Autel MaxiCharger Review: Great first effort, things to consider
Autel, a Chinese company long known for making solid automotive supplies and diagnostic tools (and drones) recently jumped into the residential EV charger market with its MaxiCharger ($459). As an auto company with technology in its DNA, we hoped to see some innovation. And we did – but not where we expected.
Like most EV chargers, Autel’s MaxiCharger comes in a big heavy cardboard box. Autel’s internal packaging is sadly not biodegradable but uses reusable velcro straps holding the wiring in place. It comes fully assembled, so you don’t have to connect cables or screws like with other EV chargers.
Installing Autel MaxiCharger
Installing the MaxiCharger is incredibly straightforward. You simply put the metal plate on the wall where you want the charger, drill two holes and put in some screws. Obviously, you’ll want to find the wood studs behind drywall or use a masonry bit if drilling into cinderblocks/bricks or similar. Once the plate is on the wall, you simply hang the charging unit on the plate, and it locks in pretty solidly. The flipside to the easy install is that it is also relatively easy to steal if located outside.
Note, the NEMA 14-50/ 6-50 cable is (too damn) short at just over one-foot long, and it’s also stiff, so make sure it has room to make it to the plug. Also, the charger plug is oriented so that the charger is above the plug, or you can very tightly curve the cable and locate the box directly to the right of the plug. A longer, more flexible plug cable would provide more mounting options here. I think the Enel Juicebox does this a little better.
Once installed, plug in and download the Android or iOS app. It will ask for your email and phone number and then a QR code and pin, which is in the paper manual on a sticker. That last bit is more of a scavenger hunt than I’d like, but it worked the first time. (Note: The charger will work without the app being set up, so if you are just looking for a dumb charger, it is plug-and-play.)
The app is pretty solid and gives a good readout of charging sessions as well as the ability to stop and start charges. It also allows Siri and Alexa to initiate and stop charging. One really neat app tab allows you to suggest a new feature and vote on others. You can vote on each feature, and the engineers give a status on these plans. Everyone should do this!
Using the Autel MaxiCharge
I live in ConEdison-land, where I can get a $.10/kWh rebate on my charging so long as I only charge between midnight and 8 a.m. I have this set up on both my Tesla and my Chevy Bolt, but I could also easily set this up on the Autel MaxiCharger.
After that, the charger is literally plug-and-play. The long 25-foot cable is nice but not terribly flexible, which is made even more rigid by the cold. In my New York April testing, which saw a few nights drop into freezing, it never was more than a little annoyance, however.
I consistently saw a 40A draw and never had any dropouts. The charger head feels very high quality and is easy to insert and remove. This feels like it will easily outlast its three-year warranty.
I didn’t have an opportunity to try the RFID charging or try connecting via Bluetooth, but I imagine these will be super important for some users who live in multifamily-charging scenarios or places without Wi-Fi.
Autel Notes that these chargers are incredibly durable with NEMA 4 protection, allowing them to be installed inside the garage or out.
The Nema 14-50 plug cable can be swapped out for a hardwired connection, which will allow this same charger to hit 50A, or almost 12kW, of charging.
In addition, Autel has a MaxiCharger DC V2X product coming out soon, which promises faster DC fast charging and bidirectional power flow, which is something we’ve been waiting for desperately.
Things I love about the Autel MaxiCharger:
- $459 price is reasonable for a high-quality product and significantly lower than the big players like Juicebox and ChargePoint. The most important thing here might be that Autel is pushing prices down for high-quality EV chargers.
- App has solid features and the ability to do RFID charging, which will be big for multifamily dwellings.
- Metal J1772 plug is super durable (but the plastic button could be prone to breaking).
- Box is attractive, and plug option on charger and off is nice.
- Cable is 25 feet long.
- Three-year warranty and phone tech support and ability to repair parts is a bonus.
Things that could be improved:
- Stiff cabling is comically inflexible in the cold, and even the Nema 14-50 cable is overly stiff on install. That could make every charge, particularly in the winter, a little harder than it needs to be.
- Display screen could use better UX, and ring around charger could be lighted (but it is reflective, which will help in low light).
Overall, I can certainly recommend Autel’s $459 MaxiCharger for those looking to install a good-looking, high-quality, reasonably-priced charger with great features for installation inside a garage or outside.
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British Columbia got its first 400 kW DC fast charger last week at Canadian C-store chain On The Run, but that’s not the good part. As part of a limited time offer, these chargers are FREE!
The Canadian convenience store chain just took the wraps off its new, ABB-developed, 400 kW chargers earlier this month, but they’re already planning to bring the ultra-fast 400 kW dispensers to at least four more locations in BC this spring, and have them online just in time for the summer road trip season – something On The Run hopes its customers will appreciate.
“The A400 charger delivers an enhanced customer experience, with reliability and performance from a 32-inch screen to higher power charging sessions and power sharing,” reads the company’s official announcement, via LinkedIn. “Download the Journie Rewards app to start the charge – free for a limited time.”
On The Run’s new 400 kW ABB DC fast chargers are compatible with CCS and CHAdeMO plugs, and can accommodate Tesla and other NACS-equipped vehicles with an adapter. That said, the company seems to imply that Tesla drivers in particular will have a maximum charging speed of “just” 50 kW, which feel hilarious (given the current state of affairs between Tesla and the Canadian government), but probably isn’t.
In addition to the ABB A400 400 kW units shown here, On The Run locations also employ the ABB Terra 184 dispensers rated at 180 kW. On The Run plans similar deployments at the four BC locations mentioned above, as well as two more each in Quebec and Ontario slated to go live towards the end of this year.
Electrek’s Take
Tesla’s controversial CEO Elon Musk once mocked 350 kW charging speed as being “for a child’s toy,” despite the fact that, nearly nine years later, his own cars and Superchargers can barely make it to 325 kW while others have sailed right on past. I made fun of that fact on the Quick Charge episode shown, above – and, while I do think it’s funny and relevant, the much more relevant piece of news here is that companies like BP Pulse, Revel, and Wallbox are actively deploying 400 kW solutions, today (while others hit the same mark as far back as 2017).
It’s just a fact: Tesla has fallen way behind.
SOURCE | IMAGES: On The Run, via Electric Autonomy.
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Terawatt Infrastructure‘s first medium- and heavy-duty electric charging truck stop in California is now online, in Rancho Dominguez.
Located 12 miles north of the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, the private Rancho Dominguez site, which is shared among multiple fleets, will support electric trucking fleet operations in and out of the largest container ports in the US.
First customers include Dreaded Trucking, Hight Logistics, PepsiCo, Quick Container Drayage, Southern Counties Express, Tradelink Transport, and WestCoast Trucking & Warehousing.
Terawatt’s electric charging truck stop features 20 pull-through and bobtail DC fast charging stalls with a capacity of 7 megawatts (MW), enabling charging for up to 125 trucks per day using a simple reservations system. Terawatt’s site features a proprietary charge management system, in-house technicians, 24/7 customer service, and onsite parts management.
“This launch underscores growing collaboration between enterprises, shippers, carriers, and charging infrastructure providers to advance sustainable technologies across logistics and transportation operations, especially in the medium and heavy-duty sectors,” said Neha Palmer, CEO and cofounder of Terawatt. Palmer added that the company will bring another charging site online in Rialto, California, in June.
Terawatt joined some of the world’s largest shippers and carriers in September 2024 to launch the I-10 Consortium heavy-duty EV operations pilot, the “first-ever US over-the-road electrified corridor.” Terawatt is providing charging infrastructure, including software, operations, and maintenance support at six of its owned charging hubs along the I-10 corridor.
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In its most aggressive attack against offshore wind yet, the Trump administration halted the $5 billion Empire Wind 1, already under construction off New York’s coast.
Norwegian developer Equinor announced yesterday that it received notice from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) ordering Empire Wind 1 to halt all activities on the outer continental shelf until BOEM has completed its review. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum posted this tweet yesterday:
Burgum gave no indication of what insufficiencies there were in the approval process for the fully permitted offshore wind project, despite Trump’s recent declaration of a national energy emergency that speeds up permitting processes.
The commercial lease for the 810-megawatt (MW) Empire Wind 1’s federal offshore wind area was signed in March 2017 during the first Trump administration. It was approved by the Biden administration in November 2023 and began construction in 2024.
The project is being developed under contract with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). Empire Wind 1, which was due to come online in 2027, has the potential to power 500,000 New York homes.
“Halting construction of fully permitted energy projects is the literal opposite of an energy abundance agenda,” said American Clean Power Association CEO Jason Grumet in a statement. “We encourage the administration to quickly address perceived inadequacies in the prior permit approvals so that this project can complete construction and bring much-needed power to the grid.”
As Electrek reported, Equinor secured $3 billion to finance Empire Wind 1 in January. The total amount drawn under the project finance term loan facility as of March 31 was around $1.5 billion.
As of March 31, Empire Wind has a gross book value of around $2.5 billion, including South Brooklyn Marine Terminal (pictured above), which was expected to become the US’s largest dedicated port facility for offshore wind.
In response to BOEM’s stop work order, New York Governor Kathy Hochul issued the following statement:
Every single day, I’m working to make energy more affordable, reliable and abundant in New York and the federal government should be supporting those efforts rather than undermining them. Empire Wind 1 is already employing hundreds of New Yorkers, including 1,000 good-paying union jobs as part of a growing sector that has already spurred significant economic development and private investment throughout the state and beyond.
As Governor, I will not allow this federal overreach to stand. I will fight this every step of the way to protect union jobs, affordable energy and New York’s economic future.
Equinor says it’s considering appealing BOEM’s order.
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