Choosing a "portable" Level 2 EVSE

As I was researching EVSEs to install at our home, I discovered a distinctive characteristic that there were "plug in" models, which typically use a NEMA 6-50 plug and receptacle to connect the EVSE to an AC electrical supply, and "hard wired" models, which are to be permanently connected to an electrical supply. Some brands only sell one version or the other, and some are available in both connection options. In some cases, there were subtle differences between features, such as the length of the cable between the EVSE and the vehicle connection plug.

I was immediately interested in the notion of having a "portable" Level 2 EVSE. I don't know if that's ever going to come up, but if we ever did try to drive a long distance in an EV (in our current Ford Focus Electric, that would mean driving for one hour, then charging for 3 and a half, then repeat), we'd want to have as many charging options as possible. If we have to stop at a friend's house to top off, we don't want to have to stop for 20 hours with our Level 1 charger - we'd like to have a 3 hour meal/visit and hit the road again. It's not something I expect to do more than a few times, but I'm up for that adventure, and I like to have my options.

I was considering adding my own NEMA 6-50P plug to some EVSEs which were only available hard-wired (some people refer to the end of wires without terminals as a "pigtail"), but then noticed a subtle mention in one manufacturer's collateral material that their plug-in model claimed to incorporate ground fault circuitry, but their hard-wired made no mention of GFI. This may have been a typographical error, but it made me wary of adding my own plug, and it wasn't a deal-breaker to eliminate that brand from my candidate list.

In the end, we bought an Aerovironment "Plug in" EVSE for a few reasons. I've used public installations of them, so I know they think they're rugged enough for years in that fully exposed environment (we installed ours in a covered breezeway, as we're currently parking our EV in our driveway, due to conflicts with other garaged vehicles). And the Aerovironment piece is, while not exactly small, certainly far from the biggest of the EVSEs out there, all of which do the same task. Our Focus Electric gave up a LOT of the Focus' original cargo compartment to its battery pack, so keeping things compact helps. Finally, I established early on that the Aerovironment mounting bracket and EVSE incorporate a hasp for a padlock, so I can secure it (at one point, I was going to mount the EVSE on the front of our house near the street). It's also a "quick release" bracket - although the tolerances between the EVSE and mounting bracket are a bit too close, and it's not at all easy to remove. That said, I don't expect to remove it much, so it's not a big deal.

We had an electrician run a custom 50 amp, 240 volt circuit to a NEMA 6-50 receptacle on our breezeway wall (the EVSE and our car require only 30 amps, and specify 40 amp service, but the electrician ran wire big enough for a little future-proofing). Local code required that in this "damp" location (even though it's under our continuous roof), the receptacle be installed inside a "weatherproof" enclosure.

Aerovironment "Plug In" EVSE, with NEMA 6-50 outlet in "damp location" mandatory weatherproof enclosure.

I still haven't gotten around to collecting the pieces, but theoretically, with a few inexpensive adapters, we'll be able to charge from household electric clothes dryer or stove circuits (provided they are 240 volt, 30+ amp), and campgrounds (via their 50 amp NEMA 14-50R service, if they have it).

We might never try going more than a couple of full charges from home, but if we do, I'll be ready for it.