Your electric car saves you lots of money over paying for gasoline, but using the Level 1 charger your electric car came with takes forever and a day to charge your car. The solution is to upgrade your car charger to a Level 2 design like this one from JuiceBox. Despite lots of promising features, this JuiceBox 32 review will show you why this isn’t a good product to buy. (>>> Check on Amazon)
JuiceBox 32 Review of Specifications:
| JuiceBox 32 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Wattage | 7.7 kW |
| Amperes | 32 |
| Voice control | Yes (Amazon Echo / Alexa) |
| Charging status | Dynamic LED lights |
| Item Weight | 20.9 pounds |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 20.8 x 14.9 x 10.6 |
| Price | Check on Amazon |
Who The JuiceBox 32 is Meant For
The JuiceBox 32 is designed to work for people in older homes that are limited to 40 amp service. When professionally installed, the JuiceBox 32 can rapidly charge your EV, cutting down on the amount of time you have to wait between drives. JuiceBox says it’s about 6 times faster than a Level 1 charger. It’s also loaded with features that make this a more convenient charger than what the manufacturer of your car provides.
EV Charging Features
The best thing about this charger is the ability to connect via WiFi and use the app to monitor and control the charging cycles. You can set it to alert you when your car is charged and create unique times when the charger will turn on and off so that you are taking advantage of cheaper electricity rates. It can even connect with Alexa or Google Home to give you notifications about charging status throughout your connected home.
Pros
- Lots of features that make charging an electric vehicle more convenient
- Attractive design
Cons
- Lots of recent reports of defective units including some that damaged vehicles
- Customer service is non-existent or not helpful
- Numerous reports of software and hardware bugs that prevent the unit from operating as advertised
Is the JuiceBox 32 Easy to Install?
Unless you are an electrician, you shouldn’t try to install this device yourself. Chances are good that you’ll electrocute yourself, start a fire, or destroy your car. With that said, it is easy to install because all you have to do is pick a spot and pay the electrician when they are done. The JuiceBox32 includes a 25 foot charging cord which makes it convenient to plug in your car inside or outside of your garage.
Will It Work With Any EV?
The JuiceBox 32 is designed to work with all current charging protocols in use by automobile manufacturers. Some vehicles, like Tesla, will require an adapter that is only available from the factory. The charger is compatible with older and newer electric vehicles including those by Mercedes and the newest Ford electric vehicles.
Sounds Good- Why Isn’t It Recommended
JuiceBox is based in San Carlos, Calif. And builds their charging devices using domestic and imported parts. Almost all buyers who have purchased a JuiceBox 32 in the past year have experienced numerous issues ranging from minor inconveniences to total failures that resulted in necessary repairs to the vehicle which are not covered by JuiceBox.
Most of the problems involve the unit simply not functioning as intended. Dozens of reports indicate the units simply fail to properly connect and never charge which is an obvious problem when you are counting on your car. Several people also report internal wiring and construction problems that result in short-circuits which can result in fires. At least one buyer was forced to spend lots of money on electrical repairs after the JuiceBox 32 charger shorted and damaged the vehicle.
The units appear to suffer from problems relating to the WiFi chipset. Numerous users report that these devices fail to connect to WiFi or drop a connection and don’t recover. This leaves you in the dark about the status of your charger.
The most common complaint has been that the JuiceBox 32 won’t charge at Level 2 speeds, instead charging at Level 1, which isn’t any better than the charger you already have that plugs into a standard 110v socket. It doesn’t make sense to spend lots of money on a charger, plus money on a professional installation, when it won’t charge your car faster.
Buyers who have reported problems with their units also report numerous customer service issues that include the manufacturer refusing to replace defective items and forcing buyers to take their unit to third-party repair facilities only to find out that the problems persist. Until JuiceBox is able to satisfy customer complaints and there are fewer reports of defective units being sold as new items, this is a charger you should avoid.
Final Thoughts: JuiceBox 32 Review
Upgrading your home car charger to a faster, more reliable system is smart. It provides you with a faster charging time and better control over how much electricity you are using. Unfortunately, the rash of recent reports indicates that JuiceBox is dealing with shoddy suppliers for critical parts and has put customer service on the back burner. We recommend finding a different product until there is evidence that the problems have been corrected. (>>> Find on Amazon)