Schumacher Electric SEV1600HW - Level 2 EV Charger 50 Amp 240V - Hardwired Electric Vehicle Charger for 9X Faster Indoor/Outdoor Charging - Bluetooth/WiFi Connected Wall Charger

This seems to be Schumacher’s first EV charger with the exception of a single portable charger. Looking at some of the earliest reviews there seemed to be a lot of complaints about the app and one about it not working out of the box, which seems like either shipping damage or a software problem. These things can be fixed, so now that it’s been a few months I thought I’d give Schumacher a chance. It didn’t hurt that the charger was on sale. For that price, I was willing to take a chance. Between Amazon’s return policy and the three-year warranty, I figured I wouldn’t be out anything but time if I had to return it.Overall, I really liked this unit. I installed it myself in just a few hours and probably could have done it faster if I didn’t have to run to the hardware store halfway through. (Not Schumacher’s fault) They also seem to have improved the app, so most of the complaints I saw no longer apply.Pros- Good instructions and easy to install- Really fast charging- Configurable current. A dip switch lets you set the current during installation.- Long cable- Doesn’t stick out far into the garage.- Wifi/Bluetooth worked well- Can be installed outside- Looks cool with pulsing LEDsCons- The app does everything you want it to, but it looks basic- Only comes with J1772 connector. It’d be nice if they included a Tesla adapter.- Doesn’t work with Google Home, Apple Home, or Alexa. Schumacher should add this capability.

This is a good quality charger. I bought it for my car and it works great and charges fast. I had to have it professionally installed, but if you’ve done any home wiring before you could probably install it yourself.

I’m a marketing manager, so I do judge books by their cover! I was really impressed with how much information and content about the product Schumacher was able to get onto their Amazon page. Every question I had when I was thinking of buying this had an answer if I read through everything carefully. I appreciate that kind of attention to detail. I also loved the product design. In a field where all their competitors seem to be neon boxes, Schumacher’s charger feels more sophisticated. And when you open the box, it’s easy to see and feel the quality construction. After it was installed, it was extremely easy to operate, and it charged my car very quickly. Schumacher could do more to improve the user interface on the app, but it was functional, so I have no real complaints. I’d also like to be able to use this with my Apple Home system. Schumacher promises that’s on the way, so I’ll have to wait and see about that one.

UPDATE: BROKE AFTER 45 DAYS…Updating my original review. Do not buy this. Not only is there zero app functionality, but it will break after a depressingly short period of time and leave you unable to charge your car.Mine lasted 45 days before it died. Since the Amazon return window was closed, I contacted Schumacher and was told that I’d have to return it to them (at my expense, of course). Upon receiving it, they would test and verify a manufacturing defect. Assuming a defect was found, they would replace the unit with a ‘new or factory reconditioned’ one. Yeah. No thanks. Not only would I be without a car charger for like 3 weeks, I’d get the same crappy charger back…you know, the one that I already hate.Anyway. Thankfully, after asking to speak with a supervisor, Amazon took care of me and I was able to return it, but I would NEVER recommend this product. Ever.CAVEAT EMPTOR!!!(Also, huge thanks go out to Amazon for making this right - very, very impressed with their customer service…)ORIGINAL REVIEW: I was initially leery about buying an EV charger with zero reviews, but I figured that, hey, Schumacher has been making electrical gizmos for cars for basically forever, they've got to know what they're doing...right?Welp. Turns out I should trust my instincts, more...(tl/dr: The charger works fine...but the app is next to useless. There are NO settings on either the app or the charger for 'charge planning' to take advantage of Time of Use electrical pricing, and it does not integrate with Alexa or any other 'Smart Home' service. If Schumacher can't give me concrete plans for when this functionality will be added, I will be returning this thing...)Anyway. Moving on. Detailed pros and cons:Pros:- Easy to install. I was up and running in roughly 1/2 hour.(Caveat - If you don't feel comfortable messing with electricity, have a licensed electrician help you. Screw this up, and you could either ruin your EV, burn your house down, or die. All bad outcomes, so proceed with caution...)- Integrated cord storage...that doesn't HAVE to be integrated. In my case, it's more convenient to store the cord a little separate from the charge station. I'm able to do so with this unit without having to purchase a separate cord hanger. Small thing, but pretty convenient for my set-up.- 25 foot charging cord. I have an Audi E-Tron that has charging ports on both front quarter-panels. That coupled with the 25 foot cord on this thing means that I can charge my car regardless of how I park it. Back in, pull in forwards, in the garage, or in the driveway - doesn't matter. The cord is gonna be long enough.- Unit is weather-tight. I would have no compunction whatsoever installing this thing outside - though mine is in the garage.Cons:- The pigtail cord for the NEMA 14-50 plug is like 8" long - and hangs in a fashion that makes it awkward to run the charge cord. Not a huge deal, but the short pigtail combined with the giant 14-50 plug-to-plug interface makes for an awkward cable routing situation - especially if your 14-50 cord is coming from the unit's right side (as you're facing it). It would be better if the pigtail cord was at least 24" long...or didn't enter the unit at the same place as the charge cord.- The indicator lights on the charging gun are BRIGHT. I live in a very safe neighborhood, but I do have occasional moments of...concern...when I plug my car in at night - especially if I have to leave it in the driveway. The lights on the charging gun are like a beacon screaming, "HEY! LOOK! EXPENSIVE EV HERE!!!" Just to avoid tempting any local miscreants, I wish the lights on the gun were a little more unobtrusive...or the app had a setting where I could turn them off.- And finally, the big con...DESPITE ADVERTISING TO THE CONTRARY, the SchuPower app is next to useless. It does NOT allow you to schedule charging for times when electricity is cheap, and it does NOT allow integration with any 'smart home' features.See, I live in California, where our power companies LOOOOOOVE Time of Use electrical pricing. Essentially, this means that if you use power between the hours of 4 and 9 PM, it is UNGODLY expensive. However, I usually arrive home between those hours and I'd really like to plug in my car when I get home and not have to set a daily reminder for 9:00 PM to tell me to get off the couch, go out to the garage/driveway, and plug in my car. However, the SchuPower app does not have that functionality...though the product description claims it does.Also, the description claims that it will integrate with 'Smart Home' services. Uh...NOPE! It does not. "Alexa, charge my car!""Sorry...I don't know that.""*sigh*"Honestly, at this price-point, this charger combo should be able to do these things. I mean, hell, my PORCH LIGHTS can be put on a schedule...why can't my car charger? It almost seems as if this was rushed into production without spending the time to fully develop either the app OR the app/charger interface. I contacted Schumacher customer support to ask when/if these features would be added via an app/firmware update. We'll see what they say. If I don't get a satisfactory response, I'll be returning this charger and buying something else.Which is a shame, because if it did what it SHOULD do, I'd actually really like this charger...

My husband and I purchased the Schumacher ev charger for our garage. I liked that it was a little more stylish than some of the boxy units on the market. My husband was more interested in the specs, but they ticked his boxes too. Plus, we both wanted an EV charger with an app so we could schedule charging. A pleasant surprise once the charger arrived was that the QR code in the manual leads to a page where you can access some great videos and also set up installation. It was really convenient not to have to hunt down an electrician on our own. Now that it’s up and running, we’re both really happy with it. The charger is fast and works great. Plus, it’s easy to schedule charging in the app. I also like that the charging cable is 25 feet. It makes it easy to charge the car in either bay of the garage

Great little charger. I found an Amazon open box deal, which made it even better. I love that hardwired it can charge up to 50 amps. Our EVs can only take up to 48, but it is nice that it goes that high so we can get a faster charge. The rubber cover to the charger is a little wonky and not sure how long it will last, but overall the quality is good and it is rated for outdoor use. Cord is long enough to charge both of our EVs :)