Electrify America now has at-home charging covered
The company's new $499 Level 2 charger will juice up any EV far quicker than a standard outlet.
Charging at home is mighty easy, so Electrify America has that covered now.
Electric-vehicle ownership isn't for everyone. Folks who regularly drive great distances or haul heavy loads are likely still better served by internal combustion. Still, battery-powered cars and trucks are the future, and Electrify America is aiming to make EV ownership as streamlined as possible.
The firm is offering a new, 240-volt Level 2 charger for home use. The somewhat blandly named Electrify America Electric Vehicle Home Charger, announced Tuesday, provides up to 7.6 kilowatts of juice and should be compatible with all EVs currently offered in North America. Vehicles should charge about six times faster with this unit compared to a Level 1 charger because they only operate off standard, 120-volt household outlets.
The cost? $499, which is comparable to rival at-home chargers.
Bolstering this charging unit's versatility, it comes with a docking station and can be wall-mounted. Thanks to its NEMA 3R enclosure (essentially a fancy, weatherproof box) it's well shielded from the elements, meaning it can even be installed outside. A 24-foot-long cable is provided for greater versatility.
Electrify America's latest charger is backed by a three-year warranty and comes with 24-hour customer support. It's also fitted with Wi-Fi, because of course everything in today's world needs access to the internet. This connectivity will provide owners with a surfeit of data about vehicle charging: Fees, charge history, home-charging sessions and more will be accessible via a mobile app.
According to Nina Huesgen, senior manager of L2 operations and program management at Electrify America, electric-vehicle owners do more than 80% of their charging at home. Having a high-capacity Level 2 unit at their disposal will greatly reduce charging times, she said, making electric-vehicle ownership even more convenient.
Electrify America, a subsidiary of VW Group born out of the automaker's Dieselgate scandal, continues to expand its doings across the US. Over a 10-year period, it's investing some $2 billion in infrastructure and technology to support zero-emissions vehicles.
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