Fronius EV Charger Reviews

About Fronius

The Wattpilot EV charger is produced by Fronius. An Austrian company well known in Australia for producing high quality solar inverters. The Wattpilot is their EV charger and comes in three versions. One of them – the Wattpilot Go – is portable and can potentially be used to charge an EV anywhere there's a suitable socket.

The Wattpilot is smart and able to charge EVs solely with surplus power from a rooftop solar system, provided the home has a compatible Fronius inverter and smart meter.

The Wattpilot is likely to suit anyone who wants a smart charger and has or intends to get a Fronius solar inverter. The Go version is also one of the few portable EV chargers on the Australian market. The Wattpilot's drawbacks are its not cheap and – despite coming from a manufacturer with a reputation for making reliable products – it only has a two year warranty.

The Wattpilot's features are briefly outlined below, but if you want more information you can check out these links:

• The Fronius Wattpilot webpage
• An overview of the Wattpilot
• An installer's take
• Information on the Wattpilot's 2 year warranty

Three versions

The Wattpilot comes in three different versions:

• Wattpilot Home 11 J
• Wattpilot Home 22 J
• Wattpilot Go 22 J AUS

The two Home versions are hardwired and so have to stay at home. Because the Wattpilot Go can be unplugged it can go with you anywhere you like.

All Wattpilots can be used with either single-phase or three-phase power, but the Wattpilot Home 11 J will be limited in how much power it can provide if installed on a property with single-phase power.

Wattpilot Home 11 J: The amount of charging power the Home 11 J can provide depends on whether it's connected to single or 3 phase power.

• Single phase: 3.7kW
• 3 phase: 11kW

Most EVs can only accept 11kW or less from a home charger, so the limit on 3-phase power won't usually be a problem. But the 3.7kW limit with single phase power is low, so my advice to most people with single-phase power is to not get the Wattpilot Home 11 J.

It has the advantage of being around $100+ cheaper than the other Wattpilots. It can also be connected to lighter duty electrical cable with only a 2.5mm cross-section, but for single-phase properties I recommend upgrading the wiring if necessary and getting a Wattpilot Home 22 J.

Wattpilot Home 22 J: This Wattpilot can provide considerably more power.

• Single phase: 7.4kW
• 3 phase: 22kW – provided the EV can accept it

While EVs that can accept over 11kW from a home charger are rare, you may still like having the option of being able to charge at a higher rate. 

Wattpilot Go 22 J AUS: This can provide the same power as the Home 22 J:

• Single phase: 7.4kW
• 3 phase: 22kW – provided the EV can accept it

The Wattpilot Go has a 3 phase 32 amp plug. A small number of households and a larger number of businesses have suitable sockets for it. Even if your home has 3 phase power you are likely to need to have a conveniently located socket installed. To use the Wattpilot Go with single-phase power you will need a 32 amp, 3 pin, socket outlet. You will also need to provide your own adaptor cable to use it.

Smart Charging

When used in combination with a compatible Fronius solar inverter and smart meter, the Wattpilot allows an EV to be charged with surplus solar power that would otherwise be sent into the grid for a feed-in tariff. As solar feed-in tariffs are often low this is normally the cheapest way to charge an EV. The minimum amount of surplus solar it can provide to an EV is 1.38kW. Provided your solar system isn't small it will usually produce more than this when the sun is shining.

The Wattpilot Go's portability may make it seem like a good deal for renters, but rental properties with a compatible Fronius inverter and smart meter are rare.

ID Chip

Wattpilots come with one plastic fob that contains an ID chip. If desired, this can allow only the person with the fob to use it. Extra fobs can be ordered and up to 10 used with one Wattpilot.

No Cable

Wattpilots don't come with a charging cable to plug into EVs so you'll have to supply your own – either single phase or three phase as appropriate.

Price

As I write this in December 2024, Fronius Wattpilots are selling for around $1,800.  You will also need a charging cable, which can cost a couple hundred dollars.  Installation will also add to the cost.  While a straight forward installation may only cost a few hundred dollars, it can cost $800 to $1,000 or even more.

If you get a Wattpilot Go, then installation will normally involve having an appropriate socket install where you park your car.  Despending on how much work is involved, this can also be rather expensive.

To maximize your consumer protection, I recommend buying a Wattpilot from the company that installs it.  This makes them responsible for both the installation and the operation of the device and they are obligated to provide support if there is a problem.  If you instead buy the Wattpilot and then pay someone to install it, if there is a problem, Fronius may blame the installer and the installer may say the problem is with the product.  Even though the Wattpilot Go is portable, making this is less of an issue, I still suggest buying it from whoever installs the socket it will use.

Short Warranty

Fronius has a reputation for making reliable electronics, so I would expect – or at least hope – that a Wattpilot would last for many years. Unfortunately, the Wattpilot only comes with a 2 year warranty. I consider this insufficient given how much it costs. Fortunately, you are protected by Australian Consumer Guarantees and I suggest using them if your Wattpilot fails within a few years of its warranty ending.