WALLBOX PULSAR PLUS REVIEW SUMMARY

Wallbox Pulsar Plus Review summary – OLEV APPROVED.

The Wallbox Pulsar Plus is compatible with every EV on the market.
It comes in two colours black or white.
Three-year warranty.
Compact. (about the size of a home fire alarm)
Tethered charging cable only. (so the charging cable is attached) There is no untethered version as it’s so small. ❌
Raspberry pi card installed. ⭐️
In-app security. The charger can be locked to prevent it from being used. ⭐️
Optional load balancing if you add the power boost approx an extra £99. It isn’t standard on this charger. (which means it will adjust as demand in your home fluctuates with energy use so you don’t trip your main house fuse. This is also handy if you get a second charger as it ensures you don’t overload your supply.)
Firmware is updatable making it future-proof. ⭐️
No earth rod is required. This may mean less disruption eg digging into your drive etc to install an earth rod. ⭐️
Some users have reported that the glow from the charger is very bright at night and there is no way of turning this down or off. ❌
Not compatible with smart charging eg Octopus Agile, or Octopus Intelligent Tariff. It’s a dumb charger. (at the moment) ❌
The solar option isn’t yet available. ❌
Not set up for multiple user accounts. ❌

Who is Wallbox?

Wallbox is a Spanish firm established in 2015 and based in Madrid. They created a Joint Venture with Changchun FAWSN of China and moved from Spain to China in 2018. They returned to Spain in 2020 opening a new head office in Barcelona.

What EV home chargers do Wallbox offer?

Wallbox currently offers four different home EV chargers with a low entry point. The Wallbox Pulsar Plus is one of their cheaper options and is a “dumb” charging unit.

How does the Wallbox Pulsar Plus comapare on price?

You can pay around £650 installed with an OLEV grant.

What do other Wallbox Pulsar Plus reviews say?

On Trustpilot Wallbox currently has a score of 3.8 out of 5 stars. Reviews are limited but this isn’t surprising. There is mention of the additional benefit of adding the power boost which I agree is a great feature BUT it doesn’t come as standard.

What is the Wallbox customer service like?

At the moment this seems to be slow BUT once the charger is installed you shouldn’t have too much need to call them.

What is the Wallbox website/app like?

The app is very simple, clean, and easy to use. The simplicity of the app reminds me of my nest heating app. It has large buttons and it’s easy to navigate. You can easily schedule charging and lock the device so that no one can use it in your absence. Charging history can be accessed within the app. However, you can’t do anything too complex within the app eg link it to a smart tariff such as Octopus Agile but if you want an easy app with a simple charging schedule it fits the bill. I could imagine my mum who is in her early 70s having no problem with it.

To install the app you need to be within the range of the Wallbox Pulsar Plus. I’d suggest standing next to the charger. The app connects to the charger via Bluetooth which I also think is great as you don’t have to worry about your wifi connection.

Does the Wallbox Pulsar Plus offer smart charging?

No, the pulsar plus doesn’t offer smart charging so you cant link it to something like the Octopus Agile tariff. This may change in the future.

How to contact Wallbox?

You can contact Wallbox in a number of ways.

There is a contact form on the Wallbox website.

Wall box email – [email protected]

Facebook.

Wallbox Pulser Plus Review

What’s in your new Wallbox Pulsar Plus box?

The Wallbox Pulsar Plus comes in a large brown box. It reminds me of a box you would get when you buy a new pair of boots. (if that makes sense)
Charger Front cover.
Opening card. (to open the charging box up and remove the cover)
Small welcome booklet.

Remove a layer of cardboard.

Pulsar Plus base unit with cable and connector attached. (tethered)
Instruction booklet.
Holster.
Brown padded envelope containing branded good quality grommets and screws for fixings the charger to the wall.

Wallbox Pulser Plus – Tips

Stand next to the unit when setting up the app as it talks directly to the charging unit.

Once logged in the app keeps the sessions online for several days, as you shouldn’t need to log in every time you use the app. Sessions are still stored and this saves relying on a wifi connection. This is handy when the charger may be out of range.

PROS	CONS
✅ Compact.	❌ No smart charging.
✅ Raspberry pie.	❌ Only comes as tethered unit.
✅ Firmware can be updated making it feature proof.	❌ Currently no solar option.
✅ Simple to use app.	❌ Dynamic charging via power booster is extra.
✅ Can add dynamic charging (extra)
✅ Doesn't need an earth rod.
✅ Security - Can easily lock charger via app.

What’s my personal opinion on the Wallbox Pulsar Plus?

I think it’s a great little unit with the additional benefit of being future-proof in so far as you can update the firmware. The app is simple to use. It’s a dumb charger so you can plug and go but can lock it at the click of a button.

I could imagine my mother making very good use of this EV home charger. The charging cable is thinner than many other chargers which makes it easy to move around and coil around the charger for storage. It looks neat and the tapered design needs the cable shouldn’t slide off if coiled.

What’s my review on future-proof charging with the Wallbox Pulsar Plus?

You can update the firmware on the Wallbox Pulsar Pro so you already have an option for the future if things change. If you need to ensure your home fuse doesn’t blow, maybe you have lots of electric devices you run, or you may consider a second charger in the future, the fact you can add the power boost is a big bonus. The Wallbox power booster currently retails for £99. If you order the power booster at the time of purchase you can ask your installer to connect it to your meter box. I would definitely take that option. It’s then installed all ready to go if you do get a second charger installed or if Wallbox brings out a solar option. Even at the most basic level, the power boost will make sure you never blow your main home fuse which is good added protection.

What’s my opinion on the ease of an installation?

I also like the fact you don’t need to add an earth rod. Earth rods can result in the added hassle of having a hole dug in your drive or garden. So that would be a big bonus for me.

The geeky side of the Wallbox Pulsar Plus.

This is a small, simple charging unit with the added bonus of raspberry pie. If you have no idea what raspberry pie is then this unit could still be suitable for you as it’s at the cheaper end of the EV home charger scale and it’s ready to go out of the box. If you know what raspberry pie is then, without doubt, you are on the geek scale and you will already be planning how you can adapt this unit to do lots of imaginative things like flashing green when the national grid is full of green energy or automatically opening garage doors when you unplug the car from the charger. 🥳

Would I buy the Wallbox Pulsar Plus?

I’m a geek but I can’t program so the raspberry pie angle wouldn’t appeal to me. I like the size of the unit and the light thinner cable would appeal to me. The fact the charger still doesn’t integrate with the Intelligent Octopus tariff with Octopus Energy would be a concern for me as it would limit tariff options!

The Wallbox has traditional scheduling so you could still charge off-peak if you have an EV tariff that, for example, gives a price reduction during set times, such as Octopus Go but is that enough for you?

The Wallbox is definitely a very easy unit to get to grips with. Some users have reported being frustrated by not being able to turn off the glowing light on the front of the charger at night. Apparently, it’s very bright. Some have even attempted to resolve the issue by covering the front of the charger with tinted window film.

It’s a unit I think my mum would adore or my friend Stuart who is into raspberry pie and would play with this for hours.

If you have made your choice on an EV home charger the next question is should you opt for tethered or untethered on your home charger?

Tethered	Untethered
✅ Own cable weird in.	✅ Future proof.
❌ Fixed length cable with limit option to extend.	✅ Looks neater without the cable.
❌ If you leave the cable installed it could be stolen.	✅ Can buy cable of any length if you need longer/shorter cable.
❌ Issue if EV sockets change in future	❌ Reconnect the cable each time you charge.
	❌ Need to supply your own cable.

I think a lot of people would go for the untethered version which isn’t an option with the Wallbox Pulsar Plus. The untethered charger would be my first choice. The unit looks neater without the cable hanging around and there’s possibly less wear and tear with it not being outside in the elements. In reality, untethered EV users report leaving the charging cable plugged in when they are busy or it’s raining. This leads to the risk of the EV charging cable being stolen. So you may well want to opt for a tethered charger that has less risk of theft and you always have the cable to hand when you are in a rush. It’s all down to personal choice.

Wallbox Pulser plus Review by Sarah @ www.evcharger.today

WALLBOX PULSAR PLUS REVIEW SUMMARY