Bosch unveils Power Max—Level 2 EV charger for $449

(Phys.org) —Bosch Automotive Services has announced the unveiling of a Level 2 Electric Vehicle (EV) charger which it plans to sell for just $449. Currently the company markets a $950 EV charger called the Power Xpress. As part of the announcement, Bosch claims the price of the Power Max is roughly half that of similar chargers offered by other companies.

Despite massive spending by car companies, EVs have not threatened the dominance of cars powered by gasoline—the chief reason given by experts in the field is their relatively high cost, especially for the battery. Another troublesome expenditure for prospective EV buyers is the cost of home charging systems (they come in two varieties, Level 1, which plug into standard wall outlets and Level 2, which require custom wiring). Level 1 systems are relatively cheap but require more patience as they take longer to charge a vehicle (on average about 8 hours). Level 2 systems are approximately twice as fast at charging, but cost a lot more. Bosch, with its Power Max is hoping to bring the best of both worlds to EV buyers.

The Power Max is a 240 volt Level 2 charger, and has been UL certified in both Canada and the United States. Its cover is NEMA 3R compliant which means it can be used both in and outdoors. Bosch says it will offer the new charger in a variety of configurations, ranging from 16 to 30 amps with a choice of two cable lengths: 18 or 25 feet long.

As part of the unveiling of its new charger, Bosch President of Automotive Service Solutions, Tanvir Arfi, said that the company believes that most EV buyers will be charging their cars at home, rather than service stations—and because of that, it's imperative that they have a reasonably inexpensive option for doing so. He noted also that incentives offered to buyers to offset the cost of charging systems have begun to expire, which means that customers will be looking for alternatives to the high priced current crop of Level 2 chargers. He acknowledged that as part of the cost cutting effort, network features that allow customers to interact remotely with the charging systems, has been eliminated for the Power Max.