supply companies

The new Pike Pulse Grid for EVSE manufacturers. Click to enlarge.

Pike Research forecasts that global sales of electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 37% between 2012 and 2020 as the global market for plug-in vehicles (PEVs) grows, rising from less than 200,000 units sold in 2012 to almost 2.4 million units in 2020.

The market is also entering a new phase, Pike notes, in which companies will be less dependent on government-funded deployments and thus required to present an attractive return on investment for potential EVSE operators. In a new Pike Pulse report, Pike evaluates 14 electric vehicle charging equipment manufacturers, and ranks ChargePoint (formerly Coulomb Technologies) and DBT as Leaders as a result of their range of feature-rich EVSE offerings, current market share, geographic reach, and vision for competing successfully in the next phase of the EVSE market. (ChargePoint and DBT USA will showcase a joint EV charging station innovation at the 2013 International Consumer Electronics Show next week in Las Vegas).

However, Pike notes, at this stage in this market’s development, it is not clear what the most viable business models are. Pike also suggests that EVSE companies will have to keep enhancing their EVSE units, reducing the cost in order to successfully compete.

The 14 electric vehicle charging equipment manufacturers in this Pike Pulse report all offer Level 2 units to residential and commercial customers, with many also offering Level 1 equipment and DC charging.

To be included in the Pike report, the EVSE companies had to:

• sell EVSE units as individual products, not EVSE provided by an automaker with its PEV;
• be a manufacturer, not just a service provider that purchased hardware from other companies;
• manufacture Level 2 chargers—i.e., excluding companies that only provide DC fast chargers; and
• be offering Level 2 chargers in at least two top 10 PEV markets or one top 10 and at least three top 11-20 countries, as defined by Pike Research in its PEV forecasts. Pike top 10 PEV markets are: Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, South Korea, United Kingdom, and United States. Pike’s top 11-20 countries are: Austria, Australia, Belgium, India, Israel, Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and Switzerland.

The criteria for ranking were:

• Strategy: vision, go-to-market strategy, partners, production strategy and roadmap, technical innovation, and geographic reach.
• Execution: market share, sales and marketing, product performance and features, product portfolio and ecosystem, pricing, and staying power.

Based on the scoring on these criteria, Pike then ranks companies as Leaders, Contenders, Challengers, or Followers in the global market.

Leaders. Last year’s Pike Pulse did not include any Leaders. (Earlier post.) ChargePoint (formerly Coulomb Technologies) took the number one spot, joined now by DBT. Pike says that both companies have secured a significant level of market share, are operating in a range of critical geographic markets, are offering a wide range of feature-rich EVSE products, and demonstrate a focus on competing successfully in the next phase of the EVSE market.

Contenders. The majority of companies in the Pulse report were classified as Contenders. Contenders include many large conglomerates that have entered the EVSE space to complement their existing businesses: Eaton, Efacec, General Electric (GE), Leviton, Schneider Electric, and Siemens. These are companies that have not yet captured significant market share, but that score well in Strategy due to an ability to invest in product development and to leverage their existing distribution channels and power technologies, Pike suggests. These companies also tend to score well on Staying Power.

Other companies in this category are smaller and more focused on EVSE as a primary product: AeroVironment, Chargemaster, ClipperCreek, and ECOtality. Although these companies have initially captured higher market share than the majors, they lack the massive resources that will allow them to stay in the market even if it proves to be very slow growing, Pike cautions.

Challengers. Pike’s analysis found two Challengers: Legrand and Better Place. Legrand is just beginning to make a major play in this market and is focused more on the residential sector, while Better Place is a relative newcomer, having more recently started offering EVSE to complement its battery switching business.

Fisker Automotive selects EV Connect as exclusive EVSE services provider

EV Connect has entered into an exclusive services agreement with Fisker Automotive, makers of the Karma premium plug-in hybrid. Under the partnership, EV Connect will install and service electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) for Fisker Karma owners and 47 Fisker dealerships throughout the United States and Canada, providing electric vehicle (EV) readiness across the national network of Fisker retailers and buyers.

Before Fisker Karma owners leave the showroom floor, EV Connect will initiate the installation process for their Fisker-branded charging equipment for home or workplace charging. EV Connect’s automated system is fully integrated with Fisker Automotive’s CRM solution, jumpstarting the EVSE purchase order at the retailer.

EV Connect will serve as the turnkey infrastructure solution for Karma, shipping the charging equipment to the Karma’s owner, performing a home or workplace site assessment and installing the unit while taking care of all permitting requirements. EV Connect serves as the singular point of contact for the purchase and ongoing maintenance of all Fisker EVSE.

EV Connect provides turnkey electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure solutions for individuals, businesses and communities throughout North America.

Source: Green Car Congress

Leviton receives UL listing for Level 2 charging equipment

Leviton’s Evr-Green 160 Level 2 Home Charging Station has received Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL) Listing for Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) in the United States and Canada.

Slated to be available for purchase in mid-April, the charger is part of Leviton’s Evr-Green line of residential, commercial and public charging equipment. Evr-Green chargers comply with all industry standards, including the current National Electrical Code. Assembled in the United States, they also are backed by a three-year warranty, and are SAE J1772-compliant.

The Evr-Green 160 Level 2 Home Charging Station provides up to 16 amps at 240 volts AC (3.8kW output). It will be available in a patent-pending plug-in design and a hardwired version. The Evr-Green 160 is compatible with Leviton’s Evr-green Home Charging Station Pre-Wire System. The installation kit was UL-Listed in 2010.

Source: Green Car Congress