It’s not often in life that you come across something that delivers exactly what you want on all fronts. Nothing is ever perfect – compromises have to be made. It’s hard in this review to find fault with the waEV-charge EV1i home charger. Yes, the design is a bit squidgy, tariff integration might be a little better, but this unit pretty much meets every standard that What Wallcharger? sets. It’s affordable, it’s got an in-house installation service, solar integration, multi-car charging capability, great app and a Trust Pilot rating that’s almost perfect. This then should be the bit where, if you are in the market for a home charger that does the business, you click to the ‘buy’ button on this review. If you do, and you don’t read on beyond this, you won’t have made a bad decision.
It’s reasonably pleasant to look at, and the materials and build quality are decent, but there are better looking chargers out there, but you’ll pay through the nose for those (Andersen A3, for example). If we are looking for negatives, it really is nit-picky stuff – the cover looks a little plasticky and the LED status light is a bit Flash Gordon, but in this price category, the EV1i has more than enough in the aesthetics department to justify purchase: in short it’ll look decent on the side of your house. Although the cable is not completely hidden you can wrap it around the unit tidily and there’s no need for a separate holster because you can just plug it into a socket holder on front of the charger. It’s a nice, simple solution that works well. In terms of reliability, the signs look good – the fault rate is low, and the after-service is excellent, as revealed by the Trust Pilot rating which is the highest we have seen for domestic home chargers.
The waEV-charge EV1i uses ev.energy software and it’s probably one of the most intuitive apps we have ever used. Simple menu pages that allow you schedule your charging when electricity is at its cheapest, track your energy usage and cost, as well as an ability win rewards point to a very slick and user-friendly system. You can lock the charger via the app and there’s multi-car functionality, which is not available with many chargers. The app also enables you to prioritise the use of renewable energy when possible. With real-time monitoring and detailed insights into energy usage, the ev.energy app ensures that the EV1i not only powers your vehicle efficiently but also aligns with sustainable practices. Within the app there is Solar Only Mode where you can match the charge rate of your vehicle to the amount of solar power being exported to the grid. This allows you to entirely self-consume the solar power you generate. Then there’s Solar Smart Mode that combines your solar energy with your energy tariff to ensure your car is always charged for when you need it using the cheapest and greenest energy possible. Another neat little bit of functionality with the solar is that the EV1i features direct inverter integration – which sounds fancy – and it is, but what that means is that waEV chargers are designed to work with a range of compatible solar inverters, enabling you to optimise solar energy for charging your vehicle. This offers a sustainable and cost-effective charging solution and also enables you to get the most accurate readings on your solar usage which is not something that other chargers offer.
Absolutely it is. Prices do vary when you go a-Googling – you’ll see EV1is going for between £450 and £700, but that doesn’t include installation. If you go via wa-EV-charge’s website you’ll get one (at the time of writing in April 2025) for £577 all-in, complete with installation. One suspects that fitting costs will vary if your home has an arcane electrical layout or you want your charger placed in an unusual location, but in any event, this base price represents fantastic value for money. So, does it represent a money saving option in the long run? Well, yes it does. Solar integration, that allows you charge from power generated from your solar panels and the ability to sell excess power back to the grid, as well as decent tariff integration functionality that allows you to charge cheaply during off-peak hours, makes this a very attractive option.
This is the 7.4kW tethered version with a fixed cable but you can opt for an untethered version if you like, and a 22kW version for more commercial applications. It comes with a 5-metre cable and it has all the stuff you should expect from a modern smart charger: it’s OZEV approved, there’s a three-year warranty, it has in-built PEN protection, there’s an integrated RFID reader, WiFi connectivity and it’s also got a load of certifications as long as your arm to ensure that it won’t mash up your electricity supply and that it’ll not break within a couple of months.
The service level looks strong: waEV-charge is as pains to point out that every type of communication channel including a 24/7 monitored WhatsApp to ensure customers can always get directly through to a member of staff is available as well communication as for those with any hearing impairments. Installation, like most chargers nowadays should be quick and easy and waEV-charge doesn’t outsource the installation service if you buy through its website, which is always reassuring.
Power Options – Single phase 7.4kW AC and Three phase 22kW AC
Charging Connector – Tethered Type 2,or Type 1
Tethered Cable Length – 5 metres
Charging Protocol – Mode 3 (EN/IEC 61851)
Protection
PEN fault protection – Built-in open PEN protection (detection and isolation)
RCD protection – Integrated 6mA DC RDC-DD, Type A RCD/MCB or RCBO required at source
Electrical Specifications
AC Charging Output – 7.4kW, 32A@230V AC / 22kW 32A@230V-400V AC
Input Voltage – 230-400+/- 10% V AC
Input Frequency 50/60 Hz
Input Current (max) 32A
Energy Monitoring – Power and energy monitoring via ev.energy smart app
Overcurrent Protection – Internal overcurrent protection
Physical Specifications
Dimensions (HxWxD) – 361mm x 250mm x 100mm
Mounting Type – wall-mounted: bracket and mounting bolts
Colour – Black
Weight – 4.4kg
Material – ABS composite
Operating temperature – -30 to 50 degrees Celsius
Operating humidity – Up to 95% RH, non-condensing
Environmental protection – IP65
Standards and Compliance
Certifications – TUV CE & UKCA
Safety compliance – UVP, OVP, RDC-DD (DC 6mA), SPD, Ground Fault Protection OCP, OPT, Control Pilot Fault Protection
EV Charging Compliance – EN 61851-1.2019, EN 61851-21.2002, EN 61851-22.2002
Onboard dynamic load balancing – via CT Clamp
Communication
Status indication – Blue, Green, Red LED faceplate indicator
Comms standard – WiFi 802.11b/g/n@2.4GHz, Bluetooth
Communication Protocol – OCPP 1.6/2.0
Network security – WLAN with 256-Bit Encryption
There’s so much to like about this charger – the app is easy to use, the solar integration functionality is probably among the best, the fact that you can get rewards, great reliability and that there is a multi-car function, sets it apart from other chargers. waEV-charge has moved the dial in terms of domestic home chargers, so it means that many others will have to up their game to be this competitive in terms of price, the service offering and the range of functionality the charger offers.
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