So looking at the various options out there, you have so many choices! How on earth do you decide?
My criteria would be the following
- Tethered. I don't want to be going into the boot all the time.
- Smart. I don't want it to do loads, but I'd like some basic smart functionality. Especially if we move to a cheaper overnight rate.
- Cheap. I've spent considerably more on the car than I was planning. I'd rather not be spending a fortune on the charger (but stick with my I'd rather pay more than buy twice if you get the wrong one!)
- I'm a little concerned about the distance from my WIFI router, so a back up method of connectivity would be great.
- Aesthetics. Where as none of them would be described as attractive, I do need to attach this to my house! I don't want it to be pig ugly if possible!
So what would you recommend? Obviously this is for a UK installation, so might have different options etc. But thought it was worth an ask.
Tethered
Do you mean a mounted, sort of "permanent" box? Since you said boot, I'm assuming this means something that stays mounted all of the time, vs. something you connect/disconnect, store in your vehicle, no problems here, plenty of options.
Smart
Sure Easy enough, there's a lot of options here too, though many EVs have logic on the car side too (so you'd basically plugin all the time, and let the car sort it out). I'll list some of the goto/well regarded brands below (though you'll have to confirm their availability in the UK).
Cheap
Since EVs have become so popular, so have accessories, which have really driven down the price. There are a bunch of generics with good reviews, I started with one of these when we first got the 4xe, used it on a 30a (set to 24a) with an adapter, but when I moved to an actual dedicated circuit, I went with a higher end product (see below).
WiFi Distance
Don't know that there's a solution here, smart boxes are WiFi, they'll need connectivity, you'll have to deploy a NAP/extender if it's a little too far away.
Aesthetics
It's a box
I get it, we're very "design sensitive" to how things look around the house, but they're mostly just a white/black/blue box with a thick 16-24 foot cable. This is our actual installation on the (shorter) back wall of the garage:
That's a 240v/40a using an N6-50, and it's plugged into a 50a circuit with an N6-50 receptacle (though are US specs/standards)
A few other things you might want to consider:
Weather resistance
Power output
Cable length
Hardware vs. plug-in
Display
One thing that's just a clarification:
That device you hang on the wall is not a "charger" but an EVSE (it's pretty common to call it a charger), which is basically a power switch, some simple communication protocols and a specific car-side connector. The charger in this case is built into the car (more on this below).
When you charge at a Supercharger or any DCFC, that's DC Fast Charging and it's actually supplying DC power, and that bypasses the onboard charger.
Since an EVSE is continuous power over a long period, the standard here in the US is to not pull more than about 80% of the max load. So we use a 40a (max) EVSE plugged into our dedicated 50a circuit, which is why in the US you don't see consumer plug-in type EVSEs with more than 40a capacity (since 50a is the typical max consumer outlet spec).
Here's a chart:
As I understand it, the '21 i3 supports up to 7.7kW Level 2 charging, meaning a max of 32 amps. You could potentially install a higher capacity to future proof a bit (I say this knowing you said "Last car for a while .." just being thorough), and probably not any kind of significant extra cost, and you wouldn't have to do anything, the car/EVSE will negotiate the charge rate.
I believe the i3 uses the CCS1 spec plug, which is a combined plug, where the top connector is a J1772 (which will be on your home charger) and a DCFC which is the top part + the bottom DC part for fast charging. So for clarification, the chargers you'll shop are a J1772 connector.
Notable brands for the EVSE:
JuiceBox
ChargePoint
United Chargers Grizzl-E line have become popular, that's what we have the build quality is fantastic.
Then there's a bunch of mid-tier like LECTRON and dozens of brands that look the same, and are probably the same internally.