EV drivers have a vast variety of Level 2 chargers to choose from these days—seemingly every company that makes any product with a plug, from industrial equipment to consumer electronics, has hopped onto the electric bandwagon.
Florida-based Deltran, on the other hand, has been charging batteries since 1965. The company manufactures power-related products ranging from transformers to electronic ballasts. In 1988, Deltran launched a line of smart battery chargers for ICE vehicles and other applications, under the Battery Tender brand. These introduced microprocessors to regulate charging algorithms and prevent safety issues such as overcharging.
Now the company has launched a new line of Level 2 EV chargers. The eCharge chargers come in portable and mountable versions. All are Energy Star- and UL-certified, and all carry an IP66 ingress protection rating, making them suitable for both indoor and outdoor use. All come with a 3-year warranty.
UL certification is the first thing you should look for when shopping for a charger. Many of the cheap units sold on Amazon and other mass-market sites are not UL-certified, and may not have been properly tested for electrical safety. Charging specialist Deltran’s products carry not only the UL label—they also meet ETL/CETL, FCC and ICES standards. The Energy Star label certifies that these are among the most energy-efficient charging stations available.
We tested the Battery Tender eCharge 48, a mountable (wall or pedestal) Level 2 charger with 48 amps of output current, which translates to 11 kW rated power. (We don’t comment on charging time, which varies widely depending on the EV model’s battery size and maximum charging rate, as well as external factors such as the weather.)
The eCharge 48 includes protection software to prevent electrical faults such as over and under voltage, over temperature, leakage and grounding issues. It features a 25-foot charging cable and an LCD display that shows charging status, power output and any pertinent error messages. It’s available in both plug-in and hard-wired versions, and comes with a mounting bracket, a charge plug holder and the necessary hardware.
These are the functions you’d expect in a quality residential charger, and all most home users will ever need. An extra feature: two chip-enabled RFID cards are included. These can be used to provide secure charging access to multiple users—a handy feature for workplace or multi-unit residential installations.
We installed the eCharge 48 at a residential location, and found installation to be simple and straightforward. The charging cable is sturdy but not too heavy, and the heavy plastic enclosure seems rugged enough for any residential or light commercial application.
We charged a couple of different EV models with no problems whatsoever. Not that we were expecting any—it’s rare to encounter compatibility problems with a Level 2 charger, which is after all a fairly simple electronic device. When you pay a little more to a long-established company like Deltran, you’re paying for guaranteed electrical safety and reliability.
The Battery Tender eCharge 48 is available directly from Deltran for $684.95. The company also sells an EV pedestal stand for $149.95, and an AC Tesla charging adapter for $44.95. (This can be used to connect the eCharge’s standard J1772 plug to a Tesla or other vehicle with an NACS port. As these become more common, we expect that Deltran will eventually offer both NACS and J1772 versions of its chargers.)
Source: Battery Tender