What is the Autel MaxiCharger Home Smart EV Charger?
There’s a surge in popularity of electric vehicles in 2022 and headed into the model year 2023 and 24. Due to the ever-rising number of electric vehicles on the market, people are finding ways to charge their electric cars and trucks at home. It’s a hassle to find an EV charging station still in most parts of the world with a lack of infrastructure still a big hurdle for the industry. Even if you do find a DCFC (Direct Current Fast Charger) to charge your electric vehicle, is it more convenient and cost efficient to charge your BEV (battery electric vehicle) or Plug-In Hybrid at home?
It’s still going to be several years before there are charging stations near me and likely you, especially in rural areas without a high integration rate to battery electric cars. So, with a lack of electric vehicle charging infrastructure, we are left with the problem of where to charge our electric vehicles every day? And, how to find a cheaper, faster way to charge the battery pack in our electric car, truck or SUV at home.
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Enter products like the admittedly smart-looking Autel MaxiCharger for charging the battery pack in your EV or Plug in Hybrid Vehicle (PHEV) at home. If you’re looking for a high end EVSE (electric-vehicle supply equipment) for your home, this smart charger from Autel is the best money can buy. With smart-charging features and smartphone compatibility, this AC Electric Vehicle battery charger can even help prevent fires caused by low quality power stations.
Let’s get started with the Autel MaxiCharger HomeSmart EV charger review.
Less than $600 and you can own a Level Two EV or PHEV car charger.
Autel MaxiCharge makes it easy to charge BEV and PHEV’s at home.
If you own a battery electric vehicle (BEV) like the new Ford F-150 Lighting, any of Tesla’s models or a plug in hybrid, you know there is one critical issue with battery electric vehicles. You have to have a place to charge your EV at home. At this stage in the electric vehicle market, there are still huge areas all over the world that don’t have access to a DCFC to charge their electric vehicle and range is still a major issue- especially in colder climates where some EV’s lose up to 30% of their range.
The problem of finding a place to charge your EV is eliminated by this Autel MaxiCharger SmartHome. You don’t have to hang out at the local EVgo or Greenlots locations if you’re lucky enough to be within a hundred mile radius of one of these Direct Current charge points. It’s as simple as plugging the NIMA connector in and customizing the charging settings.
What Type of Charger is the Autel Home Smart?
In terms of ways to charge the battery pack in electric vehicles or plug-in hybrids, there are three different options. Trickle charge, AC charging and DC fast-charging like you see at commercial charge points. Hotels are also adopting the direct-current fast chargers as a way to attract the business of electric vehicle owners.
It’s important to understand the different types of EV charge points in order to determine which type of EV charger the Autel Home Smart is.
Trickle-Charger: Products like the Max Green portable charger fall under the trickle charger category and should not be used as a primary source of power for electric vehicle battery packs due to high power demand and potential for fires.
AC Charger: The Autel HomeSmart EV charger is what’s considered an AC charger essentially because it’s hard-wired and uses a “wall box” type of set up. This type of EVSE for electric vehicles is approximately 3-4 times faster than trickle chargers.
DC Charger: The preferred method of battery pack charging for electric vehicles is using a DC charger like the ones found at commercial charging points. These chargers put of 50kWh and above with the ability to fully charge an EV battery pack in under an hour.
The Problem With DC Electric Vehicle Charge Points
Its pretty clear among owners of BEV’s and plug-in hybrids what the problem is with DC charging. There aren’t many available in large parts of the world still. It’s this lack of electric vehicle charging infrastructure that makes products like the Autel Smart Charger such a convenient option for “fueling up” your electric vehicle battery pack.
Autels’s MaxiCharger SmartHome is a powerful, efficient Level 2 Charger.
The MaxiCharger is a Level 2 charger. What’s a Level 2 charger? A level 2 charger means it is a 240 volt charger and It can charge your electric vehicle up to seven times faster than a Level 1 charger. A Level one charger is only connected to 120 volts and chargers electric vehicles at a very slow rate.
The MaxiCharger comes with two different plug options, the NEMA 6-50 plug and the NEMA 14-50 plug. So you won’t have to worry about how you’re going to charge your EV faster once you install this thing personal electric vehicle charger. Using the Autel makes it easy to charge faster, slower and even stop charging for durations. Autel’s EV charger also has a high efficiency rate around 96%, making it one of the best electric vehicle power stations available.
Autel’s MaxiCharger has customizable settings. You control how the Home Smart charges your EV.
The power settings on this power station allow you to choose your own charging rate, ranging from 6 all the way up to 40 amps. It also comes with an optional RFID chip start-stop function to prevent other people from using your homes charging plug without your permission. In urban areas and even rural areas that lack a large infrastructure, stealing electricity to charge vehicles could definitely be an issue.
Compatible with Wi-Fi, ethernet and Bluetooth the Autel MaxiCharger allows you to manage charging with a powerful mobile app. You can choose how fast to charge your EV, what time you want to charge it, how long you want to charge it. You have full control over the charging of your EV or Plug-In Hybrid.
How easy is it to install a MaxiCharger?
I won’t lie to you and say it’s easy to install the MaxiCharger, because it’s not. Especially if you are installing without any existing hardware. There is a manual that will give you step by step directions to install your Autel MaxiCharger by yourself. Although if you aren’t an electrician or at least have knowledge of household electrical, installing an EV charger probably isn’t a DIY job.
There are resources online that can help you if you are trying to install the MaxiCharger or another EV charger yourself. I would honestly just hire a good, reputable electrician to come wire in the car charger so you don’t have to worry about it.
The MaxiCharger can be bought for less than $600. It’s worth finding someone to install it properly and paying a little bit more. It’s also worth mentioning that if the MaxiCharger is not installed by a professional, Autel will not warranty the HomeSmart.
If a Level 2 charger won’t work, there are portable EV chargers for sale
If the installation process for a level 2 EV charger is too much work or not feasible for some reason, there is the option of portable chargers for battery electric vehicles. One option I found that comes with adapters for 120 volt, 240 volt and several plug configurations is the Max Green portable Level 1 and Level 2 EV charger.
Amazon is where you can buy the Max Green portable EV charger the cheapest, around $250. I’m going to give you a preview of this “upgraded” portable EV charger below and you can click the link to check out the reviews. Although the Autel MaxiCharger is the best at-home fixed charging station, this portable EV charging option by Max Green is affordable and maybe even more convenient than the Autel. It comes with a 25 foot cord, same as the Autel charger but it also comes with several ways to plug in and charge your electric vehicles.
How fast can I expect the MaxiCharger to charge my car?
The Autel MaxiCharger charges up to 240kW which means 200 km of range can be charged in just ten minutes according to the product listing on Sevadis.com. How convenient would it be to charge up your EV overnight and wake up to a full battery in the morning? It’s pretty impressive how fast the MaxiCharger can replenish a charge.
How safe is the Autel MaxiCharge?
The MaxiCharge claims a NEMA 4 protection rating and as with anything else, the safety of this home EV Charger is going to be partially dependent on the installation. Be sure to have the Autel home charging system installed by a professional electrician.
This is especially important because of the 240 volt setup of the MaxiCharge. Not only is 240 volts much more dangerous in terms of fire, it is also much more likely to result in a deadly electrocution than 120V. Getting hit with 120 volts will wake you up. 240 volts will put you down. Fast.
What’s the warranty on the Autel MaxiCharger?
You will notice that in every product review I do, warranty is a major factor. There’s a reason for that. If I were gonna spend $600 on a product like the MaxiCharger, I wanna know that Autel will replace it if defective or faulty.
What if my MaxiCharger just stops charging all of a sudden? What if the Wi-Fi features decide to stop working or the smartphone app goes wonky? I want to be confident that the company is going to fix, repair or support me in every way possible.
Autel claims a three year warranty on the MaxiCharge Home Smart system.
According to Autel, and this is a direct quote from their Amazon Store Page regarding warranty of the MaxiCharger,
3 Year Warranty and 24/7 Support: The MaxiCharger NEMA plug units are easily installed by yourself or by a licensed electrician. A 3-year warranty, automatic updates, and around-the-clock support from Autel’s best-in-class customer service team will ensure a smooth and effortless onboarding and charging experience.
Sounds like Autel is willing to stand behind the quality of the MaxiCharge.
Autel has been building an automotive electric tools footprint in the last decade. The companies claim to fame has been their affordable, powerful scan tools but now they sell hundreds of products.
Warranty on Autel products has not been an issue in my experience. Advertising a three year warranty with 24/7 tech support it’s safe to buy an Autel MaxiCharger and feel comfortable they will fix or replace the product if it breaks.
Amazon reviews from 77 verified purchasers have been overwhelmingly positive. Buyers claim it’s easy to setup, the cord is high quality, the application is smooth and easy to use. It sounds like at $559 today, the Autel MaxiCharge would definitely be worth buying for an at home EV charging station.
Author- John Green
If you purchase through my website, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. All posts are well researched and meant to find you better tools at a cheaper price.