The makers of this Level 1 EV Mobile Cable want everyone to have smart charging

Palo Alto, Calif., provider of electric vehicle charging software EV energy and a provider of Internet of Things (IoT) solutions. Smartenitebased in Irvine, California, today launched a smart, network-optimized Level 1 EV mobile cable for drivers who don’t have access to home charging stations.

This tier one mobile EV cable is smart

Most, but not all, electric vehicles come with a mobile charging cord with a standard SAE J1772 charging connector that plugs into any 120V three-prong outlet. (Teslas no longer equipped with mobile connectorsand Kia EV6 also does not come with a mobile connector.)

Older electric vehicle models are also more likely to lack built-in telematics connections that allow for utility programs that pay off bills or other financial incentives for charging at grid-optimized times. The ev.energy-Smartenit mobile charging cable solves these problems.

This Level 1 charging cable plugs into any 120V outlet. A Wi-Fi modem inside the device connects it to Application ev.energy which offers EV drivers an automatic off-peak charging schedule to minimize charging costs. It’s also partnered with several U.S. energy utilities to offer EV drivers extra cash for participating in smart charging programs.

For example, last summer, United Illuminating Company of Connecticut customers used the ev.energy platform to earn $50 per month for charging at grid-optimal times, earning up to $200 in cash.

Electrek’s Take

The Level 1 version of this cable retails for $350. (A Level 2 version is also available for sale, which costs $500.) There are many Level 1 EV charging cables on the market that cost less, but it’s smart, so it saves users money in the long run.

Currently, the Tesla mobile connector is worth 200 dollars, and you can use the Tesla app to schedule off-peak charging. I have a Tesla Mobile Plug – I managed to get one before Tesla stopped including it in the car – and I use it at home daily to charge my Model 3. I’d be in big trouble without it. When I lived in St. Petersburg, Florida, I used a level 1 adapter on the street. We are now using a Gen 2 NEMA 6-50 adapter in Vermont in our garage. The Tesla Mobile Smart Connector handles both Level 1 and Level 2 adapters.

So, I won’t need this product as a Tesla driver, but it could prove valuable to someone looking to replace their old stupid Level 1 charging cable with a smart charger to save on their household electricity bills.

If someone charges their EV in the parking lot of their apartment building, I guess it depends on whether they bill them for using the utility electrical outlets. I would like to hear from apartment dwellers about this – is it free or do you have to use a utility somehow? Will this product be useful for you?

Joseph Vallonesaid ev.energy’s head of North America Electrician via e-mail what he thinks is different from his company’s mobile charger for electric cars. He replied:

It contains a Wi-Fi connected modem that enables smart charging at home via the ev.energy software platform. This means that it will calculate the optimal schedule for an electric car driver based on the desired charge level and departure time, while the schedule for the cheapest (off-peak) hours with the lowest carbon emissions is based on the data obtained by ev.energy from the driver utility.

If a driver is a customer of a participating utility company, they can also benefit from additional cash rebates for charging their electric vehicle through the ev.energy mobile app that the driver uses with the charger. For example, electric vehicle drivers in Massachusetts receive a rebate of $0.05 per kWh for off-peak charging through the National Grid program.

this [smart charging cable] guarantees that everything Electric vehicle drivers – not just those who drive top/newer models or live in a detached house with their own private electric vehicle charging station – can enjoy the benefits of greener and cheaper charging.

Do you think this smart mobile EV cable is good? Would you buy it and why or not? Let us know in the comments below.

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