J+ Booster 2 EV Charger Review (Black Friday Special)
Вставка
- Опубліковано 9 лип 2024
- I offer my full video review of the Juice + Booster 2, a dual-voltage portable EV charger. It can charge an electric vehicle at up to 40-amps from a 240-v level 2 outlet as well as charge at up to 12-amps from a 120-v household outlet.
Check out our J+ Booster 2 review article: evchargingstations.com/charge...
This video is powered by Qmerit, North America’s leading provider of installation services for EV charging, home energy storage, and other electrification technologies. See how Qmerit is making the energy transition easy for home and business owners: qmerit.com/ev/charge
Black Friday Special: Order a J+ Booster 2 now and save 20%!
Order the J + Booster 2 on Amazon: amzn.to/3U5dNEr
Remote connector holder on Amazon: amzn.to/3OI5LQL
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
1:25 J+ Booster 2 key features
3:20 Unboxing the J+ Booster 2
4:13 Installing the J+ Booster 2
8:25 First impressions
18:13 Submersion test
19:15 J+ Booster 2 cable deep freeze test
22:08 J+ Booster 2 connector drop test
24:44 J+ Booster failure
27:23 J+ Booster 2 crush test
32:22 My rating
35:55 My J+ Booster 2 likes and dislikes
38:13 Outro
Interested in one of the top-rated EV charging stations we've reviewed? You can order them here:
Emporia 48-amp: amzn.to/3EgDRGS
Grizzl-E Classic: amzn.to/3whsatn
Enel X JuiceBox: amzn.to/3UR55Lk
ChargePoint Home Flex: amzn.to/2V3Ye79
Pulsar Plus 48: amzn.to/3C9aB1O
Electrify America HomeStation: amzn.to/3Kc7qvo
Autel MaxiCharger W/Remote Holster: amzn.to/3Guraeh
Autel Maxicharger W/Integrated Holster: amzn.to/3TVd20G
Note: We do earn a small commission from sales generated from the links above - Авто та транспорт
Thanks for this. Just what I needed to see.😊
Nice review Tom. Love how you ran it over with both the Rivian and F150.
Thanks for the review. I ordered one today to use both at home and on the road with the EV6 I leased at the end of May.
Great review Tom. Thanks
Great review Tom as usual. I would like to comment though that I think it would have been best to emphasize the use of that connector cap no matter how much of a pain it is. Most garages aren’t pristine like yours is. Most have exposed concrete floors and/or cinder block, which by nature constantly emit concrete dust without cause, which is abrasive and depending on who you ask, may be corrosive.
Great review, thanks!
Thanks for watching!
Great machine. Great review. The Swiss know how to make a robust EVSE.
Thank you!
Nice review. If you do more portable EVSEs, may I recommend testing the various OEM cords like the dual voltage ones that come with the Chevrolet Bolt EUV, Ford Mustang Mach E, and Nissan Leaf.
This would be a great solution, while traveling abroad to see relatives that don’t have homes equipped to charge EV’s as you could buy the longest cable, and borrow an inside plug of a dryer and still reach the vehicle. Nice review.
Hey Tom, thanks again for what you do! Question on this unit, what about the comments on amazon re the 10ga cord being a bit thin for constant 40 amps. considering the quality of the unit otherwise, it seems like it should come with an 8ga cord that is flexible down to low temps. This seems especially important if the charger is going to be used portably during cold times/ locations ??
Another nice review Tom. i thought about protecting the connector when someone accidentally drops it. if i could find a tick rubber O ring that can be stretched to put around the connector that would take most of the impact from the drop. I'll try find rubber O ring big enough to fit the j1772 connector.
All 4 wheels on the charger! ( I can feel the engineers grinding their teeth while doing those crush tests )
I purchased one of these units on a Black Friday deal and was willing to take a chance as an early adopter due to the promised adapter availability. Well still no 5-20 or 6-20 adapters available as of March 31, 2023. The 5-20 would be very useful as most new homes must have a 20 amp outlet by code. The adapters are also quite pricey. If I was to do it over I would go with the Tesla Mobile connector and save a ton of money and have the adapters I wanted.
I was glad to see your review of this unit. I bought one of these for my yet to be delivered id.4. There are 2 reasons I chose to spend the big bucks. First, the id.4 is coming without any kind of evse so I'd needed to get something to keep in the car if I'm on the road anyway. Second, my charger will have to be installed outdoors since I don't have a garage or carport and I live in hurricane and it rains hard every day country. Also, I think I've found an alternate holder and holster for the unit that will allow me to hang the unit upside down (so to speak) and has a remote holster. I found the RNOPWO EV Charger holder Set on Amazon.for $34.99.
Another thought.x If you were using a remote holster and not the one on the the included evse holder could you not hang the holder upside down or even sideways to position the unit better for plugging in and having at a better height?
Do they have a web site with product information for the US product? It would be nice to check on the manual, what adapters are available, etc.
My favorite part of your EVSE reviews is the freezer test. Winter exists, and I simply can’t comprehend why all EVSE, especially the portable ones don’t come with flexible cords. As someone who lives in northern New England, I won’t by any cords for outdoor use that are not cold weather rated. I was interested in this charger as I’m still looking for a quality, portable, multi-voltage/current EVSE, however it’s cold weather performance is unacceptable. If they update the cable to a flexible jacket material, I’ll likely buy one.
It’s also unfortunate that many EVSE and some EVs don’t support 120v charging up to 24A, or even 16A. I do a lot of camping, and many campgrounds with power have TT-30 outlets, but not 14-50 outlets. Also 5-20 outlets are practically everywhere. It would be nice to be able to get a decent charge rate when the power is available, especially since these places tend to be far from public charging infrastructure, and will be for some time still.
LOL! You're brutal running the J+ over twice! I wouldn't want to try charging with it! Was it me or did your garage lights dim after charging with the runover J+?🤣
Thanks Tom. Another great video. There's a a lot of charging options popping up lately. I'd just like to point out for Tesla owners that a similar genuine Tesla charging solution (Tesla Mobile Connector with 20' cable) that includes both the same 14-50 and 5-15 connectors is on the Tesla website for $230, well under half the price of this one. Additional adapter plugs are also available for $35-$45. Also for those buying a 14-50 (or other similar 240v plug) based charging solution please watch the "Home Charging Installation Risks and Advice" on the "Munro Live" UA-cam channel.
You combo it with the nema plug connector pack. And you basically have a portable charger that covers most of all nema connectors. And it's all UL certified.
I was thinking the same, but this is a 9.6kW charger capable of 40A while the current UMC only provides 7.7 kW due to 32A. It’s too expensive for only 20% more power. I much prefer the Tesla gen 1 - 9.6kW UMC that came with my 2017 model S.
@@johnpoldo8817 Tesla limited the Mobile Connector to 32A due to common home wiring and outlet problems. These outlets were generally not designed to support the continuous power that EVs draw. Some are but they're not the norm. Better to be safe. Thus the 32A limit in the gen 2 Mobile Adapter. Tesla has always maintained that safety is their #1 mission. I use the 14-50 Mobile connector but at 32A the 14-50 outlet gets warmer than I like, so I limit the home charging speed to less than 32A in the Tesla app. Electricity is less expensive here from 8pm to 8am so there's plenty of time to charge and it saves money, a win win. For those buying a 14-50 (or other similar 240v plug) based charging solution please watch the "Home Charging Installation Risks and Advice" on the "Munro Live" UA-cam channel. Listen to the engineers.
@@StormyDog Yes, I’ve heard that rationale before and enjoyed Munro Live charging advice. But if you use the proper wire, suitable commercial receptacle, proper installation procedure, and monitor for excessive heat as I did, the Gen1 worked very well. Munro showed a cheap receptacle and repeated unplugging caused the most melt-downs. Currently, I use a hard wired charger to eliminate receptacle problems and achieve 11 kW charging when desired.
@@johnpoldo8817 You're obviously doing things the right way and have researched the issue. The problem is that most people aren't as knowledgeable. That's why Tesla limited the amps on the gen 2 Mobile connector. Hopefully building codes will catch up but that still leaves old and current construction at risk.
Another great review. By any chance do you have all portable chargers listed by ratings & price on a website?
I’d be very interested to see something like that.
I bought one of these for my f150 lightning, specifically for use at a campground tt30 120 volt 30-amp outlet. Using this I should have been able to charge at 24 amps. I believe this unit would support that. However, the F-150 lightning would NOT. It treated this the same as a 15-amp circuit and charged at 12 amps, regardless of the setting on the J+. I returned the unit, since it didn’t have any advantage over the included Ford mobile plug. The J+ has a great design and I was excited about all of the available plugs. Towing my camper, I thought I could use 14-50, TT-30, and regular 3-prong household plugs. I’m sure if I was using it with a Tesla I could, but the ford seems to support just 2 speeds - 12 amps at 120volt or higher amps at 240-volt (32 with the included cord; 40 with my ChargePoint, 80 with the ford brand wall charger). Shame it could not be programmed to do 24 amps at 120 volt with the common campground TT-30 plug.
Although I agree with your point about the desirability of having a holster for the connector and rack for cable, I believe the connector cap is still needed for when you are using it as a portable. Interesting design concept (I like the compact size), and thorough review as always!
I use mine for daily charging. Super high quality but heavy. For traveling I use a Tesla UMC and a Tesla tap mini. Way more compact and much lighter. From memory, I think the J-Booster is made in Sweden.
Amazon has it for Black Friday at $559. I wish they offered a 6-50 version. We are in the market for a second unit to work with the Neo Switch, and portability would be awesome for when we are on the road or visiting family several hours away.
They do have a 6-50 connector for it, sold separately. Apparently they are still awaiting the adapter but estimate arrival at the end of year or early 2023.
Even with that sale, it's still too expensive.
What are you using for an extension cord to plug into that charger? What gauge is that extension cord? Do you think a 25 ft. extension cord is acceptable? What portable charger would you recommend?
In your opinion what is the most cost effecinet level 1 and level 2 portable charger similar to this one?
Does it fully charge your car? Or is it just a jump start until you get to another fast charger?
Tom, with the light weight of the unit, do you think that hanging off the NEMA 14-50 (31:18) will "hurt" the plug?
Tom, was the unit that failed the same unit you kept underwater for more than 2 hours? Could be why it failed? Just a guess. Great review, keep up the great content!
It's doubtful that the water test caused the failure. Mass production of products causes failures in all items.
Can you install it horizontally?
Great review Tom. FYI this product is currently 20% off for Black Friday.
Thanks - I do mention that in the description above🙂
@@StateOfChargeWithTomMoloughney The Juice Booster appears to be 22KW vs the J+ Booster is 9.6 KW. Is the KW different because of the region of use?
I mounted it upside down, and it's just fine. I bent the brackets slightly, so that J-plug hangs. It's not steel, but aluminum.
I am waiting for a new EV (Fisker Sport) late fall ‘23. In the meantime researching lots of EVSEs, including this unit. Glad to see this review. Being retired, driving less than 5,000 miles a year, able you’ll walk to most stores and days my current vehicle never leaves the drive I am almost certain I will start out with a portable level 1 charger. Another consideration is that with solar, hot tube circuits added to my all electric home panel it is full. Any level 2 charger added currently will require adding a sub panel, as well as mounting the 240 plug outside. So my current selection is the portable ClipperCreek PCS-15 at $395. It checks off all the boxes you have listed as what to look for.
I would suggest swapping the residential wall outlet you intend to use with a commercial grade outlet. It’s also good practice as you get a chance to make sure the wire connection to the back side of the outlet is connected very securely as well.
@@ecoheliguy the 5-15 outlet is on a GFI. I expect before I use it for EV charging I will verify whether it is on a 15 or 20 amp circuit. The ClipperCreek is set at 12 amps.
@@rod2625 yes weather using a 5-15 0r 5-20, grab a commercial vs residential grade outlet. The material and contacts are of higher quality and designed to be used for repetitive high current loads. You will find the plug is more firmly secured into the outlet and the outlet is designed to run at hotter current loads.
Do not go below 32A for level 2 charging because it takes too long. Clipper Creek at 12A is foolish.
@@johnpoldo8817 I appreciate your concerns but as I stated our daily/weekly driving habits our current vehicle can sit for several days without moving. If we do some driving it is less than 5 miles generally with a 60 mile round trip about every 3-4 weeks. At 12 amps I am charging at about 4-5 miles per hour. If charged 20 hours a day that is 80-100 miles. I would not have to do daily charging even at 12amps and still have plenty of charge. And I don’t incur the $2000 expense of adding the level 2 charger unless I determine I need it. The Ocean does not come with an EVSE so I would want a good reliable one in the car anyway. So I content it is not in the least bit foolish.
After all your review and time passing, what do you rate as low cost and good/high quality. I go 66 miles a day in my Ioniq 5 RWD.
Will it resume charging after a power outage?
Purchased for '23 VW ID.4 Chattanooga Model for the same price as the far inferior VW portable charger (which is not included with the ID.4). Connecting to USA NEMA TT-30 RV 125V 30 amp outlet. Amazing construction quality. Worked instantly, charged from 44% to 80% in 12 hours. Now I need to go find out how to get the extension cables. Once I get a 50 amp breaker and NEMA 14-50 outlet this should do 5% battery to 80% in the same time. No reason to look at any other charger for home and portable use unless you need to have the charger on a network or to control on remote (which I wanted to avoid.) I've read it's the only UL certified portable charger in the market - don't know if that's true but it is UL certified. We'll see if the ID.4 is built to the same quality standard as this charger!
Are you copy-pasting this same comment to all Juice reviews?
I wonder how it compares to the Ford mobile charger that is also dual voltage and is cheaper at 500
If the point of the drop test is to mimic what would happen while plugging or unplugging the connector, why do it with the protective cap in place? You even said you probably wouldn’t use the cap because it was hard to get on and off.
What is the gauge of the cable?
You are saying that you can use an extension cord with this charger. I’m looking for a charger that can use an extension cord that doesn’t get hot and burn out the extension cord plug.
I’ve been to that area of BC for the North American forest fire fighter olympics. It could use more trees there
Tom, I hope you donate your leftovers of tested EVSE to willing and eager EV adopters.
I have donated some to local schools that wanted to install chargers. However, I get these on long-term loan most of the time. I can't sell or give them away without permission.
One of the biggest flaws in the design of this unit is that the length of the cord between the plug and the charger is too short. I would much prefer a length of 3 or 4 feet of chord so that the charger can be mounted a reasonable distance from the power outlet. I did not see this in any of the comments below.
@statofcharge we are almost at the end of the year ,a video whit your top five permanent charger and top3 portable charger could be a good thing
what's a good quality, cheaper 'dumb' alternative to this? we go to the inlaws every month or so and would love to have a simple 5-7kW charger instead of the 1kW we get from the 110V. We're always shy 10ish percent on the way back which we need to stop for, and would love to get something that could charge the battery faster overnight.
Intro slide says 2 yr warranty but you said 3 year warranty when you spoke about needing a replacement unit. Which is correct?
Good catch. 2 years
What differentiates the booster 2 from the original ?
The original was made for europe and comes with totally different connectors and I believe the current used is quite different from ours.
Did you think about mounting the unit sideways. This would make it the correct height. If the wall plug was low on the wall you could even mount it upside down.
Then the connector holster won't work
@@StateOfChargeWithTomMoloughney That's OK--the holster isn't worth using anyway.
Did the first unit fail before or after the water test??
Before
Honest question because I’m researching about this and I’m not 100% sure what it is. How is this different than the Tesla charger that came with the car? Does it charge faster than a normal charger in anyway or is it just another cable? Why is this so much better?
It charges faster (40A) than the Tesla mobile connector (32A). It also has an 120v RV adapter (TT-30) which Tesla doesn't offer.
Tom, in your Inside EVs podcast today you spoke about the Autel broken charge lock that renders the EVSE useless. Is that true? I have used public Chargepoint stations with a broken J1772 connector latch and they worked fine (though not locked to my car). Thoughts? Thanks!
It may still work, but I personally wouldn't use it - unless I really needed to (found it like that at a public charger). The release button tells the unit it's safe to energize and also when to cut power. The lock prevents someone from pulling the connector out hot, which isn't safe and can damage the pins in the inlet and cause an expensive repair. So even if it does work, I wouldn't use it that way unless I really had to.
@@StateOfChargeWithTomMoloughney agreed. I do wish we had the Type 2 connector with the locking mechanism in the inlet (like Tesla inlet) with no moving parts on the most abused portion of the hardware.
I hope the company has watched this video and take your recommendations for improving the product like mounting and anchoring and plug. I would have this for portability and keeping it in the vehicle as it's very rugged and can throw it around without worrying of getting damaged.
Would it be water resistant after damaged?
Yes all superficial scratches
wheres the lectron holster link?!
Sorry about that, here you go: amzn.to/3OI5LQL
@@StateOfChargeWithTomMoloughney ty! Didn't look like the vid so wasn't sure.
Why can't you 8nstall the bracket upside down?
Because you then can't hang the connector
Looks similar to a Mil spec BNC connector.
I don’t know, Tom I kind of feel like they’re not expecting you to mount it. The way it’s built kind of feels like you shouldn’t mount it. I could be wrong.
How much would a portable EV charging station wold charge a EV? From 0 to…?
How did your driveway fare after running over EVSE?
There's a deep scratch
I purchased this product based on Tom’s review. It works as stated, however, the software does not work in the United States, and there are no instructions. The QR code does not work for the device they ship with either. Everything is very slick, except it’s not for the US other than the device itself.
They should plant 3 trees per unit or give buyers the option of donating as many trees as they want with a donation option on their website.
Hi Tom:
When using this with the 5-15 adapter: Can you dial UP the amperage from 12 amps to 16 amps? 20 amp outlets are common and it would be nice to be able to just adjust the amperage up to 16 amps when plugging it into a 20 amp outlet.
You'd need the 20A (NEMA 5-20) adapter for that.
Looks promising! But I'm a bit skeptical of the carbon offset certificate. A lot of those "we'll plant a tree" programs are very misleading. This wouldn't sway me from a purchase of this charger- looks great- but I hope they aren't pushing that certificate as a major feature. Might bite them in the ass if they partnered with the wrong company to do it.
Tom do you have a spreadsheet that shows a comparison of all chargers you've done? Or what are your top three stationary and top three portable chargers?
I did not write this
Great review, interesting product. But cable locks can easily be removed especially a $24 lock, because they only stop people that don't have a small $15 bolt cutter. And if someone wants that charger they will come back with one. The Tesla Mobile Connecter still seems to be the better option, it's simple and less expensive.
Yes, unless you plan to leave it outdoors, then this J+ is better due to weather resistance; from Mobile Connector manual: "Warning: Do not use the Mobile Connector when either you, the vehicle or the Mobile Connector is exposed to severe rain, snow, electrical storm or other inclement weather."
@@christopherm.6094 True, I was thinking more for inside a garage.
One win for the Booster over the Tesla is the 40A charge rate vs Tesla's 32A.
@@cali-electro-dad doesn’t really matter if you’re charging overnight.
@Resist4 ...really does, depending on what you are charging...
Thanks for a formative ideology !!! Can it used in Australia?, would a ‘adapter’ work with such a product?, Can I have a electrician convert the p,ups??
I have all ready upgraded my normal power points to the next larger size, have the power point upgraded to 15amps, charging at 7.4w. I want 50km per hour charge time, perfect for my needs. I want to get home or at hotel after Work, plug in at 7pm then go to work at 6- 8am and it will be charged, I have BYD Atto 3, love it. 80 % of tbe time I’ll get home & it will still have 40-60% battery charge left, so charging will be even shorter👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼🇦🇺 I guess the question is will work in Australia. Have a terrific week kind regards
Isn't the drop test an unfair condition? You said you'd likely drop it when unplugging it from the car which wouldn't have the plug cover. Is the crush rating only good for the thing that you hang up? Not the connector?
Where is this made? If it's not made in China I would pay the premium.
BOOSTER 2 Portable EV Charger is both made & designed in Switzerland.
switzerland i believe
i have a 8 year ev wall unit i think i may need a new unit
nice unit ,,, 600 bucks now
The drop tests should be standardized to take out the randomness: the plug should be attached to a drop rig. And also protective cap off.
You wouldn't have done the crush test if you'd bought the unit with your own money!
Pronounced like : Chil cootin
I would suggest another modification to the much improved drop test. With 5 drops you could let the connector drop on 5 different faces. Allowing one drop to be connector face down.
Too expensive and I would never consider it. But, excellent review by Tom.
Damn $750 is too steep.
planting a tree scam sound really bad and we have seen many companies that just want to money to say they will plant a tree isnt true usually. That alone I won't buy it
Plug in would be wrong if upside down
Quit asking us to smash the subscribe button and hit the notification bell.....I will NEVER allow an app to notify me, besides email and text. Stop asking Tom.