[thedillon6]

We purchased a 2018 Clarity Hybrid plug-in in November; I'm trying to love this car, but we've had a lot of issues after purchasing a Level 2 charger. Honda America has told us that the 32A
charger we purchased is not compatible with our car (which requires a 16A): https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JH6Q5R8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

So, for those who have successfully installed and used a Level 2 charging station at home, which charger did you purchase? Given my 60+ RT commute, I'd very much like to resolve this for a quick charge. Unfortunately, I haven't had a successful charge at the public parking garage at work, nor at our local grocery store (both Level 2 chargers).

Thanks for your insight and guidance.

 

[Groves Cooke]

I purchase a Mustart 32 amp charger. They come with a variety of plugs so make sure you get the one that fits your 240 outlet. In the beginning I had trouble charging. The charge would be interrupted and I would have to start the charging again. This was fixed by SB 18-097. HAs worked well since.

 

[4sallypat]

I use the Duosida L1/L2 dual voltage 16A portable charger with various AC plug adapters.

The Duosida can be taken on road trips if I happen to run across a 240V RV station, 208V motel A/C plug, or even a standard 120V household plug.

For daily use, I use L1 charging and love the Duosida because of the faster L1 charging compared to the Honda OEM charger. The Duosida does draw more current compared to the Honda charger....

 

[dwheat17]

JuiceBox Pro 40 Smart Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Station with WiFi - 40 amp Level 2 EVSE, 24-foot cable, UL and Energy Star Certified, Indoor/Outdoor Use

Works fine.

 

[thedillon6]

and the 32 amp charges your battery? Our 32 amp is killing our "small battery" in the car. Honda America told us to stop using it. :/

 

[Groves Cooke]

"Our 32 amp is killing our "small battery" in the car. Honda America told us to stop using it."

Sorry you are having problems. Mine works!?!

 

[DucRider]

and the 32 amp charges your battery? Our 32 amp is killing our "small battery" in the car. Honda America told us to stop using it. :/

I doubt Honda themselves told you to stop using it, as the on-board charger is 32A (the "charger" is actually in the car), and the charge times in the published specs require a 32A unit. The EVSE just supplies the power, the car handles the charging. The EVSE "advertises" it's available amperage, and the car draws up to that amount (battery charge level and temperature affect charge rate) and regulates the charging.
https://hondanews.com/honda-automobiles/channels/clarity-plug-in-hybrid-specs-features/releases/2018-honda-clarity-plug-in-hybrid-specifications-features

If your local dealer told you the EVSE was killing your 12v, it is most definitely time to find a different dealer. Thousands of Clarity PHEV owners use 32A EVSE's every day with no issues. Might be worth posting the dealership name to help others avoid them.

If Honda America did indeed tell you not to use a 32A EVSE, please get that in writing and post a copy. I would like to forward that on to the Manger of Electric Vehicle Sales at American Honda.

 

[Jack]

I bought this one from Amazon, works great .. ChargePoint Home WiFi Enabled Electric Vehicle (EV) Charger - Level 2 EVSE, 240 Volt, 32 Amp Electric Car Charger, UL Listed, Energy Star Certified, Plug-in Station, 25 ft. Cable

 

[jimmyd]

I purchased this from amazon and it works great.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0758TLC8H/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Ni issues at all.


Zencar Level 2 EV Charger(240V, 16A, 25ft), Portable EVSE Home Electric Vehicle Charging Station Compatible with Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf, Fiat, Ford Fusion(NEMA 10-30 Plug)
by Zencar
4.6 out of 5 stars 219 customer reviews | 176 answered questions
Price: $199.99 Free Shipping for Prime Members

Does anyone know if this is compatible with a regular dryer outlet? Not that it really matters.

 

[mowcowbell]

I purchased this from amazon and it works great.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0758TLC8H/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Ni issues at all.


Zencar Level 2 EV Charger(240V, 16A, 25ft), Portable EVSE Home Electric Vehicle Charging Station Compatible with Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf, Fiat, Ford Fusion(NEMA 10-30 Plug)
by Zencar
4.6 out of 5 stars 219 customer reviews | 176 answered questions
Price: $199.99 Free Shipping for Prime Members

Does anyone know if this is compatible with a regular dryer outlet? Not that it really matters.

In the US, there are two types of dryer outlets... 3 prong and 4 prong. You'll need to pull your dryer plug and see which one you have. 4 prong is found in newer construction, both are rated for 30 amps max.

 

[Tim66]

Bought the Mustart 40 amp 240 v EVSE. You only need a 32 amp but I bought the 40 amp in case my next car can use it. Got mine on Amazon. No WIFI but much cheaper than those with it.

 

[Greg L]

Clarity Level 2 Charger

I installed the following Level 2 charger from Amazon shortly after purchasing my Clarity Plug-in Hybrid in December 2017:

ChargePoint Home WiFi Enabled Electric Vehicle (EV) Charger - Level 2 EVSE, 240 Volt, 32 Amp Electric Car Charger, UL Listed, Energy Star Certified, Plug-in Station, 25 ft. Cable

The charger works perfectly!

 

[jeffpepper]

I use a Jekayla Level 2 32 Amp Portable Electric Vehicle Charger, available on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071K874MG/ . I had it professionally installed, got the 32A version based on the recommendation of the electrician.

See the photo, it ended up being a pretty complicated installation because of the gigantic breaker box that had to be put near the charger, per electrical code.

anyway, it works just fine. Full charge in around 3 hours.

 

[DucRider]

See the photo, it ended up being a pretty complicated installation because of the gigantic breaker box that had to be put near the charger, per electrical code.

Hmmm...
What code requires a breaker box near the EVSE? There is nothing in NEC 625 that deals with EVSE installation that would require it.

Or did your installation require a subpanel, and that is where they chose to locate it?

 

[mowcowbell]

Looks like the biggest decision is whether or not you want ~4 hour (16amp) or ~2 hour (32amp) charging. I haven't bought one yet (still Clarity shopping for that matter). I do like the EVSE's that have a built in LCD panel to show charging information. Wifi enable EVSE's seem to be a waste of money since the Honda App will give you those capabilities.

 

[Walt10410]

Bought a 16 amp Level 2

Charge at work and home so bought a portable level 2 16 amp charger and it takes about 4 to 4.5 hours. Does not overheat the battery and was cheaper to install and buy part for the home. 30 amp plug with 30 amp 2 pole GFCI breaker so everything up to code. The cable is not nearly as thick and heavy as the 50 amp cable. good luck. Bought on Amazon for around $200. Next charger will be 26 amp to same more time and still not stress the batteries. good luck

 

[DucRider]

Charge at work and home so bought a portable level 2 16 amp charger and it takes about 4 to 4.5 hours. Does not overheat the battery and was cheaper to install and buy part for the home. 30 amp plug with 30 amp 2 pole GFCI breaker so everything up to code. The cable is not nearly as thick and heavy as the 50 amp cable. good luck. Bought on Amazon for around $200. Next charger will be 26 amp to same more time and still not stress the batteries. good luck

There will be no additional stress on the batteries charging at any charge rate the Clarity PHEV is capable of, so a slower L2 EVSE will not have any measurable impact on battery life.

The PHEV does not have the capacity to DCFC, and even when charging at the relatively slow 240V 32A rate the battery thermal management system will prevent any amount of overheating (heat is the primary factor in battery degradation).

 

[Texas22Step]

I purchased and installed the hardwired Siemen's Versicharger EVES Model # VC30GRYU. You can see it on Costco's web site or other big box stores' web sites. It is usually under $400 when on sale. I didn't want to pay for features I don't need (such as fancy WiFi connectivity, when the HondaLink app already has most of those features anyway) and since I really don't need to know exactly how much power each charging session took. This EVSE works fine with a Clarity PHEV, charges from 0 to 100% in 2-1/2 hours or less. Mounts to the garage wall on a rail, so it is portable and movable to your next house. Includes a 20' cable, a built-in cable management/storage solution, indoor/outdoor and UL certified, NEMA 6-50 plug. Handles 32A, which is perfect for Clarity PHEV. Siemens is a great brand for electrical control equipment.

 

[d3xbot]

I’ve had my Clarity going on a year now. I live at an apartment complex so I can’t install a home charger and use the public L2 charger in our lot. It’s a 240v 6.7kW EVSE (I think that means 16A) charger and it does fine. The only 32A EVSE I’ve knowingly used was a Clipper Creek unit that straight up wouldn’t activate or start charging and my car would produce a loud, long beep. At the time, I thought it was an issue with the EVSE. I’ll see if I can find any others to test with and if I can charge there.

 

[DucRider]

I’ve had my Clarity going on a year now. I live at an apartment complex so I can’t install a home charger and use the public L2 charger in our lot. It’s a 240v 6.7kW EVSE (I think that means 16A) charger and it does fine. The only 32A EVSE I’ve knowingly used was a Clipper Creek unit that straight up wouldn’t activate or start charging and my car would produce a loud, long beep. At the time, I thought it was an issue with the EVSE. I’ll see if I can find any others to test with and if I can charge there.

The most common commercial service is 120/208 volt wye, so public chargers are often 208V and not 240

While the Clarity is often listed as having a 32A on-board charger, in reality it seems to max out at 30A. 208V @ 30A = 6.7kW, so the public EVSE you connect to is likely a 32A unit (but it is at least 30A).

If you haven't had the charging software update done, that could be the cause of failing to charge on the Clipper Creek.