Charging station for home
Wall boxes for electric cars in the ADAC test: which products are “good”.
An electric car charges at a wall box in a garage. The ADAC rated the boxes from different manufacturers. (symbol photo)
© Martin Bäuml Fotodesign / Imago Images
Wall boxes offer safe and comparatively fast charging of electric cars. However, not all products are good. An ADAC test shows what they are really good for.
If you have an electric car, you should think about a good product before buying a wall box, i.e. an in-house charging station. This is shown by a wall box test by the ADAC, which tested twelve products for safety, function and reliability, among other things. Ten tested boxes received the overall result “good”.
Two models from the manufacturers Alfen and PC Electric, on the other hand, failed due to safety deficiencies. In the two losers of the test, the protective device, which is intended to prevent people from getting an electric shock, failed several times.
In the case of the wall box from PC Electric, the integrated fault direct current monitoring device did not trigger at all or too late in two of the three series of measurements, and the testers recorded a delay in one series of measurements on the Alfen box. Since both wallboxes do not meet the safety requirements of the DIN standard, the ADAC gave each a “poor”.
Apart from the two failures, there were no problems with over 400 test charges; the tested wall boxes proved to be reliable. The HOMEfix 11kw from go-eCharger is one of the two test winners and, at a price of 675 euros, is the cheapest box in the test.
Overall, go-eChargers and Wallbox Chargers performed best at a purchase price of 1300 euros. They not only impressed with their function and safety, but above all with their user-friendly handling and control via app or directly on the display of the charging station. With both products, users can set the charging current in real time on the box. This is useful, for example, when there is a high demand for electricity in the house and the charging capacity needs to be reduced. With three other wall boxes, the charging power can at least be adjusted manually via the app. The testers found it “remarkable” that only five of the tested wallboxes have a modern app control. There were also big differences in the power consumption in standby mode. While the Alfen box has a standby consumption of seven watts, that of the LRT is less than one watt.
Use a wall box instead of a socket
The ADAC generally recommends charging the electric car at home via a wall box and not via the household socket. Because with the latter, the charging process takes much longer due to the lower charging power. There is also a risk that the power cord, plug or socket will overheat. Even a cable fire cannot be ruled out.
Before buying a wallbox, you should first find out about possible subsidy programs for the purchase or installation of municipalities or federal states. There is currently no KfW funding. It is unclear whether there will be federal grants again in the future. The purchase prices are between about 500 and about 2000 euros.
Pay attention to the connection when buying
When using a wallbox, charging costs just as much as normal household electricity. There are also electricity tariffs with cheaper car electricity. Please note: There are wall boxes with single-phase and three-phase connections. With the former, the charging power is 4.6 kW, with the latter 11 kW or up to 22 kW. For example, whether the car can take three-phase current depends on the vehicle’s on-board charger. A three-phase wall box does not necessarily offer an advantage, but it is hardly more expensive and sustainable; the next electric car could eventually be able to use several power phases.
Due to its high power output, a wall box may only be installed by a specialist company. Only when the box is registered with the network operator can it actually be used to charge the electric car.
ADAC recommends an 11 kW wall box. Because it can charge in one phase, as well as in two and three phases, and is usually sufficient for overnight charging, even with larger batteries. A permit for the box is required for a charging capacity of more than 11 kW.