Evnex Unveils “Grid Now, Solar Later” EV Charger

Kiwi company Evnex has taken the wraps off a hard-wired home EV charger for budget-conscious buyers  — the E2 Flex. Find out what it includes (and doesn’t) and how much it costs.

What Are The E2 Flex’s Specifications And Cost?

• 7.4kW output, single-phase.
• 5m tethered charging cable.
• Home overload protection.
• Includes power sensor (CT).
• Operating temperature range: -25°C to 55°C.
• Ingress Protection (IP) rating: IP55.
• Dimensions: 288mm x 185mm x 66mm.
• Weight: 4.2kg.
• Colour: Volcanic (dark grey).
• Mobile app for monitoring and scheduling.
• Warranty: 4 years.
• Cost: $649.00 before installation (introductory pricing).
• Starts shipping from December 1, 2025.

You’ll need an electrician to install a hard-wired charger such as the E2 Flex. That can cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand depending on installation scenario complexity, but most will pay $1,000 – $1,500 for installation.

Evnex says it can arrange installation, which works out to around $900 for a standard install. As to what is considered ‘standard’, the company says:

“… as a rough guide, this usually means you’re installing the charger within 1 metre of your switchboard, and it’s on the ground floor of your home.”

Note that if you install the E2 Flex within 1 metre of your switchboard, the 5-metre tethered charging cable may not be long enough to reach your EV and there’s no other option available.

What Is The E2 Flex Missing?

One particularly important feature missing if you have solar panels is support for smart solar charging. The E2 Flex will pull power from the grid, plus solar if you have a system installed — but it doesn’t have the smarts required to control solar charging.

Without that feature, the E2 Flex may be considered by some not particularly smart. But support for this can be added later through a software update (no return visit required from an electrician) that costs $399.

“Flexibility is in the name,” said Evnex CEO Ed Harvey. “Users can start simple, and if they install solar later, the upgrade is seamless.”

Also missing from the E2 Flex is Tesla integration. If you want solar smart charging from the get-go or Tesla integration (or both), there’s the E2 Plus (hardware: $1,173.00). The E2 Core ($988.00) also supports solar-only charging, but doesn’t provide Tesla integration.

The E2 Flex also doesn’t come with a cable hook or Amber integration.

A shortcoming of all Evnex chargers is in relation to Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP), which facilitates communication with other OCPP devices and integration with third-party services. While Evnex chargers use OCCP, they don’t allow OCPP connections to be pointed to a different software platform. Given the growing number of third-party services using OCCP, compatibility might also be considered a must-have feature for some EV owners.

Harnessing Solar Sharer

A few weeks ago, Australian Federal Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen announced that electricity retailers in several states initially will be required to provide a standing offer time-of-use (ToU) electricity plan that provides free electricity to households for at least three hours in the middle of the day.

The Solar Sharer initiative *should* be implemented in in New South Wales, South-East Queensland, and South Australia from July next year; with view to expanding it across Australia in 2027.

“With its higher power output, the E2 Flex helps EV drivers take full advantage of this – fitting more charging into those free hours than standard chargers,” states Evnex. “Combined with smart scheduling, the E2 Flex smart charger ensures charging aligns with the Solar Sharer free hours of electricity, even without rooftop solar.”

The maximum 7.4 kW output of the Evnex E2 Flex provides up to 4 times the charging speed of some standard plug-in devices, which are also referred to as trickle, granny or brick chargers.

It’s worth noting some electricity retailers already offer “free hours” plans. An example is AGL’s “Three For Free” electricity plan we looked at a while back, which has higher usage and daily charges than its ‘Smart Saver’ plan. Another thing to bear in mind are the details and conditions of Solar Sharer are some way off from being finalised.

Evnex was established in 2014, and its factory is located in Christchurch, New Zealand. You can learn more about the company’s products and what Australian customers think of them on our Evnex EV charger reviews page.

So, what device from which company might be best in your circumstances for keeping an EV topped up at home? Learn everything you should look for and recommendations in SolarQuotes’ home EV charger guide. And if you’re searching for good-quality EV charger installation services, we can help there too.