Complete review of the ChargePoint Home Flex EV charger

If you’ve bought an electric vehicle (EV) recently or are considering one, you’re not alone! Global EV sales doubled in 2021 from the previous year to a new record of 6.6 million, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA) Global EV Outlook 2022 Report. Having an EV charger at your home allows you to more efficiently and quickly charge your EV at home, while managing and monitoring your charging and energy usage. (Bonus: if you have solar, you can power your car with the sun!).

ChargePoint is one of the top companies in EV charging – from their large network of chargers you can use on the go to their home EV charger, you’ve probably heard about them if you’re an EV driver. Since 2007, ChargePoint has focused on providing EV charging facilities and technology to businesses, fleets, and drivers. The company states it is both founded by and created for EV drivers, with accessible charging as their top priority. In this article, we’ll review ChargePoint’s EV home charger: the Home Flex.

Before diving into ChargePoint EV chargers specifically, it’s important to know the different levels of charging you can do at home and how they vary. EV chargers are also known as EVSEs, which stands for electric vehicle supply equipment.

A Level 1 charger is just using a standard outlet at your home. To do this, you just use a standard 120-volt (V) wall outlet with a J1772 connector. However, this is very slow, only adding approximately 2-5 miles per hour to your range. A ChargePoint Home Flex is a Level 2 charger: the standard for home EV charging. It allows you to charge much more quickly than a Level 1 charger, providing up to 37 miles of range per hour, depending on which EV you own.

ChargePoint’s Home Flex is a Level 2, 240V flexible amperage home EV charger. It comes with a 23-foot charging cable and is easy for an electrician to install indoors or outdoors.

Key features of the ChargePoint Home Flex

Wiring and EV compatibility

The ChargePoint Home Flex home EV charger is compatible with all EV models as long as they can charge with a J1772 charge plug, which most EVs today have other than Teslas. Teslas come with a J1772 adapter, so you can still charge your Tesla with the ChargePoint Home Flex.

Convenience

The ChargePoint Home Flex can be used with most home electrical systems. It is also waterproof and rated NEMA 3R for outdoor use and can be placed using either a hardwired installation or a weatherproof NEMA receptacle for plug-in installation. The charger has adjustable amperage to meet the needs of the car and work with the house’s existing electrical system.

The Home Flex can be installed both indoors and outdoors in most homes, apartments, and condo complexes – just keep in mind that if you live in a multi-unit complex, you will need to confirm with your HOA or complex that you can install an EV charger at your parking spot. ChargePoint also offers EV chargers specifically made for apartment and condo complexes so that you can talk to your property manager about those options as well. The cable is lightweight and 23 feet long, providing flexibility in where you install it – whether that’s in your garage, carport, or parking garage.

If you have two EVs to charge but don’t have enough power for multiple electrical circuits, some systems allow you to share power from one circuit while sufficiently charging your vehicles. However, each ChargePoint Home Flex station requires its own dedicated circuit.

Connectivity

The ChargePoint Home Flex can connect to your home’s WiFi network to receive over-the-air firmware updates, remote diagnostics access, and usage data tracking capabilities.

Warranty

The ChargePoint Home Flex comes with a three-year limited parts equipment warranty, which is pretty standard for home EV chargers.

The ChargePoint Home Flex app

The Home Flex has an app that you can add to your smartphone (either iOs or Google Play) to manage and monitor your EV charging. You can use this app to set up specific times to charge the car in accordance with when electricity is the cheapest and check the progress of the same.

Additional ChargePoint Home Flex Features

The ENERGY STAR® certification is awarded by the EPA to those EV chargers that meet a set guideline of energy efficiency when not in use. The Home Flex is ENERGY STAR® certified, and, complying to these standards, uses 40 percent less energy than other standard chargers when in standby mode. According to EPA estimates, efficient EV chargers could save 280 million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions each year, the equivalent of taking 26,000 gas-powered vehicles off the road.

The ChargePoint Home Flex costs $749. Keep in mind that you’ll also have EV charger installation costs, as you’ll want a trusted, licensed, and experienced electrician to ensure your charger is correctly installed. According to Qmerit, most standard EV home charger installations cost between $799 and $1,999. Additionally, depending on your home’s electrical panel, floor plan, and wiring, you may need additional wiring, so your costs may increase.

Overall, the ChargePoint Home Flex is a popular option for EV drivers to charge at home. ChargePoint is known as a leader in EV charging, and their settings, app, and energy efficiency are all benefits when choosing their home EV charger. However, it’s not the cheapest option, so you can opt for a more budget-friendly option in exchange for giving up some features. Additionally, if you own or plan to buy more than one EV and EV charger, you’ll need a dedicated circuit to add additional Home Flex stations.

One of the nice things about driving an EV compared to gas-powered vehicles (outside of avoiding the rising gas prices!) is that you can plug your car in overnight to charge and usually wake up to a full – or nearly full – charge. That said, the speed of your EV charger is helpful to know and consider. The ChargePoint Home Flex EV home charger can provide approximately 12 to 37 miles of range per hour of charge, with up to 12 kW / 50 A Output, depending on your specific EV’s make and model.

Your ChargePoint Home Flex charger can charge at different speeds depending on a few factors, including:

• Your home’s circuit breaker output: higher output capabilities means quicker charging.

• Energy use: power may be limited at certain times because of other energy use in your home – limited usage equals slower charging

• The specific make, model, and options of your EV: bigger batteries will take longer to charge, efficiency varies by EV, and different EVs have different onboard charging capabilities, which will impact the charging speed

• The age of your EV’s battery: over time, your battery will degrade, and its discharge rate (battery capacity / number of hours it takes to charge) will decrease

ChargePoint offers a charging calculator for you to estimate your EV’s charging speed.

As with any EV charger, you’ll want to get a licensed electrician to install your ChargePoint Home Flex and ensure any additional supporting electrical work is covered, such as if you need to do added wiring or upgrades to your electrical panel. While these can add to your cost, covering both the safety aspects and enabling long-term savings (compared to filling up a gas tank) will usually make driving and charging your EV at home financially beneficial.

ChargePoint Home Flex can be set to charge at various speeds: 16 A, 24A, 32A, 40A, 48A, or 50A. The higher the amperage you select, the faster the charging speed, depending on your electrical system capabilities and the amperage rating of your car's onboard charger.

You can work with a trusted electrician near you, and installation costs vary based on several factors. Any licensed electricians should be able to install the chargers, but ChargePoint also partners with Qmerit to offer Installation Services.

If you are looking for a fast, adaptable charger that can adjust to your house's energy production, and is extremely efficient, the Home Flex is a good fit for you. Most popular sites like Google, Amazon, and Home Depot showcase excellent customer ratings for the Home Flex (4.6 out of 5 stars), so it’s widely trusted. The supporting mobile app using advanced technology enables you to track when charging is the cheapest and set up charging times.

There’s sometimes a misconception that home EV charging is expensive. However, it’s substantially less expensive in most areas than buying gasoline – especially if you’re using solar to power your charging. Your exact comparison depends on the cost of electricity in your area and the make and model of EV you own (since various models have different ranges).

One of the best long-term solutions to lower your home EV charging costs is to go solar. You can use the EnergySage Marketplace to compare several quotes from pre-screened installers, helping you find a system that fits your needs at the right price. If you’re planning to charge an EV at home, make sure to add a note to your profile so installers can right size your solar system to sufficiently power your EV.