New EV Chargers From Enphase/Sungrow For Australia

It shouldn’t be long before the new Sungrow EV charger will reach our shores and the “V2X-capable” Enphase IQ 2 won’t be far behind it.  Here’s a taste of what’s to come and (approximately) when.

Enphase IQ EV Charger 2:  Sort Of V2X Ready

Australia missed out on the original IQ EV Charger, but we should be seeing the IQ EV Charger 2 towards the end of June according to Enphase Energy.

This device supports charging up to 22 kW on a three-phase connection and 7.4 kW on single-phase, and it has automatic phase shifting. It helps maximise solar charging by having a low threshold (1.4kW) and tracking surplus solar power every 30 seconds; regulating charging current in 1 A increments. Enphase notes these features are “available for select site configurations” and the data sheet states:

“When integrated with Enphase PV or any other PV system (through IQ Gateway)”.

The datasheet also notes OCPP 2.0.1 support, dynamic load balancing and user-configurable custom or off-peak charging schedules.

The IQ EV Charger 2 is IP55-rated, meaning it can be installed in outdoor or indoor environments, and has an ambient operating temperature range of -40°C to 55°C. This is a tethered device that comes with a 7.5 metre cable and a nice touch is the cable and connector holster.

Its dimensions are 370 mm × 250 mm × 118 mm and the device weighs 11kg, but that’s including the cable.

Monitoring and control of charging is carried out with the Enphase App.

A stand-out feature is the warranty, which is 5 years. Most manufacturers only offer 2 – 4 years.

V2X Capable … But Locked

V2X stands for Vehicle To Everything. V2X encompasses a wide range of capabilities involving bi-directional communication and energy transfer, including Vehicle To Grid (V2G), Vehicle To Home (V2H) and Vehicle To Load (V2L). You can learn more about V2G, V2H and V2L here.

Enphase says the IQ EV Charger is V2X-ready but software-locked for now.

As for the cost of this charger – brace yourself. On the Australian Enphase site it’s priced at $2,048, which will make it the most expensive device we list on the SolarQuotes home EV charger comparison table (and we’ll be adding it soon). It’s not clear if the V2X unlocking, when available, will involve an extra cost.

You can learn more about the IQ EV Charger 2 here.

Sungrow AC22E-01: Half-Baked?

Sungrow’s first EV charging devices for home use were the AC007E-01 (single-phase 7kW) and the AC011E-01 (three-phase 11kW), initially released in 2022.  While a couple of Australian vendors list the AC011E-01 (but none I could find listing the AC007E-01), all show it being out of stock. I’m unsure if it has ever been available here.

What we’re told will be here late this month or early June is the Sungrow AC22E-01. This device offers 22 kW or 11 kW charging on a three-phase connection and up to 7.4kW on single phase.

It has solar smart charging features along with other charging modes and load management and balancing capabilities. But at this point, these advanced features are reportedly only supported when paired with Sungrow hybrid inverters via iSolarCloud, the company’s monitoring system. The AC22E-01 has OCPP 1.6 support.

This is also a tethered device, with a 5-metre cable standard or an optional 7 metres and it looks to come with a holster as well. The AC22E-01 is IP65-rated, has an operating ambient temperature range of -30°C to 50°C, dimensions of 214 mm x 346 mm x 125 mm and a weight of 6.65 kilograms (without the cable).

I’ve read the AC22E-01 has a warranty of 3 years, but I’m yet to see an Australian warranty document. No word on estimated retail pricing yet. We’ll have this charger listed on the comparison chart in the not-too-distant future as well, and more on the Sungrow AC22E-01 can be found here.

Australian EV owners have a wide range of charging device choices these days and it can be confusing figuring out which may be the most suitable solution. This is where SolarQuotes founder Finn’s home EV charging guide can help. The guide will tell you everything you need to know about choosing a device, side-by-side comparisons on specs and estimated pricing of a bunch of models, and the brands SolarQuotes currently recommends.