Welcome to our home electric car charger comparison video series…
Our 6th and last evaluation is on the Rolec Wallpod:EV Homesmart charging point.
The Rolec Wallpod:EV Homesmart has been designed to provide the user with a simple, mobile phone interactive EV charging solution, and doesn’t work with Wi-Fi only via GPRS with a mobile device.
It’s only available as single phase and has options for 3.6Kw or 7.2Kw, but don’t bother with the 3.6Kw version, as it’s not much faster than charging with a 3-pin plug.
You’ve got the option of a socketed or tethered unit with a 5-metre attached cable. A separate cable is required for the socketed unit, which will set up back circa £150.
Size wise it’s not bad at 367mm by 179mm and comes with a good selection of colour choices, although, in our opinion, it’s a little bit ugly to look at.
It’s also got an App for ease of use which controls the charging, but it doesn’t have timed charging or a lock facility to stop people using your electric when you’re out.
A couple of other not so good things. It needs an earth rod, which costs extra, and only comes with a 3-year parts warranty, meaning potential extra labour costs if something goes wrong.
What’s the best thing about the Rolec Wallpod:EV Homesmart?
It’s the built-in modem and roaming sim, which makes the GPRS work and enables the charge point to be fitted in places where no Wi-Fi signal is available.
…unfortunately, the downsides out-way the upsides, and it only gets a 4-star rating.
