EV CHARGING

Review of Enel X Way JuiceBox 40 Home EV Charger

March 6, 2024

The JuiceBox 40 delivers 9.6 kW to quickly charge a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle.
It has a 25-foot cable that can withstand harsh Michigan winter weather.
The JuiceBox 40 has a colorful LED light that alerts you to any issues with connectivity and charging.
After 31 months of using the Enel X Way Juicebox charging station nightly, it has delivered reliable and speedy Level 2 charging.

In July 2021, I bought a 2021 Jeep Wrangler Sahara 4xe plug-in hybrid EV. To get the most out of the plug-in hybrid technology, I had an at-home EV charging station installed in my garage. I chose the Enel X Way JuiceBox Level 2 charger, and it’s done its job well over the past 31 months.

Why I Choose the JuiceBox 40 Charger

At the time I purchased my Wrangler 4xe, I was able to take advantage of a handful of incentives. I received a $7,500 tax credit for purchasing the vehicle and a $500 EV charger rebate. To get the rebate in 2021, I could only choose from a few models that were pre-approved by Michigan’s Consumers Energy, and the JuiceBox had the best reviews.

Back in 2021, I was also able to get an additional federal tax credit for 30% of the installation cost of my JuiceBox EV charger. So, all-in-all, incentives paid for almost all of the charger’s purchase price and installation. I ordered the charger directly from the manufacturer. The current JuiceBox 40 model is $549 on the Enel X Way website.

Since I purchased an Enel X Way charging station, I needed a 240-volt outlet installed in my garage. Fortunately, my electrical panel is on the interior wall that backs up to my garage, so the electrician had to run only about 8 feet of wire. He did not have to make major changes to the panel, so the cost of installing the Juicebox EV charger was under $300. The electrician added a Nema 14-50 outlet, so he didn’t have to hardwire the charger.

Features of the JuiceBox 40

juicebox ev charger with long cord charging EV6 outside of garage

^{Images care of Kristen Bentley}

As a newbie to PHEVs in 2021, I wanted a home EV charger that was affordable and reliable. Obviously, in 2021, there weren’t many options or reviews. I’m glad I chose the JuiceBox EV charger, as it’s performed exceptionally well charging one PHEV nightly for the past 31 months. It also charges my Kia EV6 GT-Line weekly.

I live in a townhouse-style condo with a single-stall garage. The JuiceBox is attached to the wall at the back of the garage. The J1772 plug fits both of our vehicles, and the 25-foot cable only adds to the convenience. The system has a rack for the cable, and we take care not to drive over it or drag it on the concrete floor.

In the summer months, the Jeep often sits in the garage with the top off, so the EV6 needs to be charged while parked outside. I can park the Kia EV6 just outside of the garage, plug in the charger, and close the garage door on the cord — that’s how long the cable is. We’ve also charged outside in frigid winter weather, and the cable has managed the elements without any issues.

The JuiceBox EV charger has an LED light that uses different colors to share its status. Usually, the LED is white to tell us it is idle and not charging. When the JuiceBox is charging, the color changes to green. If the charger is disconnected from our Wi-Fi, the LED turns purple.

Nightly Charging Reliability

Impressively, the JuiceBox 40 charges at the same speed — no matter the weather. It takes a little over two hours to charge the 17.3 kWh battery in the Wrangler PHEV. My husband drives the Jeep and returns home from work with <1%. We usually charge the Jeep overnight, because Consumers Energy gives us lower nightly rates for EV charging.

When we have to charge the EV6, we charge the Jeep at 7 p.m. then charge the EV6 starting at 10 p.m. for those lower rates. I need 16% to get to and from work, so I usually charge the EV6 when the battery drops below 20%. I leave for work just before 7 a.m., and the battery is full after about eight hours of charging.

In the 31 months we’ve owned the JuiceBox and an electrified vehicle, I can count on one hand the times Jeep didn’t charge. The Jeep has a charging timer that we set to start at 11 p.m. So, we believe the few nights the Jeep didn’t charge wasn’t an issue with the JuiceBox EV charger, but with the Jeep itself. Fortunately, the plug-in hybrid Jeep has an internal-combustion engine and a 17.2 gallon gas tank, so we have no worries about getting where we need to go with it regardless of the lithium-ion battery availability. I’ve never had an issue with the Kia not charging with the JuiceBox.

The JuiceBox App

Enel X Way has an app for the JuiceBox EV charger, but we never use it. The app shows us our charging history with individual kWh delivered in each entry for the past month. I can also see if the charger is being used and how quickly it is charging. The app also has a charging schedule, which we don’t use because the Jeep has its own timer, and we only charge the EV6 overnight when needed. The JuiceBox needs to be connected to Wi-Fi, and the app will alert you if it becomes disconnected.

My Overall JuiceBox 40 Review

After 31 months of using the JuiceBox 40 nightly, I would purchase another one in a heartbeat. It’s been completely reliable, doing exactly what it’s supposed to do. It’s a small unit that looks nice on the wall. It withstands the chilly temperatures in our Michigan garage, and the cord can withstand snow and ice! Our garage is tiny, and it takes up very little space. It’s a great charger for a plug-in hybrid that needs nightly charging and a fully-electric vehicle that doesn’t.

My JuiceBox review in one word: reliable.