EvoCharge EV chargers have only been available for the past year or two, but in a short period have become one of the more popular EVSE available on Amazon.
So we decided it was time to get a few of the units to test out and offer our thoughts and ratings. EvoCharge currently offers three different residential models, as well as a commercial offering. We asked for and received the three residential units to test and review.
All three offerings have a NEMA-4 enclosure making them acceptable for indoor and outdoor installation, even in areas that get blowing rain and snow storms. The units are compact and have a digital display that shows the total number of kWh delivered to the vehicle over time. It doesn't however display the current power delivery in kW, something that we think was missing.
The three current offerings we reviewed are:
- EvoCharge EVSE 32: A 32-amp non-smart charger available with cable lengths of 18' and 25'.
- EvoCharge iEVSE 32: A 32-amp smart charger available with cable lengths of 18' and 25'.
- EvoCharge iEVSE 40: A 40-amp smart charger with a 25' cable.
The units are physically identical except for the connectors. EvoCharge needed a more robust connector to handle the extra power that the 40-amp unit delivers, and consequently, the connector is a better design, and better built in our opinion.
In fact, the connector for the 32-amp EVSE cracked during our connector drip test, while the connector for the 40-amp version didn't. The cables are the same and in both deep freeze tests, they performed poorly and were penalized in the ChargerRater scoring.
The tip of the connector used on the 32-amp EvoCharge units broke in our drop test. The 40-amp iEVSE employs a different connector that appears more robust and didn't break in our drop test.
The 32-amp and 40-amp iEVSE models are compatible with the EvoCharge app, and allow you to control the device with the app. You can start and stop a charging session, set a charging schedule to take advantage of lower off-peak charging rates, and view past charging sessions as well as your total weekly and monthly energy use.
The iEVSE models also have a feature called "plug and charge" (which is a bad name for the feature because it will certainly be confused with the other Plug&Charge that authenticates and bills for public charging). The feature basically locks the unit to your app and doesn't allow usage without authorizing it in the app.
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That's a nice feature for owners that live in apartment buildings where the charger can be accessed by the public. If plug and charge is enabled, the device will send power to the EV whenever it's plugged in. However, if it's turned off in the app, the owner needs to turn on charging within the app before any power can be sent, therefore eliminating unauthorized use.
The 32-amp units will deliver up to 7.7 kW which will add between 15 and 30 miles of driving range to your EV every hour of charging, depending on how efficient the vehicle is. The 40-amp version can deliver up to 9.6 kW, which increased the miles or range add per hour to between 20 and 40.
The 32-amp non-smart EVSE sells for $568.00 with an 18-foot cable, and $599.00 when ordered with the 25' cord. The 32-amp smart iEVSE can be purchased from the EvoCharge website or on Amazon for $659.00 with the 18-foot cable and $669.00 with the longer, 25-foot cord. The 40-amp iEVSE is only available with the 25-foot cord and retails for $699.00.
EvoCharge is currently running a special that discounts the 32-amp units by $30.00 and the 40-amp iEVSE by $50.00. We reached out to EvoCharge to ask how long the discounted pricing would last and were told they would remain in effect "for the foreseeable future".
The EvoCharge iEVSE 40 received a score of 85 on our ChargerRater, and a final score of 4.5 stars out of 5. They are pretty good units overall but could use a few tweaks to make them even better. We'd also like to see a higher-powered, 48-amp version offered, and definitely a better cable and connector.
Additionally, the display should show the real-time power delivery instead of accumulated kWh, or better yet, a way to toggle between the two. All of these complaints could easily be resolved and would make the EvoCharge an even better offering. However, even in its current form, we can add it to our recommended charger list, with the exception of those that need an outdoor installation in cold weather areas. The current cable becomes too stiff in outdoor cold weather applications for us to recommend it.
Source: State Of Charge