ChargePoint wants to put a $500 electric car charger in your garage
If you have an electric car, you're probably familiar with ChargePoint: it's the largest electric vehicle charging network out there. It has chargers all over the world, and a lot of them are free to use. Later this summer, you'll be able to install one of the chargers in your own garage -- but that'll cost you $500.
The ChargePoint Home EV charger was first announced back at CES, but back then it wasn't clear how much an in-home unit would cost. Now we know: the in-home unit will sell for $500-750, depending on how much power it puts out, how it's installed and how long its charging cord is. Want a 32 amp hard-wired installation that can charge a car up to 25 feet away? It'll cost you extra. Want to save some cash? Go with a shorter (12 or 18-foot) cable, a slower 16 amp, 12 RPH (range per hour) charge speed and a plug-installation.
This isn't ChargePoint's first residential charger (the company has been making those since it was known as Coulomb), but is definitely its smartest: the ChargePoint Home is a WiFi connected system that integrates with the company's larger charging network and its associated mobile app. You can track where and when you charged your car (at home, work or a public station) and schedule remote charging and charge reminders. It even integrates with Nest to facilitate energy savings or shut the system down in case of a power surge. ChargePoint hasn't announced the official sale date yet: just that it'll be available on Amazon later this summer.
