Hi All,
I am looking for a recommendation for a good and reliable Portable EV Charger that I can place in my car as a backup for any emergencies. As you probably experienced, there have been numerous times you stopped at charging stations to see a line, all taken or even broken. So it would be a good idea to have one in the trunk. Thanks in advance…
The best is a Tesla one.
The cheapest ($200) will probably explode your car.
Look for something used but branded on ebay, (Such as a Nissan or Kia charger)
Please be aware those L1 portable chargers is like 2.5 → 5.0 miles per hour of charge.
As Forbs mentioned above, the only way to justify portable ev charger is you are renting airbnb or stay with friends/families and use their electricity to charge overnight. If you’re lucky, they’ll have the nema 14/50 or 6/50 outlet so you can get level 2 charging, otherwise with level 1 - it will take forever to charge. You’re better off finding the nearest level 2 charger in the area.
I’m picturing @z0lt3c with a giant bin full of the chargers that BMW and Tesla throw in the trunks of their vehicles.
Yeah that’s the one that used to come with every Tesla, but they stopped giving them for free a few years ago. If you get that one, you’ll still need to get a NACS to J1772 adaptor so you can plug that into a non Tesla EV.
Actually this, the JESLA, but a Tesla one is $250 and the adaptor can’t be that much.
Lol did they take the $250 Tesla one and splice in a J1772 end? Then charge $600?
yup, this was big in the old days, but I guess with cheap NACS > J1772 they probably aren’t wanted now.
Yeah, even the mega-expensive TeslaTap ones would still be cheaper than a Jesla Jr thing haha.
I just got a Lectron one from Amazon and it’s been fine. If this is just an emergency charging kit for the trunk that will be 20-Amps max, the cheap knock-off ones would be sufficient too.
Youtube channel State of Charge highly rated the A2Z 80A Tesla(nacs) to J1772 adapter. It is reasonable at $110.
That plus Tesla mobile connector for $250 is best bang for buck.
You can level 1 at home or away. Also level 2 charge at home with nema 14-50 plug. The adapter can also be used at Tesla destination chargers.
Thank you…
I was also recommended this as I am looking into one for a Lucid:
https://www.amazon.com/Electric-Portable-Charging-Outdoors-Certified/dp/B0B4PGMHK9?th=1
Eeehhhhh just stick with the mega-reliable-and-time-tested Tesla one.
For real, I don’t even like Tesla. But I recognize their charging equipment is top notch and it’s not worth your time to muck around with unproven brands.
Edit: if you really don’t like Tesla… here’s the BMW one that should work with your Lucid in a pinch. $315 so it’ll be cheaper than the Tesla Mobile Connector + Adaptor. But only 16 amps since it will only work in a standard 110v 3 prong outlet.
BMW EV Charger i3 i5 i8 330e 530e 740e X540e Turbocord Dual Voltage 120 240V OEM | eBay?
108 ratings? That’s fake.
Buy this
Lol but that’s only 12 amps and has no case! BMW > Polestar.
And this is portable? So I can charge it at home and use it on the road?
It is not portable…what I mean is like an external battery backup that I can use when on the side of the road or in a pinch…not one that I need to attach to an outlet or charging station.
That BMW one is ultra slow (it was intended for the small janky BEVs or their PHEVs). I wouldn’t trust that BMW one I linked to be useful at home. It’s purely a way for you to get energy in a pinch (over many hours of charging while you’re parked at an AirBnB.
The Tesla mobile one goes up to 32A and IIRC a bunch of Tesla Owners on the forums routinely used it at home and on the go. But to get the most power, it’ll need a NEMA socket.
I put this mobile one in my MIL’s house to charge her BMW i4. Even though the i4 comes with a mobile charger (which is a disaster) I literally had an easier time putting in the Tesla Mobile connector with a NACS to J1772 adaptor than mess with that mobile connector that came with the BMW i4.
When it comes to charging equipment, Tesla really know what they’re doing.
But still, I thought Lucid’s shipped with a mobile connector? Not sure why you didn’t get one?
Just buy new.
Tesla mobile connector - $250
A2Z 80 Tesla to J1772 - $111
This will cover any charging situation. Plus you can use Tesla destination chargers with the adapter(which are usually free).
