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J+ BOOSTER 2 Home/Travel EV Charger Review [Video]
Zürich Switzerland-based Juice Technology AG aims to simplify home and travel charging with the Juice Booster 2, a level 1 and 2 portable charger that is tough as nails. We use it on our own EVs to find out how it fares.
As veterans, we often forget, but new EV owners don’t realize just how pitiful the stock charger is with a new electric car. Many manufacturers include a charger in the trunk that can charge with a regular 120v outlet. An overnight charge will add about 30-40 miles to the average EV, which isn’t enough for much more than daily tasks.
To get more use from their EV, The committed owner is obliged to install a dedicated 240v circuit in their home, and install a faster level 2 system which can charge most cars overnight. After power gets to the wall, an EVSE (Electric Vehicle Service Equipment) is affixed to the home. Normally these are plastic boxes with a simple display that imitate larger pedestals at public charging stations.
Why the Juice Booster 2?
The Juice Booster 2 is an ultra durable home EVSE, which can also be fitted with native connector types and taken on the road. The unit itself will determine all the proper input and output automatically, and charge the car so long as the power source plug (or adapter) is plugged in. On the face of the enclosure is a simple binary indicator for Faults, Current, and Mode. Changing mode will changes the display from a light to dark mode, in case the persistent blinking charging indicator bothers you (although, many EVs have their own light display that can’t be turned off).
The current offering for the USA market features a J1772 plug, which is standard for most makes of electric vehicles, at least for now. Going into the power source, Juice has a variety of connectors available, including TT-30, 6-50, 6-15, 6-20, and 5-20.
Juice Booster 2 at home
As a home unit, the Juice Booster 2 can charge up to 22kw with the right power source. At this rate, most any EV will be charged overnight. This is a much faster top current compared to many competitors, which cap at 12kw. Will your home outlet provide that kind of power, and is that the speed at which you want to charge your car every day? Probably not. Thanks to the current selector on the Juice Booster 2, the charger can be tailored to provide the right amount of power without charging the car too fast over the lifetime of the battery.
Juice Booster durability
Plastic, wall mounted home EVSE units are not durable. They sit cozy on the wall, and that’s their lot in life. The Juice Booster 2 is made to withstand the elements, and immense crushing weight. The unit is IP67 rated for dust and water resistance, and is tough enough to be run over with a 5,000 lb electric car. I did it twice myself.
While this kind of durability seems like a parlor trick, it’s super practical considering that these units are sometimes left straddling the garage, and prominently placed in the pathways of vehicle tires. Not having to worry about squashing a charger solves one of the first concerns of new EV owners.
Juice Booster 2 abroad
Traveling with an EV is a new experience for many, one that requires less and less planning as time goes on. The Juice Booster 2 is sold as a travel charger that can be plugged into a variety of sources, using their native connector, or 3rd party adapters. This feature seems to have a lot more value in other markets, like Europe, where regularly crossing borders result in different plugs and voltage levels that require adaptation.
In the land of stars and stripes, this feature is less useful. Traveling on the road, (and not using public chargers) the only outlet of regularity is the common 120v home outlet. Plugging into a 240v dryer or oven outlet is certainly possible, but how often do we need this charger, and also feel comfortable asking our house hosts to use them?
Juice Booster 2 use case
I’m going to imagine that many USA customers won’t get much value from the travel application of the Juice Booster 2, but here is an illustration to show how it can be great.
Every couple months or so, we pack up the kids for a trip to the grandparent’s house, which happens to be in the country. Their small town doesn’t have a public charger nearby, and likely won’t for some time. Our EV can make a round trip from the closest public charger, but we like to charge after arriving, especially in the winter.
Grandpa has been trying for years to justify his welding equipment, which required a specialty 240v outlet in the garage. With the use of a simple adapter, we were able to plug in the Juice Booster 2, and solve three issues: #1, charge up the car, #2, make Grandma feel like we will come over more often, and #3, justify Grandpa’s largely unnecessary expenditure (he uses it like once every five years).
Electrek’s Take
After using the Juice Booster 2 for some time, I think it’s a great option for someone getting their first home EVSE. The design is impressively durable, and I really like the source connector, as it locks into place and confirms a great purchase on the plug. The ease of mind for durability and whether resistance is top notch, especially if a car has to be charged without a garage or cover.
If you have circumstances anything like mine, then the Juice Booster 2 could be a surprisingly good fit for your car. On the other hand, if you already have a home EVSE, and a 120v trickle charger in the trunk, then you’re pretty much set.
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Forget fumbling with cables or hunting for batteries – TILER is making electric bike charging as seamless as parking your ride. The Dutch startup recently introduced its much-anticipated TILER Compact system, a plug-and-play wireless charger engineered to transform the user experience for e-bike riders.
At the heart of the new system is a clever combo: a charging kickstand that mounts directly to almost any e‑bike, and a thin charging mat that you simply park over. Once you drop the kickstand and it lands on the mat, the bike begins charging automatically via inductive transfer – no cable required. According to TILER, a 500 Wh battery will fully charge in about 3.5 hours, delivering comparable performance to traditional wired chargers.
It’s an elegantly simple concept (albeit a bit chunky) with a convenient upside: less clutter, fewer broken cables, and no more need to bend over while feeling around for a dark little hole.
TILER claims its system works with about 75% of existing e‑bike platforms, including those from Bosch, Yamaha, Bafang, and other big bames. The kit uses a modest 150 W wireless power output, which means charging speeds remain practical while keeping the system lightweight (the tile weighs just 2 kg, and it’s also stationary).
TILER has already deployed over 200 charging points across Western Europe, primarily serving bike-share, delivery, hospitality, and hotel fleets. A recent case study in Munich showed how a cargo-bike operator saved approximately €1,250 per month in labor costs, avoided thousands in spare batteries, and cut battery damage by 20%. The takeaway? Less maintenance, more uptime.
Now shifting to prosumer markets, TILER says the Compact system will hit pre-orders soon, with a €250 price tag (roughly US $290) for the kickstand plus tile bundle. To get in line, a €29 refundable deposit is currently required, though they say it is refundable at any point until you receive your charger. Don’t get too excited just yet though, there’s a bit of a wait. Deliveries are expected in summer 2026, and for now are covering mostly European markets.
The concept isn’t entirely new. We’ve seen the idea pop up before, including in a patent from BMW for charging electric motorcycles. And the efficacy is there. Skeptics may wonder if wireless charging is slower or less efficient, but TILER says no. Its system retains over 85% efficiency, nearly matching wired charging speeds, and even pauses at 80% to protect battery health, then resumes as needed. The tile is even IP67-rated, safe for outdoor use, and about as bulky as a thick magazine.
Electrek’s Take
I love the concept. It makes perfect sense for shared e-bikes, especially since they’re often returning to a dock anyway. As long as people can be trained to park with the kickstand on the tile, it seems like a no-brainer.
And to be honest, I even like the idea for consumers. I know it sounds like a first-world problem, but bending over to plug something in at floor height is pretty annoying, not to mention a great way to throw out your back if you’re not exactly a spring chicken anymore. Having your e-bike start charging simply by parking it in the right place is a really cool feature! I don’t know if it’s $300 cool, but it’s pretty cool!
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Tesla has launched a new software update for its vehicles that includes the anticipated integration of Grok, but it doesnt even interface with the car yet.
Earlier this week, CEO Elon Musk said that Tesla would integrate Grok, the large language model developed by his private company, xAI, into its vehicles.
Today, Tesla started pushing the update to the fleet, but there’s a significant caveat.
The automaker wrote in the release notes (2025.26):
Grok (Beta) (US, AMD)
Grok now available directly in your Tesla
Requires Premium Connectivity or a WiFi connection
Grok is currently in Beta & does not issue commands to your car – existing voice commands remain unchanged.
First off, it is only available in vehicles in the US equipped with the AMD infotainment computer, which means cars produced since mid-2021.
But more importantly, Tesla says that it doesn’t send commands to the car under the current version. Therefore, it is simply like having Grok on your phone, but on the onboard computer instead.
Tesla showed an example:
There are a few other features in the 2025.26 software update, but they are not major.
For Tesla vehicles equipped with ambient lighting strips inside the car, the light strip can now sync to music:
Accent lights now respond to music & you can also choose to match the lights to the album’s color for a more immersive effect
Toybox > Light Sync
Here’s the new setting:
The audio setting can now be saved under multiple presets to match listening preferences for different people or circumstances:
The software update also includes the capacity to zoom or adjust the playback speed of the Dashcam Viewer.
Cybertruck also gets the updated Dashcam Viewer app with a grid view for easier access and review of recordings:
Tesla also updated the charging info in its navigation system to be able to search which locations require valet service or pay-to-park access.
Upon arrival, drivers will receive a notification with access codes, parking restrictions, level or floor information, and restroom availability:
Finally, there’s a new onboarding guide directly on the center display to help people who are experiencing a Tesla vehicle for the first time.
Electrek’s Take
Tesla is really playing catch-up here. Right now, this update is essentially nothing. If you already have Grok, it’s no more different than having it on your phone or through the vehicle’s browser, since it has no capacity to interact with any function inside the vehicle.
Most other automakers are integrating LLMs inside vehicles with the capacity to interact with the vehicle. In China, this is becoming standard even in entry-level cars.
In the Xiaomi YU7, the vehicle’s AI can not only interact with the car, but it also sees what the car sees through its camera, and it can tell you about what it sees:
Tesla is clearly far behind on that front as many automakers are integrating with other LLMs like ChatGPT and in-house LLMs, like Xiaomi’s.
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Robinhood stock hit an all-time high Friday as the financial services platform continued to rip higher this year, along with bitcoin and other crypto stocks.
Robinhood, up more than 160% in 2025, hit an intraday high above $101 before pulling back and closing slightly lower.
The reversal came after a Bloomberg report that JPMorgan plans to start charging fintechs for access to customer bank data, a move that could raise costs across the industry.
For fintech firms that rely on thin margins to offer free or low-cost services to customers, even slight disruptions to their cost structure can have major ripple effects. PayPal and Affirm both ended the day nearly 6% lower following the report.
Despite its stellar year, the online broker is facing several headwinds, with a regulatory probe in Florida, pushback over new staking fees and growing friction with one of the world’s most high-profile artificial intelligence companies.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier opened a formal investigation into Robinhood Crypto on Thursday, alleging the platform misled users by claiming to offer the lowest-cost crypto trading.
“Robinhood has long claimed to be the best bargain, but we believe those representations were deceptive,” Uthmeier said in a statement.
The probe centers on Robinhood’s use of payment for order flow — a common practice where market makers pay to execute trades — which the AG said can result in worse pricing for customers.
Robinhood Crypto General Counsel Lucas Moskowitz told CNBC its disclosures are “best-in-class” and that it delivers the lowest average cost.
“We disclose pricing information to customers during the lifecycle of a trade that clearly outlines the spread or the fees associated with the transaction, and the revenue Robinhood receives,” added Moskowitz.
Robinhood is also facing opposition to a new 25% cut of staking rewards for U.S. users, set to begin October 1. In Europe, the platform will take a smaller 15% cut.
Staking allows crypto holders to earn yield by locking up their tokens to help secure blockchain networks like ethereum, but platforms often take a percentage of those rewards as commission.
Robinhood’s 25% cut puts it in line with Coinbase, which charges between 25.25% and 35% depending on the token. The cut is notably higher than Gemini’s flat 15% fee.
It marks a shift for the company, which had previously steered clear of staking amid regulatory uncertainty.
Under President Joe Biden‘s administration, the Securities and Exchange Commission cracked down on U.S. platforms offering staking services, arguing they constituted unregistered securities.
With President Donald Trump in the White House, the agency has reversed course on several crypto enforcement actions, dropping cases against major players like Coinbase and Binance and signaling a more permissive stance.
Even as enforcement actions ease, Robinhood is under fresh scrutiny for its tokenized stock push, which is a growing part of its international strategy.
The company now offers blockchain-based assets in Europe that give users synthetic exposure to private firms like OpenAI and SpaceX through special purpose vehicles, or SPVs.
An SPV is a separate entity that acquires shares in a company. Users then buy tokens of the SPV and don’t have shareholder privileges or voting rights directly in the company.
OpenAI has publicly objected, warning the tokens do not represent real equity and were issued without its approval. In an interview with CNBC International, CEO Vlad Tenev acknowledged the tokens aren’t technically equity shares, but said that misses the broader point.
“What’s important is that retail customers have an opportunity to get exposure to this asset,” he said, pointing to the disruptive nature of AI and the historically limited access to pre-IPO companies.
“It is true that these are not technically equity,” Tenev added, noting that institutional investors often gain similar exposure through structured financial instruments.
The Bank of Lithuania — Robinhood’s lead regulator in the EU — told CNBC on Monday that it is “awaiting clarifications” following OpenAI’s statement.
“Only after receiving and evaluating this information will we be able to assess the legality and compliance of these specific instruments,” a spokesperson said, adding that information for investors must be “clear, fair, and non-misleading.”
Tenev responded that Robinhood is “happy to continue to answer questions from our regulators,” and said the company built its tokenized stock program to withstand scrutiny.
“Since this is a new thing, regulators are going to want to look at it,” he said. “And we expect to be scrutinized as a large, innovative player in this space.”
SEC Chair Paul Atkins recently called the model “an innovation” on CNBC’s Squawk Box, offering some validation as Robinhood leans further into its synthetic equity strategy — even as legal clarity remains in flux across jurisdictions.
Despite the regulatory noise, many investors remain focused on Robinhood’s upside, and particularly the political tailwinds.
The company is positioning itself as a key beneficiary of Trump’s newly signed megabill, which includes $1,000 government-seeded investment accounts for newborns. Robinhood said it’s already prototyping an app for the ‘Trump Accounts‘ initiative.
WATCH: Watch CNBC’s full interview with Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev
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