JuiceBox EV chargers are about to lose all their connectivity features

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JuiceBox EV charger owner Enel X Way is closing its doors on October 11th and shutting down its app services for home and commercial chargers.

By Umar Shakir, a news writer fond of the electric vehicle lifestyle and things that plug in via USB-C. He spent over 15 years in IT support before joining The Verge.

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juicebox 40 amp charger connected to a power box and mounted to a wall

I guess I don’t need to worry about the Wi-Fi reaching outside anymore.
Image: Umar Shakir / The Verge

Enel X Way North America, which owns EV charger brand JuiceBox, is closing down its electric vehicle business in the US and Canada and will shut off connectivity services for commercial and home hardware. In a statement posted on the JuiceBox website, the company said it will close down on October 11th, but it’s turning off all customer support lines “effective immediately.”

If you own a JuiceBox charger at home, you’ll soon lose all connectivity with the app, but it will still charge your EV without the features. Enel is removing the Enel X Way app (which currently has a 2.7-star rating) from the App Store. The app lets you check charging status and history, set charging schedules, see energy use, and lock the charger down for only certain users. The app is also used with the company’s commercial charging stations, which will no longer work anyway since they require external software to operate.

You won’t be able to keep track of energy usage and charging sessions among other features soon.

You won’t be able to keep track of energy usage and charging sessions among other features soon.
You won’t be able to keep track of energy usage and charging sessions among other features soon.
Screenshot: The Verge

JuiceBox’s former owner, eMotorWerks, was purchased by Enel in 2017. JuiceBox branded chargers were sold through multiple automakers, and many EV early adopters (myself included) bought their connected home chargers.

Enel Group, which owns the USA-based subsidiary Enel X Way USA, says the decision is “strategic,” and it will refocus on building EV infrastructure in countries where it’s already operating an electricity retail business:

Additionally, the dynamics of the EV market in the US have changed quite a lot in the last year and, like many other companies, Enel X Way North America has been impacted by high interest rates which have increased the cost of scaling the charging infrastructure business in a framework of sustained uncertainty where EV sales growth expectations have not been met.

Enel Group says a third-party firm is handling the company’s affairs as it steps away. Its products and services outside of the US and Canada are not affected.

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