Wallbox EV Charger Reviews

About Wallbox

Wallbox EV Chargers

Wallbox is a Spanish company founded in 2015 with headquarters in Barcelona. They make a range of level 2 EV chargers for homes and businesses.

Most households that buy an EV have a level 2 charger installed. They’re much faster than using a normal power point, but not as fast as the big commercial DC chargers you have to drive to.

As of December 2023, Wallbox offers two EV chargers designed for home use in Australia:

• The Wallbox Pulsar Plus
• The Wallbox Pulsar Max (Smart charging capable)

These come in both single-phase and 3-phase versions.

Wallbox also makes level 2 chargers designed for shared use at businesses and blocks of flats. I won’t go into their details, as they’re a bit dull, but I will briefly describe their two home EV chargers.

Wallbox Pulsar Plus

The single-phase version can charge an EV with a maximum of 7.4kW. The 3-phase version can supply up to 22kW and costs around $100 more.

I’d normally recommend a 3-phase household get a 3-phase charger, but note the maximum charge rate will be limited by what an EV can accept. Very few EVs can draw more than around 11kW from a home charger.

The Wallbox website says smart charging can be an option for the Pulsar Plus but doesn’t explain how it can be set up. For this reason, I don’t recommend one if you’re interested in smart charging. You’d be better off with...

The Wallbox Pulsar Max

The Pulsar Max comes in single-phase and 3-phase versions and, like the Pulsar Plus, they can supply 7.4kW and 22kW respectively.

The Pulsar Max is capable of smart charging an EV with surplus solar energy that otherwise would be sent into the grid for a feed-in tariff. But it can only do this if it’s installed with a Wallbox power meter. As of December 2023, the Wallbox website lists a single-phase meter at $209 and a 3-phase meter at $369. While smart charging ability adds to the cost, it has the potential to pay for itself within a couple of years depending on driving habits and how regularly it’s done.

Cable Length

Both the Pulsar Plus and Pulsar Max come with a 5m cable, but a 7m cable is available as an optional extra. Even the shortest cars are usually around 4m long, so if a car is parked in front of your charger and you want to plug the cable into an EV parked behind it, 5m normally won’t be enough. Even 7m frequently won’t be sufficient.

Pulsar Plus Can’t Take The Heat

The Wallbox Pulsar Plus has an operating temperature range of -25° to 40° Celsius. Some EV chargers will “derate” and operate at a lower maximum power output if their operating temperature range is exceeded. But the Wallbox Pulsar Plus installation guide simply says:

“Do not operate your Wallbox charger in temperatures outside its operating range.”

I would have expected a Spanish-made EV charger to handle heat better. But the hottest Madrid has ever gotten is 40.7° and Barcelona has never gone above 37.5°, so I don’t think they’re prepared for how hot it can get here. This limitation makes it very important to install the Pulsar Plus out of direct sunlight. If the best location for it is sunny, it will need a shade cover.

It comes in six colors, but if it’s going to be in sunshine don’t get a dark one.

Pulsar Max Can Take 50°

The Wallbox Pulsar Max operating temperature is from -25° to 50° Celsius. This is considerably better than the Pulsar Plus and much more suitable for Australia. But it’s still a good idea to install it out of direct sunlight.

Location Counts

If you’re thinking of getting a Wallbox EV charger for your home, unless you’re in a cool climate (Hi Tasmania!) I don’t recommend the Pulsar Plus for Australian conditions as everywhere here is now at risk of going over 40° in a heatwave. The Pulsar Max is more suitable because no Australian capital has had temperatures over 50° in the shade – yet.

3 Year Warranty

Despite not being cheap, Wallbox chargers only come with three-year warranties. While this isn’t long, it is fairly typical. Some EV chargers only have two-year warranties, so at least Wallbox is doing better than them.

Quasar 2 Bidirectional Charger

Another Wallbox product is the Quasar 2 bidirectional charger. This can either charge your EV or send power from your EV to your home. But neither the Quasar 2 nor the original Quasar 1 appears available in Australia at this time. Currently, it’s also very difficult to get permission to connect one to the grid. You can read about the installation of a Quasar 1 in South Australia here.