[ShortFinSoup]

I’m looking to purchase one of these charge stations. Anyone have experience with these particular models?

I don’t see any reviews for the JuiceBox 48, just the 40. And it appears that the ChargePoint goes to 50 amps

I’m open to other suggestions as well.
It’ll be installed outdoors.

If you’re in the area, you can drop by for a charge!
Thanks!

 

[omegafiler]

JuiceBox and ChargePoint both have overall good reviews on Amazon. The JuiceBox 48 is the same as the 40 except it's a higher amperage, which should be hardwired only. I went for the 40 since I wanted the NEMA 14-50P and flexibility to plug in other stuff. But if it's going outside, you'll want to hardwire anyways. In either case, going with a ~48A charger (via 60A breaker) would provide the fastest L2 charging for the E-Tron.

As I recall from my past research, the primary difference is the JuiceBox has more smartphone features, and is usually on sale for less. Although the primary feature I was interested in, the ability to set a charge limit, has been glitching out. I do have a case open with Enel X; if they can fix the charge limit bug I'm running into, I'll vote for the box. As it's otherwise been working great for the E-Tron and Niro EV.

 

[azlkk]

I went with the Chargepoint Flex after reading negative reviews on the Juicebox. I needed something that wouldn't go south on me while I'm away for multiple months letting the charge drop to the point where the 12 volt battery dies bricking the car. So far the Chargepoint has been flawless.

We also have a Clipper Creek unit at another address that works fine too but lacks time-of-day programming. While the car can handle time-of-day, it hasn't been 100% reliable on timing.

 

[ShortFinSoup]

Thanks for the replies! Man, the plot thickens...

Omega, when you’re referring to the charge limit, are you taking about when the car will stop charging?

If we set it to 80% max using the E-Trons MMI, won’t that stop the Juicebox from charging? Or is that setting ignored by the JuiceBox?

 

[polyphonic]

@omegafiler Dang, the charge limit feature drew me to the JuiceBox. They seem to be a little glitchy :/
@ShortFinSoup Either the car, or the EVSE can set the charge limit. Some EVs have limited (or no) charge controls, others have full granular control over the %.

I would use it to limit charge for daily driving, in an effort to be nicer to the battery. But say you're going on a trip in the morning and want 100%. You can change the limit via the app instead of crawling out of bed to access the MMI directly.

 

[omegafiler]

Thanks for the replies! Man, the plot thickens...

Omega, when you’re referring to the charge limit, are you taking about when the car will stop charging?

If we set it to 80% max using the E-Trons MMI, won’t that stop the Juicebox from charging? Or is that setting ignored by the JuiceBox?

You can use the MMI for charge limit, but if I'm feeling lazy, and want to top up for a longer drive, I have to go start the vehicle and change it directly. I know, it's terrible. Hah. Audi should add that to the MyAudi app, but they haven't. So with the Enel X app, you can set a limit to whatever you want. You also have to tell it what the current charge is at, and then it'll stop on it's own.

It is technically stopping where I set it, but the glitch is that it then resumes charging for no reason. It seems to forget the limits set. And if you manually stop it, it'll just resume again.

We'll see what support has to say as it's been escalated to the next level.

 

[ShortFinSoup]

So even if you put 80% max using MMI, the JuiceBox will charge past that?

 

[Yan]

For outside installation, i’d go with Clipper Creek 80 Amp model for three reasons:
1. it gives you up to 15.4 Kw of charging power, thus future-proofing your installation
2. it has hardware feature (lock) to prevent unauthorized charging
3. it does not connect to the internet, so it can’t be hacked

 

[omegafiler]

So even if you put 80% max using MMI, the JuiceBox will charge past that?

No, if you set a limit in MMI, it works, because the vehicle is stopping the charge, not the JuiceBox.

The glitch we're referring to is only if you use the Enel X app to set a charge limit for the JuiceBox. It stops where you set it, then seems to "forget" the limits you set as minutes later it will start charging again. If it's working as intended, this would not happen. The Enel X folks seem to be having difficulty understanding the exact issue, but I do suggest if anybody is having this issue, contact Enel X so they are aware.

My wife doesn't have this issue with her Niro EV as unlike the MyAudi App, the Kia app does have a charge limit feature. Then again it's also lacking a lot of charging details that Audi provides. If you want this or any other features, I'd suggest contacting Audi. The more folks that contact them, the higher they will generally prioritize development. Then we don't have to rely on a 3rd party solution.

Audi Digital Services Team​

Phone 0800 279 2884​

Email [email protected]​

 

[polyphonic]

Sent. Adjustable charge limits via app would be a fantastic upgrade.

 

[azlkk]

I have charge limits set via the app for our two different locations. I haven't had any issues changing them or with them being exceeded.

 

[JNealCox]

So when you want to use the charger box to set the maximum limit, you set the Audi MMI control to charge to 100% all the time and then set charger to the limit you want and the charger box will stop the charge at your preferred limit (less than 100%)? If you want the Audi to control the limit, then you just switch things around? I'm just wondering how much communication goes on between the commercial box and the hardware/software.

 

[omegafiler]

So when you want to use the charger box to set the maximum limit, you set the Audi MMI control to charge to 100% all the time and then set charger to the limit you want and the charger box will stop the charge at your preferred limit (less than 100%)? If you want the Audi to control the limit, then you just switch things around? I'm just wondering how much communication goes on between the commercial box and the hardware/software.

Yeah, pretty much. The JuiceBox doesn't know what your vehicle charge is at, which is why you have to manually set that first (just check the MyAudi app), and then the limit you want. It does have your vehicle profile, which you can manually update. So it knows the specs from it's own database, like capacity, range, and max charging rate. I don't think there is a lot of comms other than a basic handshake to establish a charging rate. May be worth reading up on at some point.

 

[ShortFinSoup]

I ended up ordering the JuiceBox 48 at 4:00 this morning! I couldn’t sleep...

I looked at the Clipper Creek 80 amp, but didn’t want to spend that much (says the guy who just bought an Audi)

I can’t wait for it to arrive!

 

[brendand]

For what it's worth, if you want / need time of use charging, the current JuiceBox doesn't play nicely with the Audi. In theory it's an issue with the e-Tron itself, but either way, I'd check to see if the ChargePoint behaves better.

 

[ModernTech18976]

Hey ShortFinSoup,

you have made a fine purchase! Thanks to Amazon's amazingly liberal return policy, I actually tested both the JB 40 and the ChargePoint Flex during the summer. I ended up buying the JB 40 because it had a slightly longer charge cable than the Flex. I did the NEMA plug even though my station is mounted on the outside of my garage (I cut an RV hatch door into the wall structure and set up an outlet inside my garage).

I agree that the software/app is more sophisticated on the JB, BY FAR!

Now the major con.... the cable material.... I live in PA where the nights/mornings are starting to get into the 40s.... and unfortunately the JB cable is significantly stiffer so even coiling the cable on the holder is a bit of a routine. The Flex cable was thinner and much more apt to coil smoothly. If you're in FL or CA this probably won't matter. But for the mid-West and the Northeast the cable will be less than ideal...

Finally, the new version of the JB seems to be free of software or hardware issues. I've had it for 2 months now and I've never had it short, fault, or behave abnormally. I charge my Audi e-tron and my BMW i3 and no issues.

Both products are market leaders, both are very good at what they do. Can't go wrong with either if you ask me.

 

[polyphonic]

Just bought the JuiceBox 40 via Costco, mainly because Costco will take anything back in the event of a problem.
Somehow they have a longer NEMA 14-50 cable than NEC allows. This is apparently the reason ChargePoint Flex and others have a 1 ft plug cable (poor for outside since they drop down necessitating an upside down outlet install, or a severe cable bend).

@ModernTech18976 glad to hear it's working well for you!

 

[ModernTech18976]

yes, I forgot to mention the different length of the cable from the box to the nema plug. The Flex is uncomfortably short while the JB gives you almost 2 feet.... this is how I was able to use the RV hatch to plug it inside. Works very well! Plus I can take the unit with me if I ever should have a need to replace it!

Given the price difference and the ease of use with a NEMA plug, I didn't think there was enough of a case for 48A vs 40A...

Yes Costo will take your unit back 3 years from now if you have the gall to do it!

 

[ShortFinSoup]

@ModernTech thanks for the info! And thank you everyone else!

My JB 48 hasn’t arrived yet. It was suppose to arrive yesterday. Spoke with EnelX. They said “Sorry, we were closed Monday so we haven’t shipped it. You’ll receive it today or tomorrow...”
It better come tomorrow morning. The electrician is coming.

I haven’t set up MyAudi app since I bought my Tron used. Do I need to pass my a dealership?

 

[ShortFinSoup]

When adding a vehicle to the JuiceBox app, what do I select for “Phase number”?