New owner- trying to figure out best charger

[trapper2442]

Hello! New to EV and didn’t research too well! Ha. I have a 2025 Lariat. Have the mobile charger. Should I keep it and use it with 240v or is there another affordable charger you guys recommend? Not looking for fancy, just something that works well.

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[JayF]

Anything UL listed and installed by a licensed electrician will be fine.

I've got a 60A 240V circuit run to a Grizzl-E 48A mounted to the outside of my house. Works great.

One thing to consider: many folks (at least from the research I did) have trouble with low-quality or badly installed 240V outlets melting when in use. I went hardwired because of this and because of it being outside.

I'd keep the mobile charger in your vehicle for emergencies.

 

[RLXXI]

Hello! New to EV and didn’t research too well! Ha. I have a 2025 Lariat. Have the mobile charger. Should I keep it and use it with 240v or is there another affordable charger you guys recommend? Not looking for fancy, just something that works well.

Your dealer should have given you a FCSP with free install. If you bought it used, then Look for a hardwired 48A charger like the Ford Charge Station Pro. You can't charge any higher amps due to only one onboard charger.

 

[Flipper]

I use the Tesla charger with an adapter. I already had this before the lightning. Works well for the lightning and they are pretty reasonable to buy.

adapter link
https://ev-lectron.com/products/lec...obile-connectors-black?variant=39707339063342

 

[Poolboy1637]

https://evchargingstations.com/
As much info as you could hope to digest can be found here.

 

[trapper2442]

https://evchargingstations.com/
As much info as you could hope to digest can be found here.

Thank you!

 

[trapper2442]

Your dealer should have given you a FCSP with free install. If you bought it used, then Look for a hardwired 48A charger like the Ford Charge Station Pro. You can't charge any higher amps due to only one onboard charger.

It was that, or a $2k rebate. I went with rebate to fix the payments. If I spend $500 on a charger, then I can install myself with my knowledge!

cheers

 

[CD4TNF]

A FCSP off the market, ChargePoint, Emporia, Grizzl-e, Autel, Wallbox, Enphase.

I have a ChargePoint and it works well. Cable can get swapped later for NACS. Easy clips. App is used for some public charging so that's nice to have home and public charging on one app.


As folks said hardwiring is best. NEMA 14-50 plug is a point of failure. Most 14-50 plugs are not rated for EV charging, so they melt and catch fire. Hardwiring is safer.

I've charged off a NEMA14-50 at RV camp sites using a J+ Booster to downrate the amps. Makes it less likely to overheat.


One other point of confusion. The Tesla NACS adapter you get from Ford is only for level 3 DC fast charging. That level 3 adapter doesn't do home charging on level 2. Need a different adapter for level 2 NACS charging to your Lightning.

A2Z and Lectron have website tools to help you pick out the charger adapters. Those are commonly used EV adapter brands. Ford contracted Lectron to make their NACS adapter.

 

[Joe.....Montana]

This is what I have installed at my home...

https://shop.tesla.com/product/universal-wall-connector

I purchased it through Best Buy when I got the truck. It was on sale for $450 at the time (I got a free FCSP with the truck and sold that on Ebay for $600). It has worked incredibly well and my goal is to go full EV so in the future I can use the same charger if the new vehicle is NACS.

 

[Zprime29]

I would not recommend the FCSP. I use it only because it was baked into the cost of my '22 and I (at the time) was interested in the home back up solution. Ford completely botched the back up part so if/when the FCSP fails I plan to replace with Emporia. MUCH better app for tracking power usage vs. relying on the far less reliable FordPass app.

 

[Zprime29]

This is what I have installed at my home...

https://shop.tesla.com/product/universal-wall-connector

I purchased it through Best Buy when I got the truck. It was on sale for $450 at the time (I got a free FCSP with the truck and sold that on Ebay for $600). It has worked incredibly well and my goal is to go full EV so in the future I can use the same charger if the new vehicle is NACS.

Wow, that's a good deal for that. I wouldn't mind one of those either for the same reason.

 

[RLXXI]

A FCSP off the market, ChargePoint, Emporia, Grizzl-e, Autel, Wallbox, Enphase.

I have a ChargePoint and it works well. Cable can get swapped later for NACS. Easy clips. App is used for some public charging so that's nice to have home and public charging on one app.


As folks said hardwiring is best. NEMA 14-50 plug is a point of failure. Most 14-50 plugs are not rated for EV charging, so they melt and catch fire. Hardwiring is safer.

I've charged off a NEMA14-50 at RV camp sites using a J+ Booster to downrate the amps. Makes it less likely to overheat.


One other point of confusion. The Tesla NACS adapter you get from Ford is only for level 3 DC fast charging. That level 3 adapter doesn't do home charging on level 2. Need a different adapter for level 2 NACS charging to your Lightning.

A2Z and Lectron have website tools to help you pick out the charger adapters. Those are commonly used EV adapter brands. Ford contracted Lectron to make their NACS adapter.

The 2025 year model can derate the connection on screen, no need for anything special. I had to drop mine down to keep it from tripping the breaker. That was pre FCSP install.

 

[K6CCC]

It was that, or a $2k rebate. I went with rebate to fix the payments. If I spend $500 on a charger, then I can install myself with my knowledge!

That was my scenario when I bought my 2024 - took the $2,000 rebate. I ended up buying the FCSP only because I did not do what you did and asked first. Since I have a 24 Flash I can only charge at 48 amps max anyway and have not expectation of the home integration, so the FCSP was a waste of money for me. Many other options out there that are quite a bit less expensive. If I were to do it with what I know now, I would likely get the Tesla Wall Connector.

As for installation, like you I am qualified to install it myself. When I installed solar 8 years ago, I replaced my Zinsco 100 amp 20 position main panel with a Siemens 200 amp 42 position main panel so I have lots of breaker space. I have the advantage that where I installed the FCSP was eight conduit feet from the main panel so it was a VERY easy install! I first installed a NEMA 14-50 outlet to use with the Ford Mobile Charge Cord, and a couple weeks later when the FCSP arrived, I swapped out the 14-50 for the hardwired FCSP. The Ford Mobile Charge Cord is sitting in the frunk for use on the road. I've only used it one time on a trip, but it was 66 KWH for free. I have also used it at home (at 120 volts) as a load for my 2 KW Honda generator when doing a periodic put fresh gas in the Honda and let it run for a while.

The other thing you will need to know is that you likely will want to have a NACS to CCS-1 adapter so you can use Tesla SuperChargers when on the road. There are several available. Do NOT cheap out on this - they are handling a large amount of power. My personal recommendation is the A2Z EV Typhoon Pro adapter - https://a2zev.com/collections/charging-adapters/products/nacs-ccs1
Lastly you may also want a NACS to J1772 adapter so you can use Tesla Destination Chargers (common at hotels). I have only used mine one time and that was just a test to confirm it worked. Again, there are several options available. What I have is the A2Z EV Stellar - https://a2zev.com/collections/charging-adapters/products/nacs-j1772-stellar

 

[garsh]

Have the mobile charger. Should I keep it and use it with 240v...

I recommend using the EVSE that you already possess. See how it works for you. If you have any issues or annoyances with it, then you'll have a better idea of what features you'll want in a replacement.

 

[Joe.....Montana]

Wow, that's a good deal for that. I wouldn't mind one of those either for the same reason.

I purchased it two years ago when the base price was $500.

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