As the Christmas season is upon us, a portable EV charger might be a great gift for the electric car fans in your family. There are a few reasons why the ShockFlo G1 Level 2 portable EV charger makes a good gift, but convenience is one of them. Let’s look at how this electric vehicle charger performed with a novice charger (me) and the Hyundai IONIQ 5 (not me).

Charging up with the ShockFlo G1 portable EV charger

Testing out the ShockFlo G1 Level 2 portable EV charger was a breeze. It requires a NEMA 14-50 outlet, but you can search for those on PlugShare if you don’t have one. An electrician can install one for you otherwise. Once you get plugged in, the EV charger starts right up. It feels heavy and well-made, with a heavy-duty material protecting the charging cable. The J1772 plug fit well into the Hyundai EV, too, and we had no issues getting connected.

I attached the ShockFlo to the Hyundai IONIQ 5 at the charging port, and it responded immediately. The EV started charging at the anticipated speed and had no issues. On the charger display, it gives you all the important information in one spot. You’ll be able to see the charging rate and how long it has been charging. You can even select the output for different situations. That means you can charge at different rates at different places, depending on the outlet setup.

ShockFlo also allows you to delay the charging, which is helpful if you want to wait for lower electricity prices overnight or something. The Hyundai IONIQ 5 charged without issue, and we could watch from inside the vehicle to ensure the charging was working as expected.

What comes with the ShockFlo portable EV charger?

I assume some folks reading this have a light understanding of EV charging. If not, you should know there are a few different types of chargers. Level 1 chargers are pretty slow, while a Level 2 charger like this ShockFlo G1 can add more range in a shorter period. ShockFlo sent us the 40A version, which stands for 40 amps. One thing to note is that this charger does not use a regular wall outlet; you will need a NEMA 14-50 outlet. This is more like an outlet for big electronics such as a dryer or even an RV. This fact escaped me initially, as I thought it could be plugged into a regular outlet, so it is worth mentioning.

The ShockFlo G1 is capable of adding 36 miles an hour to your electric vehicle. It does utilize J1772 charging standards, which means it will not work with Tesla electric vehicles without an adaptor. You can buy the adaptor from the company to charge Tesla EVs. The G1 has a max charging rate of 9.6 kW. After 30 minutes of charging, we saw accurate mileage being added for the conditions.

Setup was pretty easy, and the EV charger came well-wrapped. It comes with the charger itself, a user manual, a carrying bag, and a wall mount for those who want to install it at home or work. I found the whole thing easy to understand and carry around for my charging test. ShockFlo says the system is waterproof and impact-resistant, so it isn’t a fragile accessory. It comes with a 20-foot-long cable, which was plenty of length for our charging situation.

A portable electric vehicle charger is a great gift idea

This ShockFlo G1 portable EV charger is a pretty good value. ShockFlo has this exact charger listed for only $349, including accessories. The 32A version is $319, but it might be worth getting the 40A for more flexibility. You can select 16, 20, 24, 32, and 40 amps outputs. It comes with a three-year warranty and a 90-day return window if it doesn’t work out for some reason.

Overall, this portable EV charger is an excellent option for someone wanting a Level 2 setup without too much cost commitment. You can install it in your home for faster home charging or keep it in the trunk for a road trip. I appreciate how easy it was to use, and the instructions were very clear. ShockFlo does offer a home charger setup, but we opted for the portable one for this test. It worked as expected, and one less trip to the public charging station is always a plus.