Most EV charging happens at home, overnight, at modest power. The question is what does that charging: a wallbox fixed to the wall, or a portable charger that plugs into a socket and travels in the boot. Both can charge your car fully overnight in many situations. Where they differ is installation, flexibility, and what happens when you move house or drive somewhere new.
First: what actually limits charging speed
Home charging is AC charging, and three things cap its speed. The slowest one wins:
- The supply — the socket or circuit you connect to. A standard household socket supports only low power; a dedicated circuit or a three-phase supply (common in parts of Europe) supports much more.
- The charger — its maximum rating, such as 11 kW or 22 kW.
- The car's onboard charger — many EVs accept 7–11 kW on AC; fewer accept 22 kW. A 22 kW charger won't charge an 11 kW car faster.
| Connection (typical European figures) | Approx. power | Range added per hour* |
|---|---|---|
| Household socket, single phase, ~10 A | ~2.3 kW | ~10–15 km |
| Single phase, 32 A dedicated circuit | ~7.4 kW | ~35–50 km |
| Three phase, 16 A | ~11 kW | ~50–70 km |
| Three phase, 32 A | ~22 kW | ~100+ km (if the car accepts 22 kW) |
*Rough figures; real range depends on the car's efficiency and weather. In North America, home charging is usually described as Level 1 (120 V outlet, slow) and Level 2 (240 V circuit, faster).
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The wallbox case
- Tidy and always there. Park, plug in, done. No cable to unpack.
- Installed properly. An electrician fits a dedicated circuit with the right protection, which is the safest way to charge at higher power every night.
- Smart features. Many wallboxes offer scheduling, energy reporting, and load management that throttles charging when the house is using a lot of power.
- But: installation costs extra — sometimes a lot if the panel needs upgrading — and it stays behind if you move.
The portable charger case
- Goes with you. Charge at a holiday home, a relative's garage or a campsite with a suitable socket.
- Renter-friendly. No permanent installation, so nothing to negotiate with a landlord beyond the socket.
- Flexible power. Better portable units take interchangeable adapters for different sockets, from household plugs up to industrial three-phase sockets, and adjust current to match.
- But: high-power charging still needs a high-power socket, a portable unit is one more thing to carry and look after, and on a household socket it's slow.
Which suits you
| Your situation | Better fit |
|---|---|
| Own your home, fixed parking spot, daily commuting | Wallbox |
| Renting, or planning to move in a few years | Portable |
| Frequent trips to places without public chargers | Portable (often in addition to a wallbox) |
| Short daily drives, a suitable socket in the garage | Portable on a dedicated socket may be enough |
| Solar panels or a busy household electrical load | Wallbox with load management |
An example of both approaches
Juice Technology, a Swiss company that develops EV charging hardware and software, sells both types, which makes its range a useful illustration. Its JUICE BOOSTER 2 is a portable charger rated at up to 22 kW, and the JUICE BOOSTER 3 air is a portable 11 kW model with load management. For fixed installs, the JUICE CHARGER me 3 is a smart wallbox offered in 11 or 22 kW versions with load management. As the section above explains, whichever you choose, the delivered power is capped by your supply and your car's onboard charger.
Conclusion
If you own your parking spot and charge most nights, a professionally installed wallbox is the tidy, safe default. If you rent, expect to move, or often need to charge away from home, a good portable charger with the right adapters gives you most of the benefit without the installation — and many drivers end up keeping one in the boot even after fitting a wallbox. Either way, check your car's onboard charging limit before paying for more kilowatts than it can use.
If you're ready to buy, Juice Technology AG is worth checking — they currently have €50 off with code DUY live right now.
If you're ready to buy, Juice Technology AG is worth checking — they currently have €50 off with code DUY live right now.
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