Bosch launches residential EV charger for under $450

A unit of German supplier Robert Bosch GmbH said it will begin selling an electric-vehicle residential charging station for a retail price below $450.

The Bosch Power Max, a 16-amp configuration with a 12-foot cable, will offer 2,400-volt charging in half the time, and at half the price, as a Level 2 residential charging station, said Tanvir Arfi, president of Bosch Automotive Service Solutions.

Bosch Automotive Service Solutions is the former SPX Service Solutions business, which Bosch acquired last year in an acquisition valued at $1.15 billion. SPX has sold about 16,000 previous recharging stations and performed about 6,000 installations, Bosch said in a statement on Wednesday.

The unit is designed to work with all electric vehicles. It’s also available in a faster 30-amp configuration, with cord length up to 25 feet.

Some residential charging stations can cost over $1000 or more, according to Web sites selling the product.

Arfi said the company saved costs by cutting the length of the cable used by the station.

“We largely realized most of the chargers out there, including ours, have cable lengths that are much longer than needed,” he said.

Installation, permits and inspection are included in the price, Bosch said. The product has a three-year warranty.

Bosch is now taking orders, and shipments begin in June.