Gridly
Overview
The Sungrow AC22E-01 occupies an unusual position in the Australian market: it is the only 22kW charger with a tethered cable, open OCPP, and IP65 at the $950 price point. This combination shouldn’t exist at this price based on the rest of the market - the Tesla Wall Connector ($800) is tethered but lacks OCPP; the ZJ Beny 22kW ($950) has OCPP but no cable; the Sigenergy 22kW ($1,400) has OCPP and solar but costs $450 more.
The tethered advantage at 22kW
Every other 22kW smart charger in Australia at this price is socket-only. The Fronius Wattpilot, Zappi 22kW, Wallbox Pulsar Plus, ZJ Beny - all socket-only. The Sungrow’s 5m tethered cable means no separate cable purchase, no risk of theft or misplacement, and simpler daily use.
For a dedicated residential charger used daily, the tethered convenience is more relevant than the socket flexibility that socket-based designs offer for commercial contexts.
OCPP: open configuration
Open OCPP 1.6 means the charger can connect to any OCPP backend. For Home Assistant users, the OCPP integration can manage the Sungrow charger directly. For time-of-use tariff optimisation via third-party platforms, the open backend configuration enables this.
Solar integration: Sungrow-native and beyond
For Sungrow inverter households, the AC22E integrates with the iSolarCloud platform - reading live inverter data for coordinated charging that adjusts against solar generation, battery state, and grid import. This is the same approach as Fronius-native integration on the Wattpilot, using the inverter API rather than CT clamp estimation.
For non-Sungrow households, CT clamp integration provides brand-agnostic solar surplus monitoring. Documentation on the extent of CT clamp capability on current firmware should be confirmed with an installer.
Who should buy the Sungrow AC22E-01
Best for:
- Sungrow inverter households with three-phase supply wanting native integration and OCPP
- Buyers wanting the cheapest tethered OCPP 22kW charger in Australia
- Three-phase households where a tethered cable is preferred over socket-only
Skip if:
- Load management needed - Sungrow has none; Sigenergy or Fronius Wattpilot
- Non-Sungrow inverter and solar integration is a priority - CT clamp capability should be verified for your configuration
- Maximum brand support assurance - Sungrow’s charger service is newer than their inverter track record