Need Advice: Best EV Charger for Harsh Climates

[WasserGKuehlt]

Dipped all of it in a frozen lake? Unit, cable, J1772 plug?

Unit, and I admit this is a bit less spectacular than it sounds like:

Still, seems to be sturdy enough for owners of light tracked vehicles?

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[whitex]

Unit, and I admit this is a bit less spectacular than it sounds like:

Still, seems to be sturdy enough for owners of light tracked vehicles?

Ok, so this proves that after driving over the box (not cable or plug) with a light tracked vehicle on snow, then splashing it around in an approximately 1” deep puddle of lake water, then defrosting it overnight in a warm car, it will work in a warm garage. Did I hit all the points?

 

[whitex]

I have heard the same and would definitely steer clear of the Grizzl-E "Smart" units. They seem to be problematic both in hardware and software. Autel is a good choice and a good value.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Grizzl-E just a commercialized OpenEVSE?

 

[gryphon99]

Is the Grizzl-E powder coated aluminum? I'm worries about the aluminum corroding in the salt air. I left a can of paint outside once and it corroded within a day or two.

 

[daveo4EV]

clippercreek - proven rugged and stellar reputation in the EV community.

 

[Archimedes]

My JuiceBox 40 is outside in the coastal air here in California with zero issues. Hardwired with a weatherproof connection box. Everything rusts here but the charger still looks like new after two years. Has withstood brutal storms as well, but we don’t get much of any freezing temps.

While I have no first hand experience owning Clipper Creek and I hear they’re great, every one I’ve seen out in the wild used as a destination charger has looked trashed.

 

[WasserGKuehlt]

Ok, so this proves that after driving over the box (not cable or plug) with a light tracked vehicle on snow, then splashing it around in an approximately 1” deep puddle of lake water, then defrosting it overnight in a warm car, it will work in a warm garage. Did I hit all the points?

Nope, you’re dead wrong - the car was outside when the he plugged in the .. charger, which was, uh, in the warm garage… okfine .

But I think the point of the test was that the enclosure remains watertight after some mild abuse. I’d think keeping the unit outside in freezing conditions would be less of a challenge.

 

[jvincent]

Is the Grizzl-E powder coated aluminum? I'm worries about the aluminum corroding in the salt air. I left a can of paint outside once and it corroded within a day or two.

I'm not sure, but the coating is very durable; passed my accidental drop test on garage floor without chipping.

I would recommend State of Charge, Tom Maloughny's YouTube Channel. You won't find a more exhaustive (and exhausting) review of EVSE's. Here's a link to the playlist:

State of Charge EVSE Review Playlist

 

[jvincent]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Grizzl-E just a commercialized OpenEVSE?

Does the Grizzl-E use controller architecture and software sourced from OpenEVSE? Maybe. According to the OpenEVSE website: "Today, OpenEVSE powers charging stations from many manufactures all over the world."

I built an OpenEVSE Advanced from a kit for a friend's business. Compared to Grizzl-E, internals are very different, case is not nearly as suited for outside use, and no UL listing. Worked well though and opened my eyes to how basic and off-the-shelf these things are.

 

[whitex]

Does the Grizzl-E use controller architecture and software sourced from OpenEVSE? Maybe. According to the OpenEVSE website: "Today, OpenEVSE powers charging stations from many manufactures all over the world."

I built an OpenEVSE Advanced from a kit for a friend's business. Compared to Grizzl-E, internals are very different, case is not nearly as suited for outside use, and no UL listing. Worked well though and opened my eyes to how basic and off-the-shelf these things are.

Do you happen to have a picture of the insides of the Grizzl-E?

 

[whitex]

Nope, you’re dead wrong - the car was outside when the he plugged in the .. charger, which was, uh, in the warm garage… okfine .

But I think the point of the test was that the enclosure remains watertight after some mild abuse. I’d think keeping the unit outside in freezing conditions would be less of a challenge.

Note the unit out coming out of the car was wet, not iced, so warm car, not below freezing

I am not saying that Grizzl-E won't operate in freezing weather, I don't know that, only that the video did not demonstrate that it will. It only demonstrated the charger will operate after some careful, mild abuse in the cold, but after it's back to warm operating conditions. Having it mounted outside in deep freeze somewhere, then sprayed with water so that ice builds up (or perhaps the enclosure doesn't accumulate ice) and showing it still works without the handle getting frozen over or cable being unwieldy would be a more relevant demo.

 

[jvincent]

Do you happen to have a picture of the insides of the Grizzl-E?

Here's a link to Tom Moloughny's Classic review timestamped for the view of internals:

 

[gryphon99]

So I decided to go with the Enphase charger. I was concerned about the Grizzl-E being aluminum and the risk of corrosion. It's super expensive, but that piece of mind being in such a harsh environment is worth it to me for now. I ordered it from Amazon. Hope it works as advertised!

 

[whitex]

So I decided to go with the Enphase charger. I was concerned about the Grizzl-E being aluminum and the risk of corrosion. It's super expensive, but that piece of mind being in such a harsh environment is worth it to me for now. I ordered it from Amazon. Hope it works as advertised!

For what it’s worth, I used one of those on the Oregon coast beach a couple of weeks ago, literally couple of hundred feet from the ocean. It worked fine and it looked like it’s been there for a while. It was next a Tesla HPWC Gen 2 which also worked and looked about the same in terms of wear. I am not sure how the Gen3, which you can buy with J1772, fares when mounted outside in harsh weather.

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