Smart or dumb level 2 charger for home?

Just upgrade your normal electric contact to 16amp it will be a lot cheaper and will charge just as quick.

My partner is waiting on delivery of her Mini but I've done some reading and have owned a Tesla for three years. A smart "charger" is useful if you want to control aspects of beyond what the car already does. The Mini already provides scheduled charging which is a must have. The mini app allows you to estimate cost as well.

Overall I don't think a smart charger is needed and I would go for reliability (Grizzl-E is good) over "smart" features. With that said, check out the features on the Juicebox if you want to see if it has anything you want. We will likely get a Grizzl-E.

wruzic1 said:

Just picked up my 2022 SE a few days ago and looking into installing a level 2 charger at home.
I like the Grizzl-E charger for price, build quality, and durability, and it's made in Canada.
Only downside I see is that it's a "dumb" charger - no wifi or app etc.
Does anyone with experience see that as a problem?
With the MINI connected app to monitor status and the ability to schedule a charging time window on the car itself, is there any need to go with a "smart" charger?

Anyone have a strong opinion on which chargers are better than others?

Thanks!

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It really comes down to whether you want the extra features and app that a smart charger comes with. As a charger Grizzl-E's are really solid. Like @ColloquialRobot mentioned check out some other chargers and see if there's any extra features you'd want/need. If nothing stands out then stick with the Grizzl-E.

Go with the dumb Grizzl-E. The Mini has all the brains. I have two, one outside and one in the garage. Both are flawless and my Mini app gives me real time status etc.

I bought the mini ev in November. Installed JuiceBox 40 amp charger, which is a smart charger. Don't really use the JuiceBox app, though, as the Mini app is better and is sufficient. However, it is comforting to have some info on what's going on with the JuiceBox, since it has no interface on the charger itself. On a related matter, there is a federal tax credit for cost of residential charger (30%). IRS Form 8911. In Arizona, my electric utility also gave me a $300 bill credit for installing my charger. Nice!

CatalinaCooper said:

I bought the mini ev in November. Installed JuiceBox 40 amp charger, which is a smart charger. Don't really use the JuiceBox app, though, as the Mini app is better and is sufficient. However, it is comforting to have some info on what's going on with the JuiceBox, since it has no interface on the charger itself. On a related matter, there is a federal tax credit for cost of residential charger (30%). IRS Form 8911. In Arizona, my electric utility also gave me a $300 bill credit for installing my charger. Nice!

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Thanks for the heads up on the tax credit @CatalinaCooper! I wasn't aware of the one for home chargers, only for EVs. How do you like the Cooper SE since you picked it up?

We're very happy with the Cooper se, our first. We use it as our in-town car to run around Tucson, and I was happily surprised to find that I'm getting about 150 hours per full charge. Our gas SUV stays in the garage, except for road trips. BTW, the tax credit is based on the cost of the charger AND any cost of installing a 240V service for it. Cheers!

WillMW said:

It really comes down to whether you want the extra features and app that a smart charger comes with. As a charger Grizzl-E's are really solid. Like @ColloquialRobot mentioned check out some other chargers and see if there's any extra features you'd want/need. If nothing stands out then stick with the Grizzl-E.

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I agree with that

WillMW said:

Thanks for the heads up on the tax credit @CatalinaCooper! I wasn't aware of the one for home chargers, only for EVs. How do you like the Cooper SE since you picked it up?

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CatalinaCooper said:

I bought the mini ev in November. Installed JuiceBox 40 amp charger, which is a smart charger. Don't really use the JuiceBox app, though, as the Mini app is better and is sufficient. However, it is comforting to have some info on what's going on with the JuiceBox, since it has no interface on the charger itself. On a related matter, there is a federal tax credit for cost of residential charger (30%). IRS Form 8911. In Arizona, my electric utility also gave me a $300 bill credit for installing my charger. Nice!

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Hi,
What is the model number for the Juice Box 40 Amp charger. Getting confused on the plug config required

Here's the Amazon link to the unit I bought: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07ZL41687/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Manufacturer's website has more specs: Next Gen JuiceBox 40 Amp Car Charger with WiFi | Enel X

Hope this helps!