My new Juicebox 40 issue

[rogerssa]

So yesterday I finally was able to get electricians to house and get my 240 plug installed in my garage. So when I got off work last night I was able to power up my new Juicebox 40 and set it up. First App isn't very good and underwhelming. That said I got it plugged into my new M3P and car showed 40amps connected and it started charging away. About a 1.5 hours later I get a notification from Tesla app that the charging was interrupted. I go out to garage and look and see that the breaker (50amp non GFI) was tripped. I unplugged the car and flipped the breaker back on and it instantly tripped again. I felt the Juicebox and it was extremely hot. Almost to hot to touch. The cable and plug didn't feel hot at all. So I waited a hour or so and it cooled. I flipped the breaker back on and the Juicebox powered up and started a constant beep. Which according to their site its a internal GFI error. I called Juicebox (will say I was impressed I got to talk to someone right away) They had me turn it on and off a few times to try and reset the internal GFI. Didn't seem to work. So they asked me to leave it plugged in but flip breaker off for another hour. I did that and then the beep went from 1 to 5 which appears to be a internal circuit error. Now they say I need to get a replacement and they are sending one my way.

I just hope that I didn't cause the issue. I don't think I set up the app wrong and I can't see how anything would have caused the problem. Any ideas?

Electrician is coming back to double check wiring, but I trust these guys they have done a TON of work for me and the company I work for.

 

[jjrandorin]

Any particular reason you are using a juicebox and not the mobile plug that comes with the car (which would have just required buying the appropriate adapter), or the tesla wall connector (which can charge faster than 40amps)?

Did you try using the tesla mobile connector in your outlet, vs the juicebox? Sounds like a bad juicebox, but unless you already had that product (which feels unlikely because you had to have an electrician come install the outlet), Not sure why you have that product over the included tesla mobile connector, or the tesla wall connector.

 

[rogerssa]

Good question. I bought the Juicebox as we expect to buy another EV car in near future or so and it won't be a Tesla. So I went that route so I have a charger for it too then.

I didn't try the mobile connector as I don't have the 14-50 adapter for it to plug into the new outlet.

 

[jjrandorin]

Good question. I bought the Juicebox as we expect to buy another EV car in near future or so and it won't be a Tesla. So I went that route so I have a charger for it too then.

I didn't try the mobile connector as I don't have the 14-50 adapter for it to plug into the new outlet.

Ok.. but even if you are buying another EV, you had an outlet installed, not a hard wired connector, so you bought the juicebox at whatever that costs, vs the the 14-50 for the mobile connector which is like $45.

I get why you installed the outlet (instead of getting the tesla wall connector) but I do not get why you bought the juicebox instead of getting the 14-50 adapter for the included mobile connector. I am virtually certain the juicebox is more than the $45 adapter.

/shrug

Anyway, Hope the replacement juicebox works for you, but if it were me, I would return it and buy the 14-50 for the mobile connector.

 

[rogerssa]

I bought Juicebox cause in maybe couple months I'll have another EV and it will charge it then.

 

[Rocky_H]

I do get that if you plan to charge both a Tesla and a non-Tesla, that just getting a J1772 charging station is the most convenient, so I don't disagree there. It's just unfortunate that I haven't heard very good stories about the reliability of Juicebox products. I would recommend Clipper Creek highly.

 

[cali8484]

I just hope that I didn't cause the issue. I don't think I set up the app wrong and I can't see how anything would have caused the problem. Any ideas?

I doubt you did anything to cause the issue. EVSE overheating usually indicates wiring wasn't tightened properly inside the unit. It happens with other EVSE's including Tesla ones as well. You should not try to use it again.

 

[Soul Surfer]

I have a Clipper 40A L2 wall charger which I have used on both my Volts (Gen 1 &2). It has been extremely reliable yet “dumb”. I expect to be able to control my M3LR charging, through the car & app itself, based on what I have gleaned so far here. By the way, great source of information here - thank you.

 

[Transformer]

JuiceBox is good. It sounds like you just got a bad unit.

I'm happy with our JuiceBox Pro 40. It can delay charging until the grid is on lower cost and greener energy. Also it can charge the car to your desired SoC, which recent Leaf models can't do by themselves.

The JuiceBox app UI is not obvious, so see the how-to videos on their website.

About using the cars' mobile chargers, would their 240VAC plugs really hold up to daily plugging and unplugging?

 

[GPinzone]

Is the Juicebox hardwired or is it connected with a NEMA 14-50 or 6-50 plug? If it's connected by a plug, is the outlet GFCI? If so, maybe the internal GFCI in the Juicebox is having an issue being in series with the GFCI in the outlet.

Car chargers have GFCI built-in, so the one in the outlet is redundant. Yes, I know the electrical code requires it for electric cars, but it's still dumb. I'd tell the electrician that your outdoor NEMA 14-50 is MOST CERTAINLY NOT for an electric car. It's for an RV or a welder. Yeah, that's the ticket. *nudge* *nudge* *wink* *wink*

 

[Webeevdrivers]

We went thru that with our Juice Box when it ran at 40 amps on our model 3. No idea why. The problem never showed up on the leaf as it only drew 27 amps. We just ran it at 32 amps until we sold it and installed a second (lower current) EVSE for the leaf and then just got a second Tesla mobile charger that we installed permanently in the garage. 32 amps is fast enough for us. We only have a 100 amp service so our second (outside EVSE is a 12 amp 240 volt clipper creek outside. Works well, albeit slower. Fast enough for a commuter car though. Couple pics. The mobile connector can look good if installed nice. If its in our garage, it has to look good. And yes for those of us with townhouses and 100 amp service this is about as good as it gets if you want two stations that you can use at the same time. Otherwise one has to look at load sharing devices like NEOcharge or dryer buddy.

Cheers

 

[SteelClouds]

I love my juice box with two EVs. Pacifica Hybrid and M3. I got the 32A and use the Wi-Fi all the time to track who is doing what and how much. The TOC scheduler is far easier than setting up the two cars. I did get the plug version vs hardwired.

 

[FluffTravels]

Ok.. but even if you are buying another EV, you had an outlet installed, not a hard wired connector, so you bought the juicebox at whatever that costs, vs the the 14-50 for the mobile connector which is like $45.

I get why you installed the outlet (instead of getting the tesla wall connector) but I do not get why you bought the juicebox instead of getting the 14-50 adapter for the included mobile connector. I am virtually certain the juicebox is more than the $45 adapter.

/shrug

Anyway, Hope the replacement juicebox works for you, but if it were me, I would return it and buy the 14-50 for the mobile connector.

reasons to install a 3rd party charger instead of using the included mobile connector:

• you want to keep the mobile connector in the car at all times
• you want more power than what the mobile connector puts out (often 32a vs 40a or 48a)
• you have more than one EV and don't want to run 2 independent 50 amp circuits
• you have more than one EV and don't want to keep plugging in and unplugging mobile connectors into a single outlet
• you want to use TWO 3rd-party chargers (like the juicebox) which can intelligently load share one 50 amp circuit (or lower) by talking to each other
• you might not like the aesthetics of a "plugged in" solution and prefer to hardwire
• you have two EVs and want to standardized the look of the equipment in your garage

i'm sure i can think of more reasons if really wanted to...

/shrug

 

[jjrandorin]

reasons to install a 3rd party charger instead of using the included mobile connector:

• you want to keep the mobile connector in the car at all times
• you want more power than what the mobile connector puts out (often 32a vs 40a or 48a)
• you have more than one EV and don't want to run 2 independent 50 amp circuits
• you have more than one EV and don't want to keep plugging in and unplugging mobile connectors into a single outlet
• you want to use TWO 3rd-party chargers (like the juicebox) which can intelligently load share one 50 amp circuit (or lower) by talking to each other
• you might not like the aesthetics of a "plugged in" solution and prefer to hardwire
• you have two EVs and want to standardized the look of the equipment in your garage

i'm sure i can think of more reasons if really wanted to...

/shrug

Since you quoted me, did you see that I asked why not use the mobile connector OR the tesla wall connector (which does everything that you listed there, for less money than the juicebox)?

 

[FluffTravels]

Since you quoted me, did you see that I asked why not use the mobile connector OR the tesla wall connector (which does everything that you listed there, for less money than the juicebox)?

OP stated he was buying another non-Tesla EV in the near future. the adapter for TWC > J1772 is $159 (linked below) is quite large, and maxes out at 40a. as opposed to the J1172 > Tesla adapter that is tiny and included free w every Tesla (JuiceBox solution).

https://www.amazon.com/Lectron-Adapter-Compatible-Connector-Destination/dp/B07YFY768S/ref=asc_df_B07YFY768S

 

[SteelClouds]

OP stated he was buying another non-Tesla EV in the near future. the adapter for TWC > J1772 is $159 (linked below) is quite large, and maxes out at 40a. as opposed to the J1172 > Tesla adapter that is tiny and included free w every Tesla (JuiceBox solution

Yeah.. I have the original version of this adapter. For the same reason. My in-laws have a Tesla destination wall charger( V1) for their S and this allows me to use it on my Pacifica Hybrid when we visit. I used to use the Tesla adapter almost daily on the Juicebox to charge my car. We got the van first so we got the juicebox primarily for that car. The Tesla came later or it might have been a different charger The van doesn't have the wealth of data about charging and the menus to set up scheduled charging looks to be designed by toddlers with crayons. So the JB is dead simple to set up and use plus track. The 250 dollar rebate from SCE didnt hurt either I see now that JB is going to be offering a dual plug charger.

I do keep the Tesla mobile in my car all the time. I also keep a generic one in the van for the same reasons. Both have 14-50 and 110 adapters with them. I did buy a 2nd Tesla mobile unit which is on the same backer board I put for the juicebox and I use a Neo smart switch on the single 240 outlet to charge both EVs at the same time. The JB gives me all the same data to a large degree that Tesla gives me from the onboard MCU for charging and state of charge. So in my case, everyone charges together.. I can have my data and everyone is happy

 

[driver7]

Had a similar experience to OP's.

My JuiceBox Pro 40 performed without issues for the past 2.5 years (unit from 2019). It was plugged into a 14-50 outlet. Charging was set to 32A @ 239V. After completing the charge yesterday, all of a sudden I got the "3 lights flashing with a beep every second" fault which seems to be related to the GFI AutoTest feature (error codes link). Positive support experience: reached tech support on the phone in 2 minutes who had me try restarting the unit and cycling the breaker with no luck.

Glad the unit came with a 3-year warranty. Enel is sending a replacement unit later today with a return label for me to ship them the faulty one.

I tried plugging the Tesla charger that came with the car into the same outlet, charging started right away with no issues.

 

[FalconFour]

Hmm. Thought I should chime in here on this matter. I'm ... well, kind of a big JuiceBox nerd. More with the older versions (JuiceBox v1.x - everything from Kickstarter-era boxes through the 3-LED black boxes), than the newer ones (v2.x, anything with a plastic enclosure).

Generally, if JuiceBox gives you a beep error on startup (when plugged into AC supply), it's no bueno. That, itself, is as complete a reset as you can get. It does all its self-tests on startup (into supply, not the car), and if there's a fault, maybe that fault is a one-time thing, so I recommend just unplugging it and plugging it back in so it'll re-test everything. If it fails again, well... hmm. May be time to contact support.

JuiceBox, as with other EVSEs, definitely should not be getting hot to the touch at any load. In general, there's absolutely nothing you can do or set (with standards-compliant vehicles and proper installation/ratings) to cause the EVSE, your car, or the outlet, to burn out. If everything is set up properly - with proper breaker (a 40-amp EVSE should have a 50-amp outlet and a 50-amp breaker) - then everything should just work, forever. But, uh... well... sometimes, a screw wasn't tightened inside the box (⊙_⊙~) And that's why there's a warranty!

I offer repairs for out-of-warranty boxes dating back to the original Kickstarter boxes (including those black cylinder ones with the LCD), and I've got replacement parts for them as well. I've also never had a repair bill over $200 (shipping included). Slide casually into my DMs, and I can help get your box fixed - either DIY or mail-in.

 

[davewill]

I also use J1772 EVSEs (an old Blink 30a EVSE and an OpenEVSE @ 30a) because Tesla is not my only EV. One suggestion for @rogerssa is to go ahead and get the 14-50 adapter for your mobile connector. Then it can at least serve as a backup in situations like this. It also gives you another testing option when troubleshooting.

I also recommend buying a second J1772 adapter so you can keep one in the car and one on your EVSE.

 

[driver7]

Had a similar experience to OP's.

My JuiceBox Pro 40 performed without issues for the past 2.5 years (unit from 2019). It was plugged into a 14-50 outlet. Charging was set to 32A @ 239V. After completing the charge yesterday, all of a sudden I got the "3 lights flashing with a beep every second" fault which seems to be related to the GFI AutoTest feature (error codes link). Positive support experience: reached tech support on the phone in 2 minutes who had me try restarting the unit and cycling the breaker with no luck.

Glad the unit came with a 3-year warranty. Enel is sending a replacement unit later today with a return label for me to ship them the faulty one.

I tried plugging the Tesla charger that came with the car into the same outlet, charging started right away with no issues.

Update: Received a replacement unit from Enel one week after reporting the problem. They sent a 2020 model (with one LED light) that had manufacture date only 6 weeks prior to me receiving it. The unit had a "refurbished" label but it looked new. Most importantly, the new unit charges the car without issues. As others have noted however, the 2020 JuiceBox model has a weaker WiFi radio and disconnects for a few minutes every few days while the old unit didn't disconnect from my WiFi even once. Overall, a very positive experience with the warranty claim.