Connect Pulsar Plus Level 2 electric vehicle smart charger – 40 amp to your smart devices using the myWallbox app to wirelessly control and monitor your charger via Wifi or Bluetooth. Use myWallbox to create schedules that take advantage of off-peak utility rates, get notifications, set reminders and more. It has power sharing option. Connect more than one Pulsar Plus to the same electrical circuit to safely charge multiple EVs at one time. Built-in smart power management automatically balances charging to ensure the most efficient energy distribution, with no need for extra components. Find details in Pulsar Plus Level 2 electric vehicle smart charger – 40 amp review.
Specs : Pulsar Plus Level 2 electric vehicle smart charger – 40 amp
- Charger: AC Level 2
- Connector: Type 1 (SAE J1772)
- Dimensions (without cable): 7.8”x7.9”x3.9”
- Cable 25ft (7.6m)
- Maximum Power:9.6 kW (40A)
- Power Input Connection: Cord connected (NEMA 14-50P) or hardwired
- Adjustable current: from 6A to 40A
- Charger status: Halo RGB LED / Wallbox App / myWallbox Portal
- User Interface: Wallbox App / myWallbox Portal
- User identification: Wallbox App / myWallbox Portal
- Connection: Bluetooth and Wi-Fi
Wallbox Pulsar Plus Price
The Pulsar Plus from Wallbox has been available in Europe for a few years, however it only recently launched in the US about two months ago. It’s a 40-amp smart charger that costs $649.00. However, Wallbox is currently offering $50.00 off as a new product launch special, but that deal may end soon. At $599.00, the Pulsar Plus is a very good deal, in our opinion.
Rebate eligible
The 40A Wallbox Pulsar Plus is available starting today for $649 directly from Wallbox, on Amazon, and other approved retailers. The 48A wired build of the Pulsar Plus will arrive later this year at a retail price of $699. At those prices, it certainly slots into the market at a competitive price point that makes it worth considering.
As with other EV chargers, the Wallbox Pulsar Plus is eligible for relevant federal, state, and local tax credits and rebates, where available. This includes the U.S. federal tax credit for up to 30% of total equipment and installation costs, up to $1,000.
Pulsar Plus Level 2 electric vehicle smart charger – 40 amp review
Design
The Pulsar Plus is a wonderfully compact unit, about 8-inches square with a brilliant status LED that rings the face. The 25-foot cable has a separate cable hangout/holster that you can place wherever is convenient.
Cable length
It comes standard with a 25-foot cable, which is the longest cable you can get on home charging equipment. It also has a NEMA 14-50 plug which can be removed if the customer prefers to hard-wire it. The customer also has the ability to de-rate the power delivery of they prefer, all the way down to 6-amps.
Weather resistance
It has a NEMA-4 rating which is good for even extreme weather conditions including blowing rain and snowstorms. We found the connector to be very well made with a rubberized outer casing which had a nice feel in our hands.
Variable charging
The Pulsar Plus is a variable charger that you can set anywhere from 16A to 40A. If you have a larger circuit dedicated breaker for your charger, you can sneak out a few more Amps, all the way up to a maximum of 48A (though this is only available over Bluetooth settings. The hope here is that you’ll be close to your charger and will double check the breaker first. Bad Things happen when you overload a circuit.)
Charging indicator
Just grab the charging handle and plug it into your EV. The LED on the front of the unit is blue when it’s charging, green when it’s finished, and yellow when it’s waiting to be used. All the intelligence is in the unit itself rather than the cloud, so you don’t need a dedicated internet connection to use it. It’s smart charging made simple.
App
The Pulsar Plus Level 2 electric vehicle smart charger – 40 amp is a smart-charger, and comes with an app. You can check the charging status, start/stop a charging session, review past charging history, set reminders and even remotely lock the Pulsar Plus to prevent unauthorized use.
Once the Pulsar Plus is installed you can then download the Wallbox app and connect the device to your WiFi network. The Pulsar Plus app has some nice features like the ability to view current charging session, notifications, schedule delayed charging, and past charging session history. You can even enter your electricity rate so you have a clear record of how much charging your EV costs you.
You can also adjust the Pulsar Plus’s power output in the app, from 16-amps to the 40-amp (or 48-amp) maximum. The Pulsar Plus also has the ability to power share, therefore you can attach multiple units to a single circuit, and the Pulsar Plus will intelligently share the power without overloading the circuit. Power-sharing can be a very convenient feature for multiple-EV households.
Pulsar Plus Level 2 electric vehicle smart charger – 40 amp Installation
To mount the unit, we simply found the stud and mounted the backplate for the Pulsar Plus directly to the stud with the included mounting screws. Wallbox includes 2 screws with drywall anchors in the box, but mounting directly to a stud generally results in a more stable installation.
On our wired unit, installation was a breeze. We selected a location to mount the unit that was slightly above and to the right of the NEMA 14-50 plug for it. This makes it easier to install in more compact places where wall real estate is at a premium. The smaller, lighter size of the Pulsar Plus also makes it far easier to install for the DIY types out there.
After mounting the backplate to the wall, we secured the Pular Plus to the plate with 2 small screws on the two lower corners. It was a breeze and was up on the wall in around 5 minutes. Most of the installation time of any EV charger is typically spent getting electrical service to the location of the charger. This can be done in advance and should be done by a certified electrician. Always seek professional help if you are not sure how to proceed as 50 amps is a serious amount of power.
The Pulsar Plus comes with a holster for the J1772 charging nozzle that is secured to the wall the same way as the main unit. We sunk 2 screws directly into the stud and we were off to the races. The hoster includes a convenient hook that serves as a wire management system for the 25′ charging cable. Our charger is located within a few feet our EV, but it’s nice to know that we can charge any EV, no matter where the charging port is located on the vehicle.
We plugged the unit in and as it booted, installed the Wallbox smartphone app. It’s available for both Android in the Google Play store and in the Apple App store.
Pulsar Plus Level 2 electric vehicle smart charger – 40 amp Performance review
We really like the Pulsar Plus and gave it a rating of 4.6 stars, tying it with the ChargePoint Home Flex and the Enel-X JuiceBox for the highest-rated EVSE that we’ve reviewed. It’s compact, powerful, full of smart-charging features with a nice app, it has a long cable and a great, rubberized connector.
Before, my Tesla had been plugged directly into a standard 12amp outlet and I was getting an abysmal 3mph charge rate on my Model 3. After installing the Pulsar plus, the charge rate went immediately to 35mph which is more than 10x what I was getting!! The form factor on the Pulsar Plus is also really compact and a pleasing addition to my garage.
The next part was connecting the app to the Pulsar Plus. This was a simple setup of registering an account, entering the serial number and connecting to my wifi. It probably took about 5 minutes to get set up. I love the app as I can plug in my local electric costs and then see how much my vehicle costs me on a monthly basis to charge. It’s also very intuitive and easy to navigate.
