When we talk about installing a level 2 EVSE at home when you buy a new EV, we’re often faced with pushback that it’ll be expensive for a panel upgrade to make it all work.
In some cases, that’s very true. We’ve seen people pay over $5,000 for the required wiring at home to install a charger for a new EV. Is there a better way? Emporia seems to think so.
Today the company is announcing its new Load Management for Emporia EV Chargers product.
“We’ve always been on a mission to save consumers money by leading the industry on price, and today’s launch will take our ecosystem even further by empowering homeowners to charge their EVs without investing thousands more in panel upgrades,” said chief executive officer, Shawn McLaughlin. “Removing this barrier for homeowners is among our most important achievements this year!”
According to the company, this product will help reduce the cost of adding a charger at home by removing the need for an expensive panel upgrade.
Basically the product is intelligent load balancing. What that means is the hardware monitors how power is used in your home, and when there is enough power to charge a car. So if it’s a warm afternoon when you’re likely running the air conditioner and also doing laundry, your charger won’t charge the car. In the middle of the night? Charge away.
Unlike scheduled charging, which is available with most new EVs and many connected chargers, this system is actively watching your home’s electric usage and managing the charging that way. You do have to have an Emporia EV charger for this to work, but the Emporia Load Management product includes a charger in its price. It seems like for most people this would be a great solution for folks who only have 100 amp panels at home and want a fancy new EV.
The Emporia Load Management product retails at $599, but you’re probably going to want to get a professional to help you install it.
An affordable smart panel and charger seem like the right solution to many home charging problems. Does it work? We’ll have to wait and see, but we were impressed with the Emporia EV charger we tested in our EVSE roundup, and are excited by the possibility of making EV adoption more affordable.
