EMW Juicebox Level 2 Charging Station

My EMW Juicebox Level 2 EVSE was just delivered today:

I ordered the "JuiceBox Base Assembled". It handles up to 60A - yes, this is overkill for now, but I hope for a future second plug-in vehicle, perhaps a later generation PiP or the next greatest plug-in I can afford. It works with 120-240V, outputs up to 15kW, and I went with a NEMA 14-50 plug for the input cable and a 25' 70A J1772 plug & wire.

Here's the cost breakdown:
EMW JuiceBox Base Assembled with input/output cords: $249.00
Input Cable - 6-foot 14-50P: $49.00
J1772 plug & wire - 70A 25 feet: $229.00
Shipping: $19.62 (got it the next day after shipped since I also live in NorCal)
Total (tax included, if any): $546.62

I had no 240V access in my garage, but the main panel was on the same wall outside the garage where I wanted 240V access. So I had an electrician install a NEMA 14-50R with a 60A breaker a couple weeks ago. The electrician did this for $145 parts and labor. So everything came to $691.62. I plan to use the Federal 30% credit before this thing expires at the end of this year, so the final cost should come to $484.13.

It will probably be a little while before I get around to mounting this. Should be nice to have my level 1 EVSE handy in the car now for trips.

 

Good question. The copper top may be the case shipping with the premium kit and/or a pre-production mock-up of sorts. The premium kit comes with a custom enclosure, which this may be, remote control, time-of-day charging, and LCD screen with usual stats.

 

Finally got my level 2 charging station mounted. It's plugged into a NEMA 14-50R (standard RV outlet). It's not much to look at, but one of the best prices out there for any level 2 EVSE and with high end specs.

There is no cradle for either the output cord or J1772 plug. Since the output cord is almost the same size as a garden hose, I found a garden hose hanger to be a great solution to this.

The charging station box also doesn't come with any sort of mounting bracket or pre-drilled mounting holes, perhaps to save cost or to keep it weather tight for outside use. I used a bunch of 3M velcro Command Strips, so this should be relatively easy to remove in the future and without damaging the wall.

Loving level 2 charging. So far my only complaint is that the J1772 plug is a little tight such that you have to line it up well with the receiver on the PiP. It's a bit of a snug fit compared to the level 1 EVSE that came with the car.

I've already had several opportunities to capitalize on level 2 charging. Coming home with most of my EV range depleted, I've had several unplanned short trips with the family wanting to go back out soon or needing to do other errands, so it's nice to have most of your range back in 60 minutes or less.

 

On your way to the PriusChat Hall of Fame!

 

The ClipperCreek LCS-25 has one of the best prices available on a name brand level 2 charging station. Plus it comes with a 3-year warranty. (I think it's ClipperCreek.com, but if you use .net it should reroute to this website).

 

Sounds like a couple others have also bought the JuiceBox.

Anyone else having issues with the device not initiating charging, needing an unplug/replug at the NEMA 14-50R end to get it rebooted? I've been finding that about every 20-30 charges my device does this. Pain in the butt when you use the timer and have little or no charge the next morning.

Looks like some others on Volt and Leaf blogs have experienced the same.

I sent mine in for repair 2-3 weeks ago, but my JuiceBox did this again today.

 

They do all of their customer/technical service with email, which has its own merits (customer service phone support adds significantly to the cost of the product), but can take weeks to work through the process.

At first they asked if the unit was exposed to high humidity/moisture. They asked if it was located near a drier vent, for example. But it is in a very dry spot inside the garage near nothing like this.

Then they asked if a red light was coming from the power supply when this happens, but I could find no light, red or otherwise, on this basic unit.

Then they referenced a section in the appendix of the assembly manual that notes this could be from "false GFCI trips", which then states the "most frequent reason for these is incorrect wire orientation inside the JuiceBox as they pass through the current sensor CS2." There is talk of GFCI issues/sensitivity on Volt and Leaf blog sites as well.

Then they asked me to test the input and output voltage of the power supply. I don’t have that equipment and purposely bought the unit assembled from them for extra $$ so as not to have to deal with the assembly and testing/troubleshooting of electronics.

Next I returned the unit for repair, took some pre/post pictures of the innards. Looks like some wires were changed/replaced/insulated and a few other changes.

I haven't emailed them back again, want to see if this will happen one or more times.

 

For about how many total charges have you charged your Volt with the JuiceBox?