One Of The Most Recommended EV Charger Companies Just Abandoned Its American Users

Any EV owner will tell you that getting a good charger is an important investment. Going electric may save you from having to go to the gas station, but your car still needs energy to run, and a good charger will ensure that your battery fills up quickly while also protecting it from any potential surges that could damage it. Some of the newer EV charging methods can charge your battery in minutes, so you can get back on the road in no time. Installing an EV charging station at home might also cost more than you think, so you want to make sure you get the right one the first time.

Enel X is the company behind JuiceBox, which is one of the oldest and most highly recommended EV charger brands on the market. People like the company's chargers for their reliability, affordability, and smart features. Unfortunately, it seems that American consumers are about to be abandoned by Enel X.

The company recently announced in a shareholder email that it will be pulling up stakes and ceasing all operations in the United States and Canada on October 11, 2024. This has left many people wondering why exactly Enel X is leaving after such a long and seemingly successful run stateside. It also raises some serious concerns for the company's current customers about apps, connectivity, and customer support.

Enel X's email to its stakeholders that it was closing its North America-based subsidiary came as a surprise to many, not least of which the people who own JuiceBox chargers. So why is the company abandoning such a large portion of its customer base — particularly with so little notice?

"Enel North America has no retail electricity customer base and was active in the e-mobility segment only through the sale of charging hardware and software," the email states (via Destination Charged). "Additionally, the dynamics of the EV market in the US have changed quite a lot in the last year and, like many other companies, Enel X Way North America has been impacted by high interest rates which have increased the cost of scaling the charging infrastructure business in a framework of sustained uncertainty where EV sales growth expectations have not been met."

So, while it may seem like Enel X has been successful in the American market from the outside, it appears that the cost of doing business in North America is simply too high for the company to meet its profit quotas. It also appears that it hasn't been able to expand its product range to more retail-oriented markets, limiting its avenues for growth.

Nothing in the statement explained why the company was giving so little notice, but it did state that, "An experienced third-party firm will be appointed to manage the company's affairs and ensure that the closure is handled with the utmost care and professionalism." This unnamed firm will be handling all customer communications in regard to the closure, including the fulfillment of any outstanding obligations that Enel X might have to its North American customers. The message also stated that, while JuiceBox chargers will continue to have the ability to physically charge your EVs, they will be losing a lot of their connectivity functions.

Enel X's email claims that it's discontinuing all Enel X Way software, including "the Enel X Way App and all other Enel e-mobility apps in North America." The company will no longer be providing customer support.

This is a huge blow to current JuiceBox users since, as previously mentioned, these chargers are quite expensive to purchase and install. It's good that they will still perform their basic functions as charges, but it's easy to see why customers might be bitter after learning that an expensive piece of tech in their home will be losing much of its functionality with little ceremony and no reparations.