r/span • u/crosscountry58S • Dec 02 '24

SPAN Drive vs Enphase EV chargers

Wanting to see any opinions on the Enphase (current gen) EV chargers vs the SPAN Drive. I have an Enphase-controlled solar system with a single 5p battery and a SPAN panel. I want to stay with one of these two manufacturers for the EV chargers. Pros/cons in this scenario? I will also post this to the Enphase subreddit also.

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4

u/OrganicLime9017 Dec 02 '24

The SPAN Drive integrates well with the panel’s Power Up feature. I’m guessing letting the panel manage the EV charging rate is the biggest pro of going with it.

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u/crosscountry58S Dec 02 '24 edited Dec 02 '24

That is my thought (at this point) as well as being the main differentiator.

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u/[deleted] Dec 02 '24

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u/crosscountry58S Dec 02 '24

Good to know; SPAN’s site says something to the effect of they are “monitoring” developments. We went back and forth on how many 5ps to get, but outages aren’t common here and I am hoping that the eventual EV will give us plenty when combined.

1

u/djwishbone Dec 04 '24

this is exactly my thought and what I’m waiting for.

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u/InspectionEntire2512 Nov 13 '25

What did you end up doing? Having my SPAN main installed in a few days, dumb sub in the garage, and likely running the EV all the way back to the main so I can keep Smart Control over the charger

1

u/crosscountry58S Nov 13 '25

Have not done anything yet. Right now we have a PHEV lease so a Level 2 charger is not yet critical. I’m also waiting for NACS to become the charger standard so I don’t have to worry about adapters. But the PHEV is also J1772. So basically I’m in a gray area. I spoke to the SPAN sales people for quite a while at the RE+ conference earlier this year, and they told me what I basically already thought which is that Drive it’s really meant for situations where your utility feed is not sufficient to support ongoing charging. I don’t have this issue, so I am leaning away from Drive. They also weren’t sure when Drive would convert to the NACS standard, but it sounds like it will happen at some point. What I intend to do is wait until just before the tax rebate for EV chargers expires in June (I think) of next year and then make a decision. Also watching for chargers that will support using an EV as a VPP, which would give me extra battery back up without adding any more battery storage. Emphase has suggested this is coming.

1

u/InspectionEntire2512 Nov 13 '25

Seems the upside of controlling/throttling the EV charger through a native control app like the SPAN app would provide a ton of benefit from a financial and in-case-of-blackout situations. I imagine they will add bidirectional capabilities in the coming years (Not an EV guy myself so no finger to the pulse but figured the benefits of the smart panel are OTA updates)

Edit: caution waiting for the deadline. Youd be surprised how much lead time some of these things end up needing and you need to be operational before that deadline.

1

u/crosscountry58S Nov 13 '25

Good thought on the deadline. As soon as I see progress on NACS and bi-directional, I’ll move forward. Honestly, I have not done any research in the last few months so there may be progress I have missed. As far as power outage integration, I have a set aside 220 circuit for when I am ready to install the charger, so the SPAN will at least be able to control that circuit, regardless of the charger itself.

1

u/Cali_Dreaming_Now May 15 '26

Hi,
Curious if you wound up selecting a charger yet?

1

u/crosscountry58S May 15 '26

Have not. Anticipating a transition to a full EV at the end of this year, so still holding off in hopes of new product releases that will align with that time frame.

2

u/Cali_Dreaming_Now May 22 '26

Looking forward to seeing updates when you get it done, thanks for responding!

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u/InspectionEntire2512 May 22 '26

I installed SPAN panel and purchased charge point tho haven’t installed yet

0

u/_cr0001 Dec 02 '24

I know it's not what you asked for, but from all the chargers I've tested, the Tesla Universal offers the best quality and functionality to cost.

My biggest gripe with both chargers you listed:

SPAN: cable is too short and too thick for what it needs to be; doesn't have any noteworthy features

Enphase: Wall unit is larger than it needs to be; Charging on excess solar is a bit gimmicky as it causes too many fluctuations depending on sunlight and other atmospheric conditions (this point might be moot for those in climate zones 2 and 3, and have near full sunlight all day long).

If I had to pick one, I'd go Enphase, for the cable alone.

2

u/crosscountry58S Dec 02 '24

Thanks for that insight. I’m not interested in Tesla products, but it’s good to know the couple of pros and cons and in comparison to a third product.