I have had my X5 in Silver for 6.5 years in Barrie Ontario Canada and I can say it has been flawless the entire time and looks as good today as the day I bought it. I can tell you I would buy it again in a heartbeat if I ever moved or it eventually died. By the way they also make the best commercial level 2 chargers, just as robust and reliable. I know the power is low but this company has a quality culture, they won't bring out a new charger until they are sure it will perform just as well in Tom's test.
I think Flo puts the amp setting in the schedule because sometimes that would be useful. Say your panel could handle the full 30 amps after 10pm when you go to bed and aren't cooking or using the dryer or whatever, in that case you could let it run at full power.
Agreed, most reliable commercial non-Tesla charging network (if a little slower than I'd like). Flos are always my failsafe "plan B' chargers on road trips. They aren't my first choice due to most of them being 50kW but they are dependable and are always there when my plan A charger ends up being broken or something.
Ty Tom, excellent review as usual, you are officially, the master nerd of all EVSE reviewers. I noticed the handle of the x5 looks similar to the one on the Ford charge station pro, except the J1772 versus CCS1 terminal, but similar look and probably feel. I love the feel of my Ford charger pro handle. I do wish they made it to it can be charge up to 48 or 50 amp, with a wireless connection option, although I like the PLC they included, although a bit dated method to connect, but it seems to work well and is a solid connection. The design is really nice, but, like you, I lamented on the absence of an LED Halo light at the insertion site of the handle. Color can be subjective, but more options would have been nice too. I received notification yesterday from Tesla, that my order for the Universal Wall Connector has shipped and will be receiving it in October as promised by them. Can't wait to try it.
Great presentation Tom. Just to add value, I have been using 30 amps level 2 on my model 3, and works fine for me, with roughly 30-50 miles of driving, daily.
I always love watching your reviews even though I don't plan on getting more than one charger. I would be interested in you doing a test on a crappy, cheap EV charger you find on amazon to show why you have to go with something more reputable.
To do that, you'd really want to get into doing the safety tests that UL does on the units that aren't UL listed. That's a lot of special equipment that isn't needed when you're testing good ones that are UL certified. But maybe there's an opportunity to team up with a lab for a special episode.
I've had a Flo G5 for 7 years now outside on the front of my house here in Ottawa, Canada and it's been absolutely rock solid. I can confirm the charging cable remains reasonably flexible even in the coldest weather. It does get stiff but much less stiff than other cheaper EVSEs. My main requirement when I was looking at chargers was reliability, I need to know my EVSE will work every single time regardless of how cold or wet it is outside and the G5 has definitely delivered. I didn't care about "smarts", that's just another thing that can fail or be obsoleted which is why I went with the G5. I figure most cars have the smarts built in so if I really want to schedule charging I just do it from the car. It definitely lives up to its rugged reputation. It's a tank. So if your main concern is unquestionable reliability the Flo is it.
30 amps is fine for my Bolt and I have no need for an internet connected evse. We drive the average 40 miles per day so plugging in overnight works great for us. My current evse is a an aerovirenment that I inherited when I bought a used Volt three years ago. Still works great with our Bolt. Btw, installed it myself. Qmerit just charge my neighbor $1000 over the GM provided $1000 for installing an EVSE. It was a pretty simple install. 30 feet, a breaker and a hardwired evse. Crazy
As usual, great and thorough review. this channel has become one of our "go to's" when looking for good info. I'm not knocking the charger itself, as it's a quality piece. But the company's "tactics/business model" is a bit suspect to me. A fair bit of a "PO" is hidden in there for Canada on the warranty. USA gets 5 years, Canada gets 3 years. Exact same charger, 2 years less in Canada. Only reason I can figure for that is they are trying to "break in to" the larger US market, but it's still a huge "middle finger" to Canadians. If you're going to stand behind your product for 5 years somewhere, you should everywhere else. It just creates the perception that you're putting out a "cheaper" unit everywhere else. Not good from a marketing and consumer confidence stand point. Being roughly 1/3 more to buy in Canada (after exchange rates) doesn't make you feel much better. $695 USD converts to $975 CAD (as of today), yet we still have to pay $1445 CAD if we want one. And then there's sales tax on top of that. That means that in the province I live in, you're looking at a total of $1661 CAD out the door, before you even factor in the installation costs of a "hard wired" charger. That's a hard pill to swallow when other brands can be had for sooo much less. There's more going on there than just shipping or market size differences; it's "price gouging", plain and simple. I got a bit lucky and bought one from my dealer the same time i bought a new car so they gave it to me at "cost", which is just a little more than the USA prices (after exchange). It may be a very robust charger and one of the more suitable ones for Canadian weather, but throw in that it's "only" 30 amps on top of all that and that's all very disappointing for a product that's marketed as "Canadian". Poor form Flo, poor form indeed. For the record, our Inoiq 6 "only" has a 74 KwHr battery and we only travel roughly 100-120 kms per day. So 30 amps is fine for us. If we get a second, bigger vehicle with a bigger battery, we'll run another circuit and get a bigger charger. We just see that as "the cost of doing business". Edit: If it has gone up to $1000 USD (as someone mentioned below), that at least brings it close to parity with $1445 CAD after exchange. I would have preferred to see the CAD price go down instead of the USD price going up, but prices only seem to go one way these days and that's up. Quality charger or not, I believe "Flo" is going to price themselves right out of the "home" market at this rate. One of the factors most people look for is price, as in; "the least hit to my wallet" price. Most will be willing to accept a bit lower quality level in order to save as many greenbacks as they can. Electric vehicles may be less expensive to operate over time, but they sure are more costly up front and likely to remain that way, at least until they become more mainstream. I do believe electric vehicles will be "mainstream" sooner or later, but the "bargains" are likely to be the ones to survive the implementation "price shock" for private owners and make it to that "steady state" market. People still have to pay the mortgage and feed the kids. A $400-$500 price disparity in purchase price can make all the difference and is quite often the deciding factor. I'd also keep an eye on that "USA" 5 year warranty too in case that also drops to 3 years like it is in Canada....all these things will move that final scoring down a bit, which would be a shame. I do really like the quality of this unit.
I really like your reviews. They have been quite helpful. Regarding the heat test, would you be able to additionally try with a wired temp sensor that you put in the unit so you can measure the overall heat the unit operates at, not just from the direct heat from the lamp which simulates the sun shining on it (which may result in the case surface being hotter than the insides), but also the ambient heat in the air?
People are saying that 30 amps is fine if you have a car that is limited to charging at that rate. But it's not just that. A lot of installations are limited by the electrical service capacity. If you are going to set the current down to a lower level anyway, there's no advantage to getting a unit that's capable of more current. If you wake up in the morning and your car is fully charged, it doesn't matter whether it finished one, three or five hours before you woke up. Enthusiasm about high-charging without any particular need for it costs consumers a lot of money when you include the installation and service upgrade costs. I'd kind of like to see a video that something like best unit to buy if you're only going to install a 20 A, 240 V circuit. Unfortunately, there are very few good quality units on the market anymore for that low a current.
Love my nickel X5, has been charging my i3 since 2017! The adjustability of the output amperage is a little annoying on the X5 as you pointed out its only possible in the app, and only possible if you set a charging schedule. If you don't need/want a charging schedule (like me) then there's no way to change the amperage yourself like you can in the G5 on the internal dial. I only discovered this after buying and installing the X5 so I had to reach out to FLO to have them set my amperage to 22A permanently on their back-end (my garage only has a 30A circuit), not ideal and misleading in their advertising. I asked them numerous times why the amperage can't simply be adjusted in the settings and suggested this as a future app upgrade, still hasn't happened. Regarding the backlight in the holster port, only the X5 has one, the G5 does not.
Just an idea; can you not set a charging schedule to run from 0001 to 2359 hrs 7 days a week and then select your amperage? It's a work around, but it seems it would give you the control you require to set the amperage where you need it. Full disclosure: I don't have mine installed yet so i can't try it myself. I'm just spitballing here....
@@diesel4054 possibly? It crossed my mind but I never tried it back then. I just looked in the schedule setup now and it only gives you 30min increments to work with, so 0001 to 2359 isn't possible... it's confusing, hence why I never bothered with it :D
Just watched How Many amps. I am sorry about the following question and looked through comments in that video, but didn’t find anything on my question. If I’m on a hunting trip off grid, what if any specific information might I need to charge from a generator? I understand limitations involved with this, but it will be all I have there. F 150 towing 6-7K lbs. thank you
Would love to see a test of another Canadian EV charger EVduty. They even have a load management sensor option. Not even sure if anyone has made one that has load sensing management built into the unit. I know that there are separate units that can do load management but it is is another piece of the puzzle to buy. And one can tag team the load sensing device. Flos are solid choice by anyone that has the over thr years
The load management sensor needs to go at the main panel, so it makes sense do you have that be a separate unit. From my limited experience with them, the EVDuty units are really good and they were one of the first to implement load management, way before the few others that are doing it now.
Hopefully Tom does some testing on the load management systems, evduty or any others. Need more options to save on installation costs to save panel upgrades
I suspect they built it to work down to negative 40 degrees so it would be the same in Fahrenheit and Centigrade 😊 Thanks for another great review - if or when my 2021 mach e included charger + professionally-installed 240V outlet gives out, these will be invaluable.
I've laught so much when you've said such extreme weather two times with almost fear in your voice hihi. I'm from Quebec, it's where the compagny made theire charger (weel in the city of Shawinigan in Quebec) and -40C happen each winter, more and more with climate change. It's promordial for us that the products works.
Tom, best ev charging channel! Looking for a recomodation for my XLT Lighting with100 kw battery, from Canada with cazy cold winters. My main need is a 30 foot cable that stays flexiable in -20c, the unit will be mounted outside .In the cold of winter I sometimes don't drive it for 4-5 days, is it ok to leave it pluged in? Much appreciated!
Big price discrepancy between Canadian and US pricing: they charge $1445.00 (Canadian dollars) for the X5. Meanwhile US$695 is the pricing from their US website.
Hi Tom, what’s the point of having a connection like that versus just having a Wi-Fi card cost is it? Seems less convenient than just having a Wi-Fi connection.
Power Line Communications means that you aren't limited by your WiFi range. So if your garage/driveway is on the far side of your house from your router or if you have a detached garage that your WiFi doesn't reach, PLC can still connect through the electric lines.
Hi Tom, great video as always. Can you ask Flo if there is a reason for the low output? Was it a necessary compromise to enable something like its ability to work in extreme weather?
It doesn't have anything to do with weather. I think it's because when this unit came out about 7 years ago, 30 & 32-amp units were the norm and very few EVs could even accept more than 32-amps. FLO just hasn't updated them yet. From what I understand, they are in the process of developing their next-generation chargers, which will most likely have a higher power output.
Looks like they put a majority of the money into the build quality for those Canadian winters. Agreed with you. $700 for a max 30 amp is a tough sell. The PLC connection is another strange feature. Too funny how you get excited to freeze EVSE. Tell your wife she is a saint. For correction, The Bolt has a 65kwh battery.
Am I missing something or the price you are showing in the video is different (by a lot) from the one on their web site? Same for the warranty, their web site say 3 years. Don't get me wrong its is a great EVSE (I have two "old ones" (2018) at home) and it's working just like it was 5 years ago. But it is way more expensive than the price in your video.
@@StateOfChargeWithTomMoloughney I checked again to give you the links and I think I understand why I saw something different. For the warranty, it looks like that for whatever reason it is 5 years in the USA and 3 years in Canada. As for the price, it look like there is a sale in the USA right now. In the shop section of flow's web site they say the normal price is 995 USD but currently in special at 695 USD. This is an awesome deal since the Canadian price is 1445 CAD (and we had any, I guess because it is so popular). With the rate exchange 695 USD = 940 CAD, I'd buy it while it last because at that price this is a wonderful EVSE if you want a J1772 EVSE and you are ok with the 30 amps limit.
I just tried to do a Tesla Test drive in Houston, Texas. To my surprise all showrooms have no people or cars in the showroom. It looked like they were going out of business. All the the showroom/service centers for test drive are now virtual. If you want to talk to a human you can only visit with a Human at the Galleria store in Houston. Richmond, League City, Cypress, etc are only virtual. Looked like Tesla was on strike. As a stock holder it was scary. All posted sales positions have been put on hold in the greater Houston area.
It's not legal for Tesla to host test drives in Texas - thank the dealer lobby for that. They aren't allowed to have real "showrooms", they gave galleries - which should have had a static vehicle for you to look at but not drive. It's different in most other states. Texas is one of the least Tesla-friendly states, surprisingly because Tesla has invested so much in the state and employs thousands of Texans.
I visited this store before and they had cars in the show room and sales people. The repair technician now in charge of handing you the key for your test drive after you book the test drive virtually said this just was implemented. Something weird is going on in Texas. They have been selling cars in Texas for years. Maybe Elon is trying to safe money before a bad quarter. @@StateOfChargeWithTomMoloughney
@@guyg2005 So they legally cannot sell you a car from one of the showrooms or galleries. The customer must order it online (which you can do while in the showroom) and fill out paperwork through email. The showroom associates cannot do it for you, as they do at dealerships. But I get what you're saying that things appear different at this location.
Yes Tom I know that. I bought a 2022Y back in 2021 in Texas. I understand that, but this week all the cars and car advisors were removed from the showrooms/service centers. Something new is going on. @@StateOfChargeWithTomMoloughney
Connector at 129F, grabs it with bare hands like it's nothing. Sorry Tom I think your IR thermometer needs calibration or something because there's no way someone wouldn't get at least a first degree burn from that if the reading was accurate.
Don't forget, I owned a pizzeria for 30 years and would reach into a 500 F oven 100 times a day and grab the hot slices. My hands can practically pick up a hot coal 😁Also, the lower part of the connector where the handle is was not as hot as the top where I measured it
@@StateOfChargeWithTomMoloughneyif you ever get tired of doing charger videos and want to teach us about making pizza, I'd love to see that. (But what you're doing for chargers is more important, because it's unique.)
I'm still waiting for a home EV charger manufacturer to come out with a NACS unit so you don't have to buy the Tesla wall charger. I'd rather not have to use the adapter.
I don't like how the Model 3 RWD only does 32 amps, even if you're sending 48 amps to it. I wish there was a $500 option to update that. But this Flo EVSE would work for a Model 3 with its amperage.
That's because the onboard charger is limited to accepting only 32 amps. The actual "charger" is always built into the car. We call these wallboxes "chargers' but that's not exactly what they are. They are EVSE, or electric vehicle supply equipment because what they really do is safely supply electricity to the car's onboard charger, which charges the battery.
@@StateOfChargeWithTomMoloughney Yes, thank you very much for teaching me about all of that in your videos. I would rather have a 48amp onboard charger than heated back seats. Or an option to swap out the onboard charger now for like $500.
This Flow unit looks great, but I would never buy a 30 A charger. 95% of the time, 30A will be enough during overnight charging. But, there will be a few days when you need faster charging at 40 or 48 amps for 9-11 kW. If your panel has the power, go for 48 A (60A breaker) on a wired connection.
The last few minutes is the real rating. Nothing about this makes sense for such a large, expensive, low power charger. Put this thing next to something like the Wallbox 48A for comparison
I have had my X5 in Silver for 6.5 years in Barrie Ontario Canada and I can say it has been flawless the entire time and looks as good today as the day I bought it. I can tell you I would buy it again in a heartbeat if I ever moved or it eventually died. By the way they also make the best commercial level 2 chargers, just as robust and reliable. I know the power is low but this company has a quality culture, they won't bring out a new charger until they are sure it will perform just as well in Tom's test.
I think Flo puts the amp setting in the schedule because sometimes that would be useful. Say your panel could handle the full 30 amps after 10pm when you go to bed and aren't cooking or using the dryer or whatever, in that case you could let it run at full power.
Agreed, most reliable commercial non-Tesla charging network (if a little slower than I'd like). Flos are always my failsafe "plan B' chargers on road trips. They aren't my first choice due to most of them being 50kW but they are dependable and are always there when my plan A charger ends up being broken or something.
20:15 Tom finally got his wish: a backlit connector holster! This should get a 6.00/5 on the charger rater!!
Ty Tom, excellent review as usual, you are officially, the master nerd of all EVSE reviewers.
I noticed the handle of the x5 looks similar to the one on the Ford charge station pro, except the J1772 versus CCS1 terminal, but similar look and probably feel.
I love the feel of my Ford charger pro handle.
I do wish they made it to it can be charge up to 48 or 50 amp, with a wireless connection option, although I like the PLC they included, although a bit dated method to connect, but it seems to work well and is a solid connection.
The design is really nice, but, like you, I lamented on the absence of an LED Halo light at the insertion site of the handle.
Color can be subjective, but more options would have been nice too.
I received notification yesterday from Tesla, that my order for the Universal Wall Connector has shipped and will be receiving it in October as promised by them. Can't wait to try it.
Great presentation Tom. Just to add value, I have been using 30 amps level 2 on my model 3, and works fine for me, with roughly 30-50 miles of driving, daily.
I always love watching your reviews even though I don't plan on getting more than one charger. I would be interested in you doing a test on a crappy, cheap EV charger you find on amazon to show why you have to go with something more reputable.
To do that, you'd really want to get into doing the safety tests that UL does on the units that aren't UL listed. That's a lot of special equipment that isn't needed when you're testing good ones that are UL certified. But maybe there's an opportunity to team up with a lab for a special episode.
Very solid looking unit. Thanks for the demo video Tom.
I've had a Flo G5 for 7 years now outside on the front of my house here in Ottawa, Canada and it's been absolutely rock solid. I can confirm the charging cable remains reasonably flexible even in the coldest weather. It does get stiff but much less stiff than other cheaper EVSEs. My main requirement when I was looking at chargers was reliability, I need to know my EVSE will work every single time regardless of how cold or wet it is outside and the G5 has definitely delivered. I didn't care about "smarts", that's just another thing that can fail or be obsoleted which is why I went with the G5. I figure most cars have the smarts built in so if I really want to schedule charging I just do it from the car. It definitely lives up to its rugged reputation. It's a tank. So if your main concern is unquestionable reliability the Flo is it.
30 amps is fine for my Bolt and I have no need for an internet connected evse. We drive the average 40 miles per day so plugging in overnight works great for us. My current evse is a an aerovirenment that I inherited when I bought a used Volt three years ago. Still works great with our Bolt. Btw, installed it myself. Qmerit just charge my neighbor $1000 over the GM provided $1000 for installing an EVSE. It was a pretty simple install. 30 feet, a breaker and a hardwired evse. Crazy
As usual, great and thorough review. this channel has become one of our "go to's" when looking for good info.
I'm not knocking the charger itself, as it's a quality piece. But the company's "tactics/business model" is a bit suspect to me.
A fair bit of a "PO" is hidden in there for Canada on the warranty. USA gets 5 years, Canada gets 3 years. Exact same charger, 2 years less in Canada. Only reason I can figure for that is they are trying to "break in to" the larger US market, but it's still a huge "middle finger" to Canadians. If you're going to stand behind your product for 5 years somewhere, you should everywhere else. It just creates the perception that you're putting out a "cheaper" unit everywhere else. Not good from a marketing and consumer confidence stand point.
Being roughly 1/3 more to buy in Canada (after exchange rates) doesn't make you feel much better. $695 USD converts to $975 CAD (as of today), yet we still have to pay $1445 CAD if we want one. And then there's sales tax on top of that. That means that in the province I live in, you're looking at a total of $1661 CAD out the door, before you even factor in the installation costs of a "hard wired" charger. That's a hard pill to swallow when other brands can be had for sooo much less. There's more going on there than just shipping or market size differences; it's "price gouging", plain and simple. I got a bit lucky and bought one from my dealer the same time i bought a new car so they gave it to me at "cost", which is just a little more than the USA prices (after exchange).
It may be a very robust charger and one of the more suitable ones for Canadian weather, but throw in that it's "only" 30 amps on top of all that and that's all very disappointing for a product that's marketed as "Canadian". Poor form Flo, poor form indeed.
For the record, our Inoiq 6 "only" has a 74 KwHr battery and we only travel roughly 100-120 kms per day. So 30 amps is fine for us. If we get a second, bigger vehicle with a bigger battery, we'll run another circuit and get a bigger charger. We just see that as "the cost of doing business".
Edit:
If it has gone up to $1000 USD (as someone mentioned below), that at least brings it close to parity with $1445 CAD after exchange. I would have preferred to see the CAD price go down instead of the USD price going up, but prices only seem to go one way these days and that's up.
Quality charger or not, I believe "Flo" is going to price themselves right out of the "home" market at this rate.
One of the factors most people look for is price, as in; "the least hit to my wallet" price.
Most will be willing to accept a bit lower quality level in order to save as many greenbacks as they can. Electric vehicles may be less expensive to operate over time, but they sure are more costly up front and likely to remain that way, at least until they become more mainstream. I do believe electric vehicles will be "mainstream" sooner or later, but the "bargains" are likely to be the ones to survive the implementation "price shock" for private owners and make it to that "steady state" market.
People still have to pay the mortgage and feed the kids. A $400-$500 price disparity in purchase price can make all the difference and is quite often the deciding factor.
I'd also keep an eye on that "USA" 5 year warranty too in case that also drops to 3 years like it is in Canada....all these things will move that final scoring down a bit, which would be a shame. I do really like the quality of this unit.
With NACS around the corner added to your misses, FLO has a major overhaul coming. This is one to watch for. Great review Tom. 💯 40:10
I love seeing that Phoenix Contact charging handle 👍
Such a good connector
I really like your reviews. They have been quite helpful.
Regarding the heat test, would you be able to additionally try with a wired temp sensor that you put in the unit so you can measure the overall heat the unit operates at, not just from the direct heat from the lamp which simulates the sun shining on it (which may result in the case surface being hotter than the insides), but also the ambient heat in the air?
I'm still refining that test
I have the 48amp version and love it, can charge my MachE from 10% to 100% in less than 12 hours.
You have to review flo new units, G6 and G8, they update their units to all the points you said they were missing
People are saying that 30 amps is fine if you have a car that is limited to charging at that rate. But it's not just that. A lot of installations are limited by the electrical service capacity. If you are going to set the current down to a lower level anyway, there's no advantage to getting a unit that's capable of more current.
If you wake up in the morning and your car is fully charged, it doesn't matter whether it finished one, three or five hours before you woke up. Enthusiasm about high-charging without any particular need for it costs consumers a lot of money when you include the installation and service upgrade costs.
I'd kind of like to see a video that something like best unit to buy if you're only going to install a 20 A, 240 V circuit. Unfortunately, there are very few good quality units on the market anymore for that low a current.
Love my nickel X5, has been charging my i3 since 2017! The adjustability of the output amperage is a little annoying on the X5 as you pointed out its only possible in the app, and only possible if you set a charging schedule. If you don't need/want a charging schedule (like me) then there's no way to change the amperage yourself like you can in the G5 on the internal dial. I only discovered this after buying and installing the X5 so I had to reach out to FLO to have them set my amperage to 22A permanently on their back-end (my garage only has a 30A circuit), not ideal and misleading in their advertising. I asked them numerous times why the amperage can't simply be adjusted in the settings and suggested this as a future app upgrade, still hasn't happened. Regarding the backlight in the holster port, only the X5 has one, the G5 does not.
Just an idea; can you not set a charging schedule to run from 0001 to 2359 hrs 7 days a week and then select your amperage? It's a work around, but it seems it would give you the control you require to set the amperage where you need it. Full disclosure: I don't have mine installed yet so i can't try it myself. I'm just spitballing here....
@@diesel4054 possibly? It crossed my mind but I never tried it back then. I just looked in the schedule setup now and it only gives you 30min increments to work with, so 0001 to 2359 isn't possible... it's confusing, hence why I never bothered with it :D
Just watched How Many amps. I am sorry about the following question and looked through comments in that video, but didn’t find anything on my question. If I’m on a hunting trip off grid, what if any specific information might I need to charge from a generator? I understand limitations involved with this, but it will be all I have there. F 150 towing 6-7K lbs. thank you
Would love to see a test of another Canadian EV charger EVduty. They even have a load management sensor option. Not even sure if anyone has made one that has load sensing management built into the unit. I know that there are separate units that can do load management but it is is another piece of the puzzle to buy. And one can tag team the load sensing device. Flos are solid choice by anyone that has the over thr years
The load management sensor needs to go at the main panel, so it makes sense do you have that be a separate unit. From my limited experience with them, the EVDuty units are really good and they were one of the first to implement load management, way before the few others that are doing it now.
Hopefully Tom does some testing on the load management systems, evduty or any others. Need more options to save on installation costs to save panel upgrades
The price of the FLO Home X5 in Canada is $1445 CAD ... just absurd.
Wow
They are Canadian company and they over priced this unit for Canadian market. I can buy 2 Tesla units with this price.
They recently dropped the price in the US, but didn't do a corresponding drop in Canada. Maybe the drop in Canada is pending?
Main reason why I went with a Chargepoint Home instead. Almost $500 CAD less.
I suspect they built it to work down to negative 40 degrees so it would be the same in Fahrenheit and Centigrade 😊 Thanks for another great review - if or when my 2021 mach e included charger + professionally-installed 240V outlet gives out, these will be invaluable.
Please review adjustable mobile chargers available for use when camping!
I've laught so much when you've said such extreme weather two times with almost fear in your voice hihi. I'm from Quebec, it's where the compagny made theire charger (weel in the city of Shawinigan in Quebec) and -40C happen each winter, more and more with climate change. It's promordial for us that the products works.
Tom, would love to see you evaluate CCS1 connectors. Huber Suhner vs Rema vs Phoenix Contact vs ITT Cannon.
Tom, best ev charging channel! Looking for a recomodation for my XLT Lighting with100 kw battery, from Canada with cazy cold winters. My main need is a 30 foot cable that stays flexiable in -20c, the unit will be mounted outside .In the cold of winter I sometimes don't drive it for 4-5 days, is it ok to leave it pluged in? Much appreciated!
Interesting the home level 2 box is black and not blue.
Nice review. I was wondering are any of the chargers made in USA?
Great review. Connector looks like one on Ford EVSE on your wall. Same mfg?
Big price discrepancy between Canadian and US pricing: they charge $1445.00 (Canadian dollars) for the X5. Meanwhile US$695 is the pricing from their US website.
The 30A limit is really odd choice. It's like they put 3 Phase amp limit, forgetting that houses run on 220V in the US/Canada vs 208V.
Have you tried the Telto Charger
Hi Tom, what’s the point of having a connection like that versus just having a Wi-Fi card cost is it? Seems less convenient than just having a Wi-Fi connection.
I agree. I much prefer using Wi-Fi. I don't really see an advantage unless you don't have Wi-Fi - but who doesn't these days?
Exactly!
I believe they are going to change that in their next-generation of EVSE@@jim76356
Ok good to know thanks.That would definitely make more sense in my opinion.
Power Line Communications means that you aren't limited by your WiFi range. So if your garage/driveway is on the far side of your house from your router or if you have a detached garage that your WiFi doesn't reach, PLC can still connect through the electric lines.
Hi Tom, great video as always. Can you ask Flo if there is a reason for the low output? Was it a necessary compromise to enable something like its ability to work in extreme weather?
It doesn't have anything to do with weather. I think it's because when this unit came out about 7 years ago, 30 & 32-amp units were the norm and very few EVs could even accept more than 32-amps. FLO just hasn't updated them yet. From what I understand, they are in the process of developing their next-generation chargers, which will most likely have a higher power output.
@@StateOfChargeWithTomMoloughney thanks for the info Tom. Keep up the good work!
Looks like they put a majority of the money into the build quality for those Canadian winters. Agreed with you. $700 for a max 30 amp is a tough sell. The PLC connection is another strange feature.
Too funny how you get excited to freeze EVSE. Tell your wife she is a saint.
For correction, The Bolt has a 65kwh battery.
Hmm, I know that - what size did I say in the review?
@@StateOfChargeWithTomMoloughney I thought you said 55kwh. If you didn't, my apologies for my hearing. :)
@@gregpochet4812 Maybe I did. I make flubs all the time!
I may have missed it, but did the holster have the LED backlight?
Yes
20:12
Am I missing something or the price you are showing in the video is different (by a lot) from the one on their web site? Same for the warranty, their web site say 3 years. Don't get me wrong its is a great EVSE (I have two "old ones" (2018) at home) and it's working just like it was 5 years ago. But it is way more expensive than the price in your video.
I'm not sure where you're looking. Provide a link maybe?
@@StateOfChargeWithTomMoloughney I checked again to give you the links and I think I understand why I saw something different. For the warranty, it looks like that for whatever reason it is 5 years in the USA and 3 years in Canada. As for the price, it look like there is a sale in the USA right now. In the shop section of flow's web site they say the normal price is 995 USD but currently in special at 695 USD. This is an awesome deal since the Canadian price is 1445 CAD (and we had any, I guess because it is so popular). With the rate exchange 695 USD = 940 CAD, I'd buy it while it last because at that price this is a wonderful EVSE if you want a J1772 EVSE and you are ok with the 30 amps limit.
@@StateOfChargeWithTomMoloughney By the way, sorry for not providing links as you requested but I think TH-cam is erasing comments with links in it.
Bolts have 64kwh batteries, not 55kwh. Even pre-recall they were 60 kwh batteries.
Thank you!
I just tried to do a Tesla Test drive in Houston, Texas. To my surprise all showrooms have no people or cars in the showroom. It looked like they were going out of business. All the the showroom/service centers for test drive are now virtual. If you want to talk to a human you can only visit with a Human at the Galleria store in Houston. Richmond, League City, Cypress, etc are only virtual. Looked like Tesla was on strike. As a stock holder it was scary. All posted sales positions have been put on hold in the greater Houston area.
It's not legal for Tesla to host test drives in Texas - thank the dealer lobby for that. They aren't allowed to have real "showrooms", they gave galleries - which should have had a static vehicle for you to look at but not drive. It's different in most other states. Texas is one of the least Tesla-friendly states, surprisingly because Tesla has invested so much in the state and employs thousands of Texans.
I visited this store before and they had cars in the show room and sales people. The repair technician now in charge of handing you the key for your test drive after you book the test drive virtually said this just was implemented. Something weird is going on in Texas. They have been selling cars in Texas for years. Maybe Elon is trying to safe money before a bad quarter. @@StateOfChargeWithTomMoloughney
@@guyg2005 So they legally cannot sell you a car from one of the showrooms or galleries. The customer must order it online (which you can do while in the showroom) and fill out paperwork through email. The showroom associates cannot do it for you, as they do at dealerships. But I get what you're saying that things appear different at this location.
Yes Tom I know that. I bought a 2022Y back in 2021 in Texas. I understand that, but this week all the cars and car advisors were removed from the showrooms/service centers. Something new is going on. @@StateOfChargeWithTomMoloughney
It’s frustrating that these are made here in Canada, and here, they are $1500! Hard to justify the cost vs. the Grizzl-E
I do not like that the 2 allans for taking of the housing is full assailable at any time..
You can tell it's quality, because it's canadian 👍
Looks like a great unit but really hard to justify now that it’s a back to its normal price of US$1,000
Connector at 129F, grabs it with bare hands like it's nothing. Sorry Tom I think your IR thermometer needs calibration or something because there's no way someone wouldn't get at least a first degree burn from that if the reading was accurate.
Don't forget, I owned a pizzeria for 30 years and would reach into a 500 F oven 100 times a day and grab the hot slices. My hands can practically pick up a hot coal 😁Also, the lower part of the connector where the handle is was not as hot as the top where I measured it
@@StateOfChargeWithTomMoloughneyif you ever get tired of doing charger videos and want to teach us about making pizza, I'd love to see that. (But what you're doing for chargers is more important, because it's unique.)
I'm still waiting for a home EV charger manufacturer to come out with a NACS unit so you don't have to buy the Tesla wall charger. I'd rather not have to use the adapter.
I don't like how the Model 3 RWD only does 32 amps, even if you're sending 48 amps to it. I wish there was a $500 option to update that. But this Flo EVSE would work for a Model 3 with its amperage.
That's because the onboard charger is limited to accepting only 32 amps. The actual "charger" is always built into the car. We call these wallboxes "chargers' but that's not exactly what they are. They are EVSE, or electric vehicle supply equipment because what they really do is safely supply electricity to the car's onboard charger, which charges the battery.
@@StateOfChargeWithTomMoloughney Yes, thank you very much for teaching me about all of that in your videos. I would rather have a 48amp onboard charger than heated back seats. Or an option to swap out the onboard charger now for like $500.
@@mj42kramer Tesla won't offer it as an option because they really want you to buy the AWD, long range.
This Flow unit looks great, but I would never buy a 30 A charger. 95% of the time, 30A will be enough during overnight charging.
But, there will be a few days when you need faster charging at 40 or 48 amps for 9-11 kW. If your panel has the power, go for 48 A (60A breaker) on a wired connection.
I would get a Grizzle or the new Tesla Universal charger. You want 40 or 48 amps.
The last few minutes is the real rating. Nothing about this makes sense for such a large, expensive, low power charger. Put this thing next to something like the Wallbox 48A for comparison
1st!