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Grizzl-E Ultimate 80A EV Charging Station Review
One of the best (and least expensive) 80-amp smart home chargers on the market.
Table of Contents:
If you've spent any amount of time watching content on State of Charge, then you'll know that I've reviewed quite a few EV chargers produced by Grizzl-e and their parent company, United Chargers. This Canadian company is known for selling quality, rugged chargers, and I expected that their top-of-the-line Grizzl-E Ultimate would not prove to be an exception.
The Grizzl-E Ultimate 80A Wi-Fi-connected smart charger can pump out up to 80 amps of power, and at its retail price, it's poised to make high-speed AC charging a lot more affordable. But how will it score in my tests? It's time to find out.
Out of the box, the Grizzl-E Ultimate 80A arrives with the aluminum-enclosed unit in either black or white, a remote connector holster, a 25-foot charging cable with a J1772 or a NACS connector, a wall mounting bracket system and hardware, a setup guide, a quick start manual, and app pairing instructions.
Because this unit is intended to be hardwired, I highly recommend that users have these kinds of EV charging stations professionally installed by a certified electrician. There's a lot of power and heat going through these things, and we are seeing more and more instances of dangerous equipment failure cropping up as a result of shoddy installs. I personally recommend my YouTube channel sponsor Qmerit for the installation of EV charging equipment. As North America’s leading provider of installation services for EV charging, home energy storage, and other electrification technologies, you can count on them to get the job done right.
If you're set on doing a self-install, then you'll want to begin by installing one half of the mounting plate to the wall in your selected location, preferably over a stud for extra stability, using the provided screws. The other half gets screwed to the back of the body of the unit with the shorter screws and the provided Allen wrench. Then all you need to do is press the two parts of the mounting brackets together, and they will lock into place. After that, you slide the security bar through the mounting bracket and secure it in place with its pin.
The Grizzl-E Ultimate 80A can have its power limited by adjusting its interior dip switches, in case you can't spare the full 100-amp circuit needed to get the full 80 amps. In that case, your lower-power options would be 16, 24, 32, 40, 48, 56, or 64 amps. And unlike some other chargers, there is no location in the back of the casing to draw the wiring through—your only choice is to go through the bottom of the unit.
The Grizzl-E Ultimate 80A is an 80-amp home EV charging station with a maximum power rating of 19 kW. Consumers can order this EVSE with either a J1772 or NACS connector, making it compatible with nearly any EV on the North American market.
Thanks to its robust aluminum enclosure and NEMA-4 rating, the Ultimate 80A can take quite a pounding. I've dunked their other products in buckets of water and shot them with a garden hose without issue, while the company itself has run them over with ATVs and trucks. Because they're so confident in what they sell, United Chargers sends out the Grizzl-E Ultimate 80A with a 3-year warranty, though you can bump it up to a 5-year warranty for an extra $250. On top of that, the Ultimate 80A is UL certified and Energy Star rated. It's also made in Canada.
As this is a Wi-Fi-enabled smart charger, users also have access to the Grizzly-E Connect app—but they're not limited to it alone. The Ultimate 80A is currently the only charger on the market that offers true OCPP compliance, allowing users to direct the charger to third-party software instead. That said, I like Grizzly-E Connect, since it offers step-by-step instructional videos on YouTube to teach users how to use smart features like scheduling, power monitoring, and energy use tracking. Additionally, users can set up multiple Grizzl-E charging units on the same app.
Key Specs of the Grizzl-E Ultimate 80A
- Charger: AC Level 2
- AC Connector: SAE J1772, NACS
- Power Input: Hardwired
- Rated Current: 80 Amps
- Adjustable Current: 16 – 80 Amps
- Maximum Power: 19 kW
- Dimensions (without cable): 10.25" x 6.25" x 3.75"
- Cable length: 25 ft
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi
- Safety Certified: Yes
Testing
There’s no doubt that EV charging equipment endures significant wear and tear over time. That’s why it’s essential for consumers to know how well these units will stand up to everyday use—so you can avoid unexpected repair or replacement costs. So, how did the Grizzl-E Ultimate 80-amp perform when I put it to the test?
The Cable Deep Freeze Test
One of my first and favorite tests is the Cable Deep Freeze Test, which determines how a charger will perform when temperatures drop to extremely low levels. I wrapped the Grizzl-E Ultimate 80A's cables up in tight loops before putting the unit in my commercial ice cream freezer for about 30 hours, and the temperature measured at -12.5° F (-24.7° C) when I finally pulled it back out. The cable proved to be quite stiff when I first unraveled it. It's a thicker cable than what I originally reviewed on the Grizzl-E Ultimate 48A, and it stayed coiled up in a way that made it difficult to maneuver. This tells you that the cable's outer jacket is more plasticky than rubberized, which is good for durability, but bad if you live in a place with really cold weather. The Grizzl-E Ultimate 80A's cable is not very easy to work with, and its score on the ChargerRater will reflect that. If you are looking for an EV charger with a great cold-weather rating, I’d have to recommend the ChargePoint Home Flex over this one.
The Frozen Connector Drop Test
While the connector is still frozen, I checked the connector's durability via my Frozen Connector Drop Test, which is important since connectors can be really expensive to replace. I dropped the connector five times onto the concrete floor of my garage to test its durability under rough handling. The Grizzl-E Ultimate 80A handled the abuse without suffering any damage, which is a clear pass.
The Extreme Heat Test
My Extreme Heat Test is designed to replicate the harsh conditions found in areas with intense summer temperatures, because that sort of environment can result in a unit overheating, shutting down, or failing to deliver full power. I placed the Grizzl-E Ultimate 80A under a heat lamp for two hours until it reached 119°F (48.3°C) before plugging it into my Ford Lightning to charge for another two hours. The Grizzl-E Ultimate 80A handled the heat without issue, never failing to deliver power even though its internal temperature climbed to 142.5°F (61.4°C). That's another successful pass for the Ultimate 80A.
The Automatic Restart Test
Imagine that you have a short power outage during the night while your car is charging. I've discovered that some electric vehicle chargers become stuck in a fault state once power is restored and never resume charging. This could leave you stranded come morning if your car didn't have the chance to finish charging. That's what this test looks at. After plugging the Grizzl-E Ultimate 80A into my Ford Lightning, I turned off the circuit breaker to simulate a power outage. The Ultimate 80A went right back to work once the power returned, and it passed this test without issue.
After using the Grizzl-E Ultimate 80A for almost three weeks, I can say with confidence that it worked perfectly, and I had no issues with it whatsoever. Grizzl-E has one of the most robust, durable enclosures on the market for its EV charging stations, and you really can't beat the price for getting your hands on a high-powered EV charger.
The Grizzl-E Ultimate 80A is currently priced at $899.99 on Grizzl-e's website (as of the posting of this article). You can view my full review in the video above for more details, and please let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
Grizzl-E Ultimate 80A EV Charging Station Review
One of the best (and least expensive) 80-amp smart home chargers on the market.
Table of Contents:
If you've spent any amount of time watching content on State of Charge, then you'll know that I've reviewed quite a few EV chargers produced by Grizzl-e and their parent company, United Chargers. This Canadian company is known for selling quality, rugged chargers, and I expected that their top-of-the-line Grizzl-E Ultimate would not prove to be an exception.
The Grizzl-E Ultimate 80A Wi-Fi-connected smart charger can pump out up to 80 amps of power, and at its retail price, it's poised to make high-speed AC charging a lot more affordable. But how will it score in my tests? It's time to find out.
Out of the box, the Grizzl-E Ultimate 80A arrives with the aluminum-enclosed unit in either black or white, a remote connector holster, a 25-foot charging cable with a J1772 or a NACS connector, a wall mounting bracket system and hardware, a setup guide, a quick start manual, and app pairing instructions.
Because this unit is intended to be hardwired, I highly recommend that users have these kinds of EV charging stations professionally installed by a certified electrician. There's a lot of power and heat going through these things, and we are seeing more and more instances of dangerous equipment failure cropping up as a result of shoddy installs. I personally recommend my YouTube channel sponsor Qmerit for the installation of EV charging equipment. As North America’s leading provider of installation services for EV charging, home energy storage, and other electrification technologies, you can count on them to get the job done right.
If you're set on doing a self-install, then you'll want to begin by installing one half of the mounting plate to the wall in your selected location, preferably over a stud for extra stability, using the provided screws. The other half gets screwed to the back of the body of the unit with the shorter screws and the provided Allen wrench. Then all you need to do is press the two parts of the mounting brackets together, and they will lock into place. After that, you slide the security bar through the mounting bracket and secure it in place with its pin.
The Grizzl-E Ultimate 80A can have its power limited by adjusting its interior dip switches, in case you can't spare the full 100-amp circuit needed to get the full 80 amps. In that case, your lower-power options would be 16, 24, 32, 40, 48, 56, or 64 amps. And unlike some other chargers, there is no location in the back of the casing to draw the wiring through—your only choice is to go through the bottom of the unit.
Key Specs of the Grizzl-E Ultimate 80A
- Charger: AC Level 2
- AC Connector: SAE J1772, NACS
- Power Input: Hardwired
- Rated Current: 80 Amps
- Adjustable Current: 16 – 80 Amps
- Maximum Power: 19 kW
- Dimensions (without cable): 10.25" x 6.25" x 3.75"
- Cable length: 25 ft
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi
- Safety Certified: Yes
The Grizzl-E Ultimate 80A is an 80-amp home EV charging station with a maximum power rating of 19 kW. Consumers can order this EVSE with either a J1772 or NACS connector, making it compatible with nearly any EV on the North American market.
Thanks to its robust aluminum enclosure and NEMA-4 rating, the Ultimate 80A can take quite a pounding. I've dunked their other products in buckets of water and shot them with a garden hose without issue, while the company itself has run them over with ATVs and trucks. Because they're so confident in what they sell, United Chargers sends out the Grizzl-E Ultimate 80A with a 3-year warranty, though you can bump it up to a 5-year warranty for an extra $250. On top of that, the Ultimate 80A is UL certified and Energy Star rated. It's also made in Canada.
As this is a Wi-Fi-enabled smart charger, users also have access to the Grizzly-E Connect app—but they're not limited to it alone. The Ultimate 80A is currently the only charger on the market that offers true OCPP compliance, allowing users to direct the charger to third-party software instead. That said, I like Grizzly-E Connect, since it offers step-by-step instructional videos on YouTube to teach users how to use smart features like scheduling, power monitoring, and energy use tracking. Additionally, users can set up multiple Grizzl-E charging units on the same app.
Testing
There’s no doubt that EV charging equipment endures significant wear and tear over time. That’s why it’s essential for consumers to know how well these units will stand up to everyday use—so you can avoid unexpected repair or replacement costs. So, how did the Grizzl-E Ultimate 80-amp perform when I put it to the test?
The Cable Deep Freeze Test
One of my first and favorite tests is the Cable Deep Freeze Test, which determines how a charger will perform when temperatures drop to extremely low levels. I wrapped the Grizzl-E Ultimate 80A's cables up in tight loops before putting the unit in my commercial ice cream freezer for about 30 hours, and the temperature measured at -12.5° F (-24.7° C) when I finally pulled it back out. The cable proved to be quite stiff when I first unraveled it. It's a thicker cable than what I originally reviewed on the Grizzl-E Ultimate 48A, and it stayed coiled up in a way that made it difficult to maneuver. This tells you that the cable's outer jacket is more plasticky than rubberized, which is good for durability, but bad if you live in a place with really cold weather. The Grizzl-E Ultimate 80A's cable is not very easy to work with, and its score on the ChargerRater will reflect that. If you are looking for an EV charger with a great cold-weather rating, I’d have to recommend the ChargePoint Home Flex over this one.
The Frozen Connector Drop Test
While the connector is still frozen, I checked the connector's durability via my Frozen Connector Drop Test, which is important since connectors can be really expensive to replace. I dropped the connector five times onto the concrete floor of my garage to test its durability under rough handling. The Grizzl-E Ultimate 80A handled the abuse without suffering any damage, which is a clear pass.
The Extreme Heat Test
My Extreme Heat Test is designed to replicate the harsh conditions found in areas with intense summer temperatures, because that sort of environment can result in a unit overheating, shutting down, or failing to deliver full power. I placed the Grizzl-E Ultimate 80A under a heat lamp for two hours until it reached 119°F (48.3°C) before plugging it into my Ford Lightning to charge for another two hours. The Grizzl-E Ultimate 80A handled the heat without issue, never failing to deliver power even though its internal temperature climbed to 142.5°F (61.4°C). That's another successful pass for the Ultimate 80A.
The Automatic Restart Test
Imagine that you have a short power outage during the night while your car is charging. I've discovered that some electric vehicle chargers become stuck in a fault state once power is restored and never resume charging. This could leave you stranded come morning if your car didn't have the chance to finish charging. That's what this test looks at. After plugging the Grizzl-E Ultimate 80A into my Ford Lightning, I turned off the circuit breaker to simulate a power outage. The Ultimate 80A went right back to work once the power returned, and it passed this test without issue.
After using the Grizzl-E Ultimate 80A for almost three weeks, I can say with confidence that it worked perfectly, and I had no issues with it whatsoever. Grizzl-E has one of the most robust, durable enclosures on the market for its EV charging stations, and you really can't beat the price for getting your hands on a high-powered EV charger.
The Grizzl-E Ultimate 80A is currently priced at $899.99 on Grizzl-e's website (as of the posting of this article). You can view my full review in the video above for more details, and please let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
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