What the two modes actually deliver
Charging power is volts × amps ÷ 1000. Worked through for both modes of this unit:
- 120V at 12A→ roughly 1.4 kW. In range terms that is typically a few miles per hour — call it 30 to 50 miles across a long overnight stop, depending on the car and the weather.
- 240V at 16A→ roughly 3.8 kW. Somewhere near two and a half times the rate, so plausibly 100 miles or more across the same overnight window.
That second figure is the reason to buy this rather than a 120V-only cordset. It is the difference between “I gained a bit of buffer overnight” and “I left with meaningfully more range than I arrived with”. Our how-long-to-charge guide works the arithmetic through properly, including why the figures shift in the cold.
The catch: the outlet it needs
The 240V mode uses a NEMA 6-20 plug configuration, and most houses do not have that outlet. It appears in workshops, some garages, and occasionally where a window air conditioner or a piece of equipment was once fitted. It is not standard domestic equipment.
So before buying this forthe 240V mode, go and check what outlets actually exist where you intend to charge. If the answer is “ordinary sockets only”, you are buying a Level 1 charger with a good cable and an ETL listing — still a reasonable purchase, but a different one. Our NEMA outlet types guide explains what the numbers mean and how to identify what you have.
Having an electrician add a 6-20 outlet is a comparatively modest job, and if you are in a rental or a temporary situation where a full 50A circuit is out of the question, that is a legitimate middle path worth pricing. Our renters guide covers the wider set of options there.
The ETL listing is the reason this one and not a cheaper one
Travel chargers are the category where certification gets skipped most often, because the units are cheap, sold in volume by nameplate brands, and bought as afterthoughts. That is exactly backwards: a travel charger is the unit most likely to be plugged into an unknown outlet, in an unfamiliar building, with wiring nobody has inspected.
An ETL listing means a recognized testing laboratory has assessed the product against the applicable safety standard. It is the same class of assurance as a UL listing, from a different lab. On this category we treat it as the floor rather than a feature, and it is the single reason this unit is our pick over several cheaper ones. Our certification guide explains the marks and how to verify them.
The 25 ft cable matters more than you would guess
On a home charger, cable length is about where the car parks. On a travel charger it is about something more basic: whether you can reach the outlet at all.
The outlet at a rental cottage is inside a garage the car does not fit in. The one at a relative’s house is behind a workbench. The one at the campsite is on a post ten feet from where you are allowed to park. Twenty-five feet turns a substantial fraction of those from impossible into fine, and it is the specification we would not trade away on a unit bought for travel.
One safety note that follows from it: do not add a household extension cord to reach further. An ordinary extension cord is not built for a continuous hours-long load and is a genuine fire risk in this application. If you need more reach, our cables and extensions guide covers the rated way to do it.
What is not published
The listing does not state an enclosure rating or a warranty term. Our spec table prints “Not published” rather than guessing.
The enclosure gap is worth taking seriously on a travel unit specifically, because travel charging happens outdoors more often than home charging does — a driveway, a campsite, a parking lot. Without a published rating, keep the body of the unit out of standing water and rain, and do not leave it lying on wet ground for a multi-hour session. Elevate it, or put it in a bag with the connector routed out.
On the warranty, treat the retailer’s return window as your practical recourse. At this price that is a reasonable trade for the ETL listing you are getting.
Who should buy it
- Anyone who travels and might find only a household outlet. This is the core case and it is well served here.
- PHEV owners.A plug-in hybrid’s battery is small enough that this unit’s output is genuinely adequate rather than a compromise — see our PHEV charging guide, which makes the case that the whole amperage argument inverts for these vehicles.
- Anyone with a 6-20 outlet already. You get the doubled rate for nothing.
- As a backup to a proper home charger. Cheap insurance that lives in the trunk.
Who should buy something else
- Anyone who needs a primary home charger.3.8 kW is not enough for a full-size EV replacing real daily driving. You want 40A — see our 40A roundup.
- Anyone who wants a portable that can also be the home charger. That is a 40A unit on a NEMA 14-50, and the Lectron 40A portable is our pick for it.
- Anyone charging outdoors regularly in bad weather. No published enclosure rating means treat it accordingly.
The verdict
The right travel charger for most people, and better than the cordset that came with many cars. The ETL listing is the reason to pick it over cheaper dual-level units, the 25 ft cable is the reason you will actually be able to use it, and the 240V mode is a genuine bonus wherever a 6-20 outlet turns up. Just buy it understanding what it is: the charger for when you are not at home, not the one that replaces a proper installation.
