Which EV Charger did you get?

I need to get an EV charger for my house but don't know which one to buy. Just taking an informal poll to see which ones people bought for their homes? Also how easy was it to get the federal tax credit? I haven't looked into it yet but I just assume you write it off your taxes? Thanks!

Yes, you just write it off on your taxes. I can't remember last year's taxes. It was either a special form or a specific line.

I also chose the OpenEVSE 50A Deluxe kit but added the wifi module.

I did a lot of research, and came to the conclusion that it gave the best bang for the buck, and that I liked the idea of being invested in the equipment I was using to charge my car.

I also assume that if something breaks in it (non-catastrophic/total meltdown!) that I could replace parts in it due to its modular nature. If you're able to follow simple instructions and are at all handy, it's pretty simple to put together with just basic tools.

It took me about two hours of working meticulously to put it together. Worked without any trouble the first time I plugged it in. I used a 14-30 dryer plug on it, set the max current to 24A, and now it only takes 3 hours to charge my eGolf (vs the 12+ hours with the 120V charger that comes with the car.) When I get a dedicated circuit run to my garage, I'll be able to change to 40A and reduce my charging time even more.

I highly recommend it!

Probably the best selling unit out there is the Clipper Creek HCS 40P. It has a NEMA 14-50 plug on the end, you can take it anywhere you go, and plug in at RV parks, etc, also, in rural areas. 25ft cord, I believe, which is a very nice length of cord to have. The electrician would wire the outlet for a NEMA 14-50 outlet, with a 50 amp breaker, allowing 40 amps max continuous current, electrical 80% max of rated circuit breaker and dedicated end run load. If you buy an SE with the 7.x kwh charger option on board, or any SEL model, 3 hours at home on 240V should completely fill up the charge on your battery at 30 amps with this unit.

I have one, new in box, for sale. PM me if interested, it needs a good home. The unit I am selling is UL approved. That means if your house burns down from use of it, your insurance will cover the damage... not so with some of the kit units. Some utility companies are buggers about this, LADWP here in Los Angeles being one of them.

For the tax credit, see your accountant before 4-2017, and tell him you bought an electric car and qualify for the $7500 tax credit.

As much of a fan of Clipper Creek units as I am (I had an LCS-25 installed 3 years ago), one thing to keep in mind is I'm not sure if the timed charging issue with the eGolf and the Clipper Creek units has been solved yet. So if you need to use a timer on your eGolf to take advantage of a lower off-peak electric rate, or because you want it to shut off automatically before reaching 100% capacity, that might not be the best unit for you.

It's made in China, but the GE DuraStation unit at Home Depot I believe works fine with the timer. It's a 30 amp unit, but I believe it can be dialed down if for some reason you're not able to supply the full 40 amps normally needed from the main panel.

As for the tax credit for installing an EVSE, you claim this on IRS Form 8911.

There are many brands of charging equipment and I'm sure they all work about the same. There are some features that stand out like energy monitoring and reporting (JuiceBox Pro, ChargePoint Home, Clipper Creek w/JuiceNet), and some have had compatibility issues (Clipper Creek HCS series) with the e-Golf. The most important thing to figure out is what electrical capacity you have available. Are you trying to use an existing outlet? How much extra capacity does your electrical panel have?

If you have the capacity, I recommend installing a 240 volt, 50 amp circuit so that you can charge a future electric car at 40 amps (9.6kW). The e-Golf will only take either 3.6kW (15 amps) or 7.2kW (30 amps) today, but if you're paying someone to put in a new circuit, the cost for the heavier wire and larger breaker that would be useful for a future car with a bigger battery and onboard charger is a tiny percentage.

P.S. You can see the two EVSEs I have in my signature. They are both 40A because I have a car that can take advantage of it and I built the house with 2 50A circuits in the garage. Before I got the used Jesla, we charged the e-Golf on the provided 120V charging cord. The Leviton was available to top off the e-Golf in the morning in case the 120V didn't have enough time to finish the job.

I have the one in my signature. It works well for a 2016 SE with its slow 15 amp charger. I use the car to control charging times as the EVSE has no features beyond indicator lights. At $299 it was cheaper than many comparable second-hand units on craigslist.

Recommended only if you have an SE that you plan to own for a long time since most EVs can take advantage of more power.

Spektre said:

I also chose the OpenEVSE 50A Deluxe kit but added the wifi module.

Click to expand...

Do you mind explaining how to install the wifi module and the features it provides?

RonDawg said:

As much of a fan of Clipper Creek units as I am (I had an LCS-25 installed 3 years ago), one thing to keep in mind is I'm not sure if the timed charging issue with the eGolf and the Clipper Creek units has been solved yet. So if you need to use a timer on your eGolf to take advantage of a lower off-peak electric rate, or because you want it to shut off automatically before reaching 100% capacity, that might not be the best unit for you.

It's made in China, but the GE DuraStation unit at Home Depot I believe works fine with the timer. It's a 30 amp unit, but I believe it can be dialed down if for some reason you're not able to supply the full 40 amps normally needed from the main panel.

As for the tax credit for installing an EVSE, you claim this on IRS Form 8911.

Click to expand...

The timed charge was a module problem with early to mid 2015 e-Golfs. They replaced the part number, with a newer version in production and it's solved. It is NOT an issue with 2016 and later e-Golfs, just the early production model 2015's.

http://www.myvwegolf.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=829

JoulesThief said:

The timed charge was a module problem with early to mid 2015 e-Golfs. They replaced the part number, with a newer version in production and it's solved. It is NOT an issue with 2016 and later e-Golfs, just the early models.

http://www.myvwegolf.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=829

Click to expand...

Yeah, delayed charging has been flawless for me since then, including charging to a set percentage.

+1 hcs40p. Works great.