I’ve been searching for perfect home charger for the garage my rented townhouse and may have finally found one. It needs to be portable, it needs to not require a huge permanent installation, and it needs to fit the current rating of my existing 240V outlet.
Unpacking the ShockFlo 32 Amp Level 2 EV Charger I got here started with its sturdy carrying case. At first open I was delighted it came with an actual printed instruction manual, unlike the last charger I tried. It’s good documentation and answered all the questions I initially had about using it.
With the bubble wrap removed you can see it comes with a standard NEMA 14-50 240V plug and a 20-foot heavy duty cable. The charging head you plug into the car is an SAE J1772 standard which fits most all electric vehicles except for Teslas.
The actual head unit features a couple of buttons, one for the current setting which is hugely important – I’ll get to that in a moment. The second is for the charge time delay which can also be very important if you have a time of use program with your utility company. Also included is a wall mount holder.
The quality and fit of the unit seems to be pretty good. As I pulled the protective film from the control panel I was impressed with its tactile feel and robust construction. It does state in all of its documentation that it’s waterproof and features electronic protection for under and over charging, under and over current, and automatic shut-off. It is worth mentioning however that it is not yet currently UL listed in the United States.
Plugging it in and using it is quite straight forward. Because I am using my 240V dryer outlet to power the charger, the ability this charger has to select its current is key. My dryer circuit has only a 30 Amp breaker so I need to be able to set the charger at a safe level.
In such, this charger can be adjusted on the fly from 10 Amps all the way up to 32 Amps. You always want your setting to be about 20% less than your total circuit capacity, which in my case is exactly 24 Amps. All set.
As stated earlier you can also set a delayed start time if you have a program of a cheaper electric rate at certain times of day, allowing you to set up to 12 hours of delay before it starts drawing power and get to other things without worry.
Plug it in, and away it went. With the Genesis GV70 Electric I am testing this week, it’s adding to the battery at the rate of 5.5 kWh at the 24 Amp setting. For this car that means a full charge would be about 12.5 hours from 10%, or adding about 16 miles of charge per hour based on its EPA efficiency. You can actually see the charger’s performance on the screen including the rate of charge and cumulative charge added.
As always your charge times and miles added per hour will be faster or slower depending on what Amp setting you choose, the efficiency level and the battery size of your vehicle. It’s worth noting too that Shockflow also offers this charger in a 40 Amp model which can add up to 36 miles in an hour if you have a 50 Amp circuit to plug into.
The ShockFlo 32 Amp Level 2 EV Charger I have here retails for about $300 and can be found on Amazon. There are a lot of choices out there, some cost less and others cost more. For me the adjustability and quality of this one likely make it the last one I need to get.
