Hi,

I am new here. I own a green Clarity PHEV that I bought in aobut a month ago and I am in search of Level II Charger and I was wondering which brands of chargers people have used here for Clarity. Does Honda recommend one brand over the other as well?

After searching a few forums, I was thinking outdoor charging as an option but Indoor recommendations are fine as well.

Any help is much appreciated.

Thanks,

I am getting the ClipperCreek LCS-30P and installing the correct plug. This will charge my car for years and I can use #10 wire for the plug to the electrical box with a 30 amp 2 pole gfci breaker. I will be charging outside but the charger and plug are located on the porch and will stay dry.

Search on amazon, there are quite a few to choose from.

Good luck and let me know what you decided.

Yes, I am using the same level II charger ClipperCreek 40 Amp it's 220V I have to run a 220V wire from the main circuit breaker box to my garage it charge a lot faster then the original level I. I buy this charger direct from manufacture ClipperCreek or you can get it from Amazon.

I picked up this one and its been working well for about a month.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I decided to go with the Juicebox Pro 40 by Electric Motors Werks. It's not a portable unit but has a lot of features I wanted. I mounted it in my carport and plug it into my RV 50 amp plug. There is a hard wired option. It takes about 2 hours for a complete charge. It also connects to my home wireless network and keeps a record of charging activities. There is a app for the phone where I can look up and see how much juice is used for each charge and how long it took. It is a little pricey.

Hey, have you guys ever read any *independent* report/s on EV charge rates vs overall battery life? The technology is probably so new as to preclude a "real world" experience discovery just yet. I charge my Clarity at night and can see little reason to get a $300+ charge cable assembly vs a cheaper $150, 16 amp, level 2 charge cable assembly on Ebay. A level 2, 16 amp charge rate will still accomplish full charging in far less than a full night.

Level II chargers are being offered over a pretty wide price range. There are some real differences in quality. I'm using the Webasto AV charger which is recommended by several automakers that have been building electric cars for awhile now. Juice Box pro is another major brand. Most of the major brands and depending on configuration and features will run in the $5-$600+ range. If you're a vet, you can order from Home Depot and get 10% off (you'll have to go to customer service in the store to do it).
Where I live a permit is required so I found a contractor that would connect it to my box and file for the permit at the same time. Having the box/panel on the garage really helped on the labor and it was only $350 including the new breaker he put into the panel and the permit. Total including the charger was just under a grand.

Don't get too hung up on the features, the most important one that can set the time to start charging as well as show the charge level is on the Honda phone app (no charge). I use that as my rates go way down starting the charge at 11PM versus during the day time.

Some of the less expensive chargers also don't charge at 50-60 amps. That's where you'll really see a difference in the time it takes to charge. The battery life span doesn't care whether it drinks 120 or 240v but the amps due matter in how long it takes. Another tip I've learned re: life span of battery is keeping it topped off. Driving in HV mode even with a full charge is still going to give you over 40+ mpg. It has a longer life cycle if you don't take it down to one or two bars on a consistent basis. For instance, if I leave home and go to Whole Foods while I'm out (they have free level II chargers in parking lot), I top it off while I'm there. And with a Tesla store nearby, I sometimes have to vie for one of the spots LOL. Sometimes it's fun to come out and see Tesla owners comparing there's with mine and asking "How much?" LOL

Hope that helps.

Battery charging theory is not a settled science, but here is my feelings on the subject. My main concern with charging is battery health. From what I have read, heat is the number one battery life killer. A study of Leafs charged rapidly vs L2 showed a lower range in the Leafs charged at a higher level. I have been charging with 120 volt charger that came with the car and my range is consistantly between 60-62 miles. I drive a minimum of 56 miles M-F on a single charge and arrive home with 1-7 miles of range.

I chose a 3.86 KW/hr L2 16 amp charger for several reasons:
1) less heat charging at a lower rate vs more powerful L2 chargers
2) it allows me to delay my charge for a few hours while my battery cools from the 28 mile drive home. Using a 120 volt charger I would basically have to charge my car immediately to achieve a full charge for the next commute.
3) Slower rates charge the battery more fully. I am charging using 120 volts on the weekends.
4) my charger cost $208 and plugs into my existing dryer plug.
5) it’s portable
6) charges in about 3.5 hours during the time when my KW rate is 10 cents / KW

I'm with you on the idea, in general, but do you have any documentation showing your point 3) ? I've read where the *efficiency* of EV car charging favors Level 2 over Level 1 by 10-15 %. (i.e. there is less energy lost when charging at the higher voltage)

1) The Clarity has the ability to cool the battery (unlike the LEAF) and keeps the battery temp within acceptable parameters when charging or driving. ALL L2 charging is considered slow and even charging at the maximum rate will have no impact on battery temp. Cars with DCFC capability (like the Clarity Electric, LEAF, Tesla, etc) have charge rates many times greater (50 to 120 kW) than the 7.2 kW maximum the Clarity has for 240V charging. Even when Fast Charging, the charge rate will be lower as the battery gets full, temps are too hot or cold, etc
2) See #1 for battery temp. But remember that in cold temps, charging while the battery is still warm will be more efficient.
3) NO. The battery will fully charge no matter the voltage used to do so.
4) Your "charger" is 7.2 kW and came built into the car. You bought an EVSE (charge cord) that provides power to the charger.