Upon opening the box, the FLO Home X5 comes with the unit's body, a mounting bracket, a 25-foot charging cable with a J1772 connector, a PLC module, an ethernet cable, an installation guide, and a card with a pairing code to connect to FLO's app.

The mounting bracket comes attached to the back of the unit. You need to have a 3/16" Allen wrench to install both models, as the tool doesn't come in the box. After removing a screw from the bottom of the unit, you'll be able to remove the mounting bracket for installation.

It's worth mentioning that this unit is heavy. It's probably the heaviest EV charger that I've ever reviewed, so you really want to make sure that this thing is well-secured to the wall. That means using at least six screws and attaching the mounting plate along a stud for as much stability as possible. Screw the plate into place, slide the unit over it, then reattach the screw that connects the plate to the bottom of the unit. Then it's just a matter of connecting your NEMA 14-50 cable to an associated outlet.

After you've installed the FLO Home X5 on the wall, it's time to connect it to the app. Unlike a lot of EVSEs that use Wi-Fi, this one uses a powerline connection (or PLC) to forge the initial connection. Start out by plugging one end of the ethernet cable into the PLC module and the other into an open port on your router. Next, plug the PLC module directly into a wall outlet– a power strip won't work! Once you see all three lights glowing green on the module, it's connected. Then it's a matter of opening the FLO app and entering the code that came on that card you found when unboxing the unit. After that, you'll be able to name your charging station, authorize sound alerts, and pick a time zone before accessing the rest of the app's features.

The FLO Home X5 and Home G5 are both 30-amp units that can put out up to 7.2 kW of power at a variable 6-amp to 30-amp rate. At max power, you could expect to regain between 15 and 30 miles of range per hour, depending on how efficient your vehicle is. The FLO Home X5 can also powershare with a second unit on the same circuit via dynamic power sharing, making this EVSE a good option for multi-car households. This option isn't available for the Home G5.

Both units come with a J1772 connector, meaning that they should be able to charge any vehicle sold in North America– though NACS connectors will require the use of an adaptor. It also has an integrated connector holster and cable management system for easy cable storage. But if you prefer a remote holster and cable hook, another option could be this combination Lectron dock and hook instead.

When it comes to coordinating charging at a lower power level, it's worth keeping in mind that those settings are actually found under the 'Scheduling' option in the app for the FLO Home X5. This seemed a little unintuitive to me since a lot of other apps have these options under 'Settings'. For the Home G5, one has to adjust a wheel inside the body of the unit to adjust the power output. But on the flip side, the app allows you to see your public and home charging sessions all in one place, which I really appreciated.

Testing

I wouldn’t consider this a complete review if I didn’t put the EV charger through some sort of testing process that mimics the situations one might experience during everyday use. It may seem a little overkill, but I know that EV charging stations aren't inexpensive, and no one wants to find out the hard way that the EVSE they just bought is a dud. So how did the Flow Home X5 stack up to other EV charging stations that I've reviewed?

The Cable Deep Freeze Test

In order to see how an EVSE performs in really cold weather, I put it through what I call the Cable Deep Freeze Test. Obviously, not everyone will have to worry about these kinds of temperatures, but cable flexibility could make a huge difference in the charging experience of someone who lives farther north. The unit went into a commercial ice cream freezer for at least 24 hours, and when I pulled it out, the interior temperature measured at -13° F (-25° C). Surprisingly for a Canadian-made EV charger, the power cable of the FLO Home X5 was so stiff that I couldn't even hang the unit properly on the wall. Despite that, the charging cable had no trouble unwinding and being hung up in larger loops, and quickly proved to be extremely flexible. It's not quite as pliant as the ChargePoint Home Flex, but it's definitely one of the top cold-weather cables that I've tested so far.

The Connector Drop Test

While I've still got the cable iced up and handy, I like to move right on to the Drop Test, where I check a connector's durability by dropping it five times from around waist height to the concrete floor of my garage. The hardy connector passed the test beautifully, not suffering any cracks or damage from my rough handling.

The Automatic Restart Test

This test is incredibly important, since no one wants to suffer a rogue power outage that interrupts their charging and leaves them with a near-dead battery when they're about to leave for work. Most EVs are supposed to come with a feature that's supposed to keep this from happening, but I've found that it doesn't always function properly. After simulating a power outage by shutting off the circuit breaker while the charger was charging one of my EVs, the FLO Home X5 started right back up again. This earned it a pass on the Automatic Restart Test.

Tom's Rating for the Flo Home x5

I also give the units I review my own personal score, since not everything can be easily measured on a chart. I gave the FLO Home X5 a rating of 4.45 stars out of 5, mainly because of its relatively high price compared to its lower power output. After averaging the ChargerRater score with my own, I gave the FLO Home X5 a final score of 4.55 stars. It's a great charger for those who want a refined, solidly built charger and don't mind that it only has 30 amps of power.

The smart FLO Home X5 is currently available for $599 on Amazon, while you can pick up the non-smart FLO Home G5 for $549 on Amazon (as of April 1, 2024). Check out my full review in the video above, and let me know what you think in the comments below.