List Price: $1,495.00
Sale Price: $999.00
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I had bought first the 16 amp one. I had a failure, I did plug it to 110.
I thought that was going to work in 110 no installation. I was wrong. So I called the engineers in Leviton. Mr Soto and his partner came that same very day to my home to educate me how to do this and recommend me and let me loan this one.
I have a focus electric, which means if I don't have my car 100 charged I cannot come back from work. trust me, this charging station puts my car fully loaded in almost 2 hours. Super fast reliable and Leviton people are great!!!!! please don't be such an idiot bad mouthing about Leviton.
They are awesome. you can contact me if need more info artrade @ Hotmail. com
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If you read up on these things, you know they are basically a switch and that the actual charger is built into your car. While this model is more than I need for my Ford Fusion Energi, it may provide some future-proofing for my next vehicle. The electrician had no issues installing it, and I've been using it without incident for the past week. There's not much to it once it's installed. Plug it into your car. That's it. Once you do, the charging light goes on and you're off to the races. I get a full charge for my particular car in just under 2.5 hours. My one complaint is the poor cord management. The metal hook is not very strong and the cord is very thick and heavy. I have no idea why they didn't include some sort of latch to secure it better. I personally found that draping the last length of cord around the top of the unit makes the cord storage more stable. A better design for cord storage would make this unit perfect. It's not nearly as large as some of the others I've seen, which is also a plus in my book. Leviton is a very reliable brand name, and my electrician even commented on that. Picked mine up when the price on Amazon dropped to $880 from the normal $999.Best Deals for Leviton EVB32-M5L 7.7KW Charging Station with 25-Feet Cable
Since I already had an adequate sized electrical panel & sub-panel in my garage I just had my electrician install the simple standard electric dryer plug that this unit requires. Very straightforward and you can download all the installation guides in PDF format before the unit arrives.The comments about the cable holder being inadequate are more than fair. It really doesn't hold the 25 foot cable at all, and the short plug gets in the way a little. I wound up installing an old-fashioned semi-circular metal garden hose holder that arches above the unit, so the cable coils around the entire unit like you see in some other models (e.g. the one Leviton makes for Ford). It's not a deal breaker, just room for improvement, and my fix was under $10. I'ld like to see a similar sized over the top bracket on future models and/or as part of a redesigned bracket.
What would get a 5-star rating from this or any similar unit, or accessory, is a retractable cable holder that mounts above the unit, similar to those at gas-station pumps that not only retract, but keep the hose/cable off the ground.
Honest reviews on Leviton EVB32-M5L 7.7KW Charging Station with 25-Feet Cable
Bought the Leviton EVB charger only because I used a Leviton in the car dealership (even a different model), to play safe for compatabiity (Ford C MAX energi, recently on market). Installation was by licensed electrician, Works well overall with the following design issues:1. Heavy cord with inadequate attention to cord management. A flimsy hook without a lip hangs under the unit, that's it. I bent it in to counter the weight.
2. The manual is in three languages, each comes in 4 loose pieces of paper, in addition to the template. Full of legalese and disclaimers; but the parts that matter were written as though the reader is an idiot, leaving out important and useful information. For example, leaving the charger plugged in at all times would consume electricity? How much or how little? Why is the charger light still flashing when the car says it is completely charged (actually it says to call the car manufacturer in the trouble shooting section). I noticed sometimes for topping up after short trips (e.g., half battery capacity) it behaved normally. If that is trickle charge, say so.
3. The charger is rated for both outdoor and indoor use but the installation kit comes with parts rated only for indoor. No holster for the charging tip to protect from dust but a cover for the wall plug which is not exposed to dust?
4. Some reviewer commented on the cost of all chargers and call this a rip off. I tend to agree but there are considerations. A.Liability insurance, design safeguards, regulation compliance, and paying the lawyer who writes a large part of the manual. b. the king sized heavy cord do cost a pretty penny due to special manufacture. Leviton charges $100 more for a 7 ft longer cord. c. It is not the "made in China" deals like iphone chargers. Labor cost; business margins (even huge margins) do play a role. d. The industry sees electric cars is in the future and chargers will be in demand. Competition will bring the cost down when electric cars are all over the place; so money to be made is now. This is America. Imagine what our cost of living would be without those made in China stuff, lots of them are actually ok as evidenced from Amazon's reader reviews.
From my initial research, Siemens may have a better product on paper--does anyone have actual experience that confirms the following:
1. Better cord management (looks like it has a big groove around the unit for the cord to wrap around)?
2. Better electronics such as status visible from a distance? Are different levels of charging automatic, e.g., trickle charge towards the end?
3. Cheaper--not just unit, but comes with installation kit? Is it a more thoughfully designed, for indoor only or both?
4. Manual not written by an American lawyer? A German one is no better perhaps?
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