We are reviewing more and more electric vehicles, and the odds are good that this trend will continue. I have the all-electric Nissan Ariya this week and, of course, I had the beautiful Lucid Air Touring recently.
Over the past few years, I can’t tell you how much time I have wasted at public charging stations because I had to have battery range. My two closest Level 2 chargers are fairly close at a Cracker Barrel and another one at a CVS pharmacy.
The kicker is not just the time I spent while the car was charging, but if another car is charging when you get there, you have to wait on them to finish before you can get started. I had this situation with the Lucid. I waited an hour for someone to finish and didn’t have enough range to go somewhere else. I was stuck. Not to mention, it costs me on average $20 every time I went.
I finally said: Enough is enough. So, I went on mission to get a home charger. I quickly found out research online about chargers is as confusing as trying to get accurate information on cars.
Luckily, a loyal listener that is in this business reached out and offered to help. He assessed my needs and was extremely helpful in my decision to go with the BreezEV brand. He recommended the model S48, and that is what I went with.
I liked that it includes an 18-foot cord, has a 3-year warranty, and it is small and actually attractive. It is 48-amps, just shy of the 50-amp public chargers you pay for. The difference in amps is miniscule as far as the charging times. Best of all, it’s plug & play, no switches or knobs to mess with, just plug it in and leave it, the breezEV charger will adapt to the car.
Here are specs on this unit:
- Amperage can be adjusted to 48A, 40A, 32A, or 24A.
- Sleek, compact, rugged housing, IP65 & IK08 rated for indoor/outdoor use.
- Bracket for mounting to a wall or breezEV pedestal.
- 18 ft cable with J1772 connector.
- Incoming power cord with NEMA 14-50 plug.
- Includes holster and cable hook
- Simply plug and charge. No internet connection or software required.
- Ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) included for safe and easy wiring.
- 3-year warranty
Here is a :30 video on the product:
I know you are wondering about the cost, and it’s reasonable at roughly $500, depending on where it has to be shipped. I ordered it and received it in just three days.
My normal electrician I use came out to install it where I wanted it on a wall in my garage, so I placed it on a side wall and with 18-foot of charging cable, it will easily reach any car’s charging port, whether the port is in the front or rear, and no matter which side the port is on.
Like most of you will have to do, 240-volt wiring will have to be run to the charger. I ran the wire behind the wall where it did not show. It took two electricians roughly 3-hours from start to finish and the total charge was $800.
BreezEV does not sell direct to the public, they use distributors, which I liked because I like dealing with a human being, and like they did for me, can answer all your questions.
My contact is Chris Pickering, the Director of Renewables for Solera Solar and Breezev. Their website is www.led-llc.com and you can reach him at his office, (847) 380-3540. His email is cpickering@led-lic.com. BreezEV has a terrific website where you can see more choices of chargers, including Level 3 fast chargers, and get all the technical specs if needed. They are also super responsive:
As a consumer, I appreciated Marc’s rapid responses and straight-forward answers. If you are going to get a home charger, you can, of course, go with anyone you choose, but like me, you are going to find cases of shoddy information from some places, and even sales pressure.
I am beyond thrilled with my purchase. Now, my only regret is I did not do it sooner.
