Mercedes-Benz Portable (Webasto Go) Charger Review

[amelen]

Just did a quick video for the Mercedes forum, but might be semi-relevant here. Take a look at the MB charger they are including with their cars. If you guys thought the Porsche-included one was bad, this one is 32AMPs, no screen or interface, flimsy bracket which is impossible to hang. No overheating issues yet like the Porsche one, but the Porsche one I used for 3 years without any issues, this one I put away and just left my back-up Mustart one for now.



Webasto sells it stand-alone too (separate from Mercedes including it), but I would 100% not buy it. For reference, this is the Mustart one in my video which has been my go-to backup charger: https://amzn.to/4f680sE. (you might have to copy/paste the link).

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[Scandinavian]

Just did a quick video for the Mercedes forum, but might be semi-relevant here. Take a look at the MB charger they are including with their cars. If you guys thought the Porsche-included one was bad, this one is 32AMPs, no screen or interface, flimsy bracket which is impossible to hang. No overheating issues yet like the Porsche one, but the Porsche one I used for 3 years without any issues, this one I put away and just left my back-up Mustart one for now.



Webasto sells it stand-alone too (separate from Mercedes including it), but I would 100% not buy it. For reference, this is the Mustart one in my video which has been my go-to backup charger: https://amzn.to/4f680sE. (you might have to copy/paste the link).

RTM!
You fixed the bracket upside down! And it should be fixed to the wall and then it works fine

 

[amelen]

RTM!
You fixed the bracket upside down! And it should be fixed to the wall and then it works fine

The wall has to be completely flat/flush with the plug (which means sticking out a little bit more then the actual outlet). And I tried the Mercedes Benz bracket in all possible ways, it just doesn't hold it well enough unless it's vertical and perfectly flush.

 

[amelen]

Found it on Amazon..

https://amzn.to/41vXHLH

Reviews seem just as bad as I thought, but for different reasons then I mentioned. Seems like many hang it without the bracket (first few pictures are that way). The main takeaway is that there are OEMs providing worse chargers then what Porsche providers At least the Porsche one was originally 40amps and came with an actual bracket.

 

[W1NGE]

Just did a quick video for the Mercedes forum, but might be semi-relevant here. Take a look at the MB charger they are including with their cars. If you guys thought the Porsche-included one was bad, this one is 32AMPs, no screen or interface, flimsy bracket which is impossible to hang. No overheating issues yet like the Porsche one, but the Porsche one I used for 3 years without any issues, this one I put away and just left my back-up Mustart one for now.



Webasto sells it stand-alone too (separate from Mercedes including it), but I would 100% not buy it. For reference, this is the Mustart one in my video which has been my go-to backup charger: https://amzn.to/4f680sE. (you might have to copy/paste the link).

Webasto are the same clowns that make the HV heater for the Taycan- we all know how that went!

 

[amelen]

Webasto are the same clowns that make the HV heater for the Taycan- we all know how that went!

Are they really? I'm surprised any OEM would have them make anything. I'm using my $150 4-year-old Mustart charger instead of the Webasto Mercedes one at this point, that's how bad it is.

 

[W1NGE]

Are they really? I'm surprised any OEM would have them make anything. I'm using my $150 4-year-old Mustart charger instead of the Webasto Mercedes one at this point, that's how bad it is.

Yep they are and also available on Ebay.

 

[whitex]

It's meant to be a mobile EVSE. 32A is standard for mobile ones for safety reason, you never know if the NEMA 14-50 you find during your travels is on a 50A or 40A circuit. Even 30A is allowed for NEMA 14-50 in North America, but drawing 32A will trip that so you just won't be able to charge, as opposed to if you plug in to a 40A circuit and draw 40A for 8 hrs, you violate the code, and can start a fire.

As a mobile EVSE, the bracket is an afterthought. You're probably better off 3D printing a bracket that fits your needs if you really want to affix it to the wall.

As a mobile EVSE, you don't really need a screen. a multi colored LED is all you really need for basic functionality. Most people are not geeks like us who want to know real time the voltage, current, temperature, etc. Most people just want to know if it's ON, if it's charging, or if it cannot charge for some reason (like overheating, or lacking ground).

Not saying this is a great one, because it's still larger than it should be (probably heavier too), and definitely overpriced. Honestly, best mobile EVSE I've ever used (and still use, with an adapter for the Taycan) is the Tesla one. I have the 40A version but the current ones are 32A for the reasons mentioned above (for a while they used to sell the 40A hardware, software locked to 32A). It's small, robust, just one LED strip. I even had one mounted (on a 3D printed bracket) in my garage which I used almost every day (was more convenient to use, as it was closer to the charge port than the hardwired EVSE I have) - worked for close to a decade, no issues.

Based on just information in this video, still a better option that Porsche/Audi one - looks smaller (so probably lighter), much cheaper, probably won't overheat either. I do wonder whether it comes with a thermal sensor in the plug (I sure hope so).

However, frankly, IMHO, EVs should not come with any EVSE included at all. People should buy EVSE's separately, to suit their charging needs (mounting options, esthetics, screens, cloud features to track statistics, scheduled charging, energy/load management/balancing, etc). I would have preferred Porsche give me $1,495 discount on the price of the car and keep their PMC+. When buying an iPhone nobody wants a crappy charger included with it - people already have chargers for their phone at home and in the car, they bought ones which suit their needs. Why should EV's be different?

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