EvoCharge EV Charger Reviews
The good news for electric vehicle owners everywhere is that the EV market is quickly growing. This means that the range of electric vehicles available on the market is expanding along with the number of EV chargers you can choose from to make your day-to-day life easier.
Unfortunately, the downside of the rapid expansion of the EV charging industry is that it makes it a little more difficult for buyers to separate the truly high-performing home chargers from less impressive units.
That’s why, at EV-America, we’re committed to reviewing electric vehicle charging units ourselves, so you don’t have to!
Today, we’re going to review the highly-rated EvoCharge EV Charger, which was released in March 2018 and has continued to be a popular choice for EV drivers across the United States.
Keep reading to discover the pros and cons of the EvoCharge electric vehicle charger, complete with a feature-by-feature rundown of what this charger has to offer!
All About EvoCharge
Want to know whether a product’s worth buying? Your first port of call should be to do your research on the manufacturer.
Luckily, we’ve done this part ourselves to provide you with a larger picture of what the company represents and its reputation.
EvoCharge was founded in 2009 and is based in Los Angeles, California. The company’s market has always been EVSE (Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment), and the chargers designed and manufactured by EvoCharge have long been known for their superior cable management and Level 2 rapid charging.
Recently, in 2019, EvoCharge was acquired by the Thermal and Electrical industry giant Phillips and Temro Industries (or PTI for short). PTI has been established for over a century and is known for creating new, innovative, highly functional, and reliable electrical, heating, and cooling systems.
EvoCharge’s partnership with PTI has been very successful thus far, primarily because the mission statements of both companies line up incredibly well. PTI lists comfort, safety, reliability, and performance amongst its goals for its products, while EvoCharge prioritizes sustainability, reliability, and convenience.
Therefore, it stands to reason that if you’re in the market for an electrically efficient, environmentally friendly, practical, and user-friendly home charging station for your electric vehicle, EvoCharge X PTI is the way to go.
EvoCharge EVSE Level 2 Electric Vehicle Charging Station
Main Features
The first thing we want to mention about the EvoCharge EVSE is that it’s fully compatible with all existing EV makes and models. Of course, if you own a Tesla EV, you’ll need the Tesla adapter, but this is the case with all non-Tesla-brand charging stations.
EvoCharge’s EVSE charging station is also compatible with hybrid vehicles.
The extensive compatibility of the EvoCharge EVSE home charging station means that you don’t have to worry about whether or not it will work with your specific EV. Whether you own a fully electric vehicle or a hybrid, and whether it’s manufactured by Nissan, Chevrolet, Ford, Toyota, or Tesla, you can make the EvoCharge EVSE work.
Weatherproof Enclosure
In terms of its physical and external construction, the EvoCharge EVSE charging station is built for durability and prolonged outdoor use, although it can also safely be installed indoors.
The enclosure is rated NEMA-4, which means that it’s waterproof and suited to outdoor installation. The waterproof nature of the external casing means that the unit can withstand not only rain but also sleet, snow, and ice.
EvoCharge’s EVSE charger enclosure is low-profile and measures just 11 x 7.5 inches. That means it won’t take up too much wall space wherever you choose to install it and won’t protrude far enough to cause an obstruction.
The enclosure also has an impressive temperature range of -22 to 122 degrees Fahrenheit. This is crucial for a charger designed for both indoor and outdoor use because it minimizes the risk of overheating while ensuring that low outside temperatures won’t cause a system failure.
Rapid Level 2 Charging
The EvoCharge EVSE is a Level 2 charger, which means that it’s built for fast charging. In fact, this home charging station is able to charge electric vehicles at a much faster rate than standard Level 1 chargers – up to 8 times faster, to be exact.
Depending on the model of your vehicle, you can enjoy charging speeds between 25 and 35 miles per hour using this charger.
If you’ve been using Level 1 chargers up until now, the difference you’ll notice once you install the EvoCharge EVSE will be phenomenal.
Adjustable Amperage
Something else to mention on top of the rapid charging delivered by the EvoCharge home station is the adjustable amperage.
The EvoCharge EVSE can put out currents of 16 amps, 24 amps, or 32 amps, depending on your circuit rating. This further enhances the wide compatibility of the EVSE.
18/25-Foot Cable
You can choose to purchase the EvoCharge EVSE electric vehicle charger with either an 18-foot cable or a 25-foot cable.
In most cases, we would recommend investing in an EV charger with the longest possible cable, just to be on the safe side. After all, spending your hard-earned money on a home charger for your EV, only to find out that the cable isn’t long enough to reach your parking spot from your preferred charging area, would be very frustrating.
25 feet is long enough to cater to the vast majority of parking situations. With that being said, if you’re installing your new charger in a relatively small garage space and don’t anticipate needing to use it out of this range, the extra cable length might feel like more of a hindrance than a help. In this case, having the option to choose a slightly shorter (but still more than long enough) 18-foot cable is a major plus point.
Status Indicator Light
The main drawback to the EvoCharge EVSE (as opposed to the iEVSE) charger is the fact that it isn’t Wi-Fi-enabled. This means that you can’t connect it to an app to facilitate remote monitoring.
However, the difficulty in monitoring the status of your vehicle’s charge using the EvoCharge EVSE is mitigated by the presence of a status indicator light on the front of the charging station.
The EvoCharge EVSE’s status indicator light changes color to alert you to the charging status of your electric vehicle. Admittedly, this isn’t as convenient as being able to monitor its progress through your phone screen, but it does at least mean that you don’t have to check your battery status from your car.
Additional Features
NEMA 6-50 Plug
Included with the EvoCharge EVSE is a NEMA 6-50 plug that you can have installed by an electrician for a simple installation process.
Compared to a hardwire installation, a plug installation is much easier and cheaper. You won’t find yourself faced with such a large electrical installation bill, and you’ll also be able to unplug your charging station as needed.
With that being said, if you’d prefer to hardwire your home charging station, the EvoCharge EVSE can also be wired directly into your electrical system, so the choice is yours.
Mounting Hardware
We also appreciate that the EvoCharge home station comes with all the required mounting hardware to attach your charging station to the wall of your choice.
The provided mounting bracket is universal and easy to work with if you use the provided installation handbook to help you.
Plug and Cable Holster
As we mentioned previously, one of EvoCharge’s top priorities when it comes to the construction of EV chargers is cable management.
The plug and cable holster that comes with the EvoCharge EVSE allows you to securely and neatly tuck away the cable and plug of your charger for minimal mess and maximum space efficiency.
Final Thoughts
If you’ve been scouring the internet trying to find an EV charger with excellent cable management, rapid charging, wide compatibility, superior weather resistance, and an easy installation process, then scour no more! The EvoCharge EVSE home charging station might be perfect for you.
However, if you’re looking for a smart charging station that you can connect to an app on your phone and monitor from the comfort of your bedroom, you’ll need the iEVSE unit instead. This charger by EvoCharge has the option for Wi-Fi connectivity, but it’s much more expensive.
If you feel that you can live with monitoring your EV’s charging status in person using the indicator light built into the unit, though, you’ll have very little to complain about with the EvoCharge EVSE home charging station. The EvoCharge is a top EV home charger on the market. If you are researching the market, then check out the in-depth reviews of their upcoming competition below.
Read these other home charger reviews:
Morec Ev Charger Review
Blink Ev Home Charger Review
Grizzl-E Ev Charger Review
Megear Ev Charger Review
Juicebox Ev Charger Review
ChargePoint Home Flex Review
