Until today, Electrify America, a subsidiary of Volkswagen Group of America, has been solely providing public charging solutions for electric vehicle owners. With the introduction of their new "Electrify America Electric Vehicle Home Charger" they are now jumping into the home charging station market, which, unlike the public charging scene, is getting very competitive. 

The new offering is a 32-amp unit, capable of delivering 7.6kW to the vehicle. That will provide about 25 miles of range per hour to a typical EV, but the exact amount of range depends on how efficient the vehicle is. The charger comes standard as a plug-in unit, with a NEMA 14-50 plug. However, if the owner prefers to have a hard-wired unit, the plug can be removed and the unit directly wired. 

A 24-foot cable is standard, which is the same length as the JuiceBox made by Enel, and one of the longer standard cables available on an EVSE today. It's also a WiFi-enabled smart-charger and can participate in utility demand response programs. Electrify America will have a special section in their app for the home charger which will track in-session charging, access session summaries and review charge history. However, the app isn't fully baked yet, so owners will have to wait until that function is available.

Electrify America Home Charging Station

 

The charger's enclosure is NEMA-3 rated, which is good for indoor or outdoor use. However, as we've noted here in previous EV charger reviews, NEMA-3 doesn't protect from extreme weather, and severe blowing rain can enter the case. Charging stations like the FLO Home, ClipperCreek and JuiceBox all have NEMA-4 rated outer cases and can withstand more severe weather, equivalent to the pressure of continued direct spray from a garden hose.

If you live in an area that frequently gets severe weather, and you also need to install it outdoors, we generally recommend getting a NEMA-4 rated charger for your home.

“We recognize that many of today’s EV drivers do more than 80 percent of their charging at home, and with the introduction of our L2 home chargers, Electrify America is providing consumers with a more convenient and reliable option that should help increase the appeal of EV ownership.”

There's an LED outer ring around the charger that will flash blue when your car is charging and light up green when charging is complete. Also, to save electricity, the light will dim when you move away from the charger.

The Electrify America Electric Vehicle Home Charger comes with a three-year warranty is available on Amazon or can be purchased directly from Electrify America's website for $499. Electrify America has partnered with Qmerit for installation if the customer needs help finding a qualified local electrician. 

 

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First-Ever ‘Electrify America Electric Vehicle Home Charger’ Introduced to Help Drive EV Adoption

 

Company expands product portfolio, introducing Level 2 chargers that are equipped with a suite of features to make home charging easier and more reliable

Reston, VA (October 1, 2019) – Electrify America – a leader in fast-charging for electric vehicles (EVs) – today announced that it will be offering Level 2 electric vehicle home chargers, reinforcing the company’s commitment to making EV ownership as convenient as possible. Beginning today, customers can purchase the Electrify America Electric Vehicle Home Charger on Amazon for $499. The product is also accessible through electrifyamerica.com/charging- at-home.

The Electrify America Electric Vehicle Home Charger is compatible with all electric vehicles available in the North American market today. It features a charging power of up to 7.6kW – about 6 times faster than the typical Level 1 charger provided to some new EV owners, depending on vehicle make and model.

The company plans to add a new home charging section within its mobile app, enabling users to manage their public and home charging sessions all in one place. In addition to tracking in-session charging, accessing a session summary and reviewing charge history, users who register the unit through the app will be able to monitor the charger’s status and track overall charging data.

“At Electrify America, we are constantly innovating to meet the diverse needs of electric vehicle drivers and are excited to expand our product offering to help advance EV adoption,” said Nina Huesgen, Senior Manager, L2 Operations & Program Management at Electrify America. “We recognize that many of today’s EV drivers do more than 80 percent of their charging at home, and with the introduction of our L2 home chargers, Electrify America is providing consumers with a more convenient and reliable option that should help increase the appeal of EV ownership.”

 

Additional features of the Electrify America home charger include:

  • Flexible installation options: For easy installation, the L2 home charger comes with a standard NEMA 14-50 supply power plug, compatible with the 240-volt outlets commonly found in households. The unit can also be hardwired by a licensed and qualified electrician and comes with a docking station that allows for wall-mounting.
  • Indoors or outdoors: The home charger is equipped with a NEMA 3R enclosure, allowing it to be mounted inside or outside. A 24-foot long cable makes it easy to reach and plug into your car.
  • Colored light that indicates charging status: An LED color indicator makes it easy to view charging status, with a ring around the charger that lights up blue while the car is charging and lights up green when the battery is full.
  • Technology of the future: The home charger is equipped with Wi-Fi connectivity, which allows Electrify America to provide customers with even more data about their home charging sessions and will enable utility demand response programs in the future.
  • Three-year warranty, 24-hour support: Electrify America offers a three-year warranty and 24-hour customer support.
  • Easy installation: Electrify America is working with Qmerit, a company that specializes in EV charger installations across the country, to deliver a seamless installation experience. Customers can first visit electrifyamerica.com/charging- at-home to complete a survey about their home’s electrical capacity and installation needs, designed to streamline the in-home installation process. They will then be provided with as many as three competitive pricing quotes from pre-certified EV charging station installers in their area.
     

About Electrify America

Electrify America LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Volkswagen Group of America headquartered in Reston, VA, and with an office in Pasadena, CA, is investing $2 billion over 10 years in Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) infrastructure, education and access. The investment will enable millions of Americans to discover the benefits of electric driving and support the build-out of a nationwide network of workplace, community and highway chargers that are convenient and reliable. Electrify America expects to install or have under development approximately 800 total charging station sites with about 3,500 chargers by December 2021. During this period, the company will be expanding to 29 metros and 45 states, including two cross-country routes, delivering on its commitment to support increased ZEV adoption with a network that is comprehensive, technologically advanced and customer-friendly. For more information, visit www.electrifyamerica.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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