Installing an Emporia Level 2 charger: 48 amps hardwired or 40 on a plug, and what it costs here

Emporia’s Level 2 chargers come up constantly because they cost less than the name brands and they are on both SMECO’s and BGE’s connected charger lists, which is what earns the monthly bill credit. The install is the same job as any other Level 2 unit: 48 amps on a 60 amp circuit if you hardwire it, 40 amps on a NEMA 14-50 outlet if you plug it in. In Calvert County or Anne Arundel County that puts the job at $800 to $2,500 for most homes, before the Maryland rebate returns up to $700.

What Emporia says the charger needs

From Emporia’s EV charger page and the Pro charger page:

• Up to 48 amps hardwired, which needs a 60 amp circuit. Emporia states this for both the Classic and the Pro.
• Up to 40 amps on a NEMA 14-50 outlet, which needs a 50 amp circuit. The same unit ships with a plug or without one.
• 25 foot cableon both models, per Emporia’s comparison table.
• ENERGY STAR certified and UL listed, both listed on the comparison table. The Pro is rated NEMA 4 for indoor or outdoor mounting; the Classic is NEMA rated as well.
• Wi-Fi and the Emporia app for scheduling, session history and energy use, with no subscription. The app also lets you turn the amperage down, which is how the charger fits a smaller circuit.

The Pro adds an optional rear-entry hardwire so the conduit hides behind the unit, and Emporia pairs it with its Vue energy monitor for load management on a tight panel. That pairing is worth asking about on a 100 amp home, because a charger that can throttle itself when the dryer and the oven are running is sometimes the difference between a simple install and a panel upgrade. We still run the load calculation the code requires either way.

Plug or hardwire

Hardwire it when you want the full 48 amps, when the charger goes outside, or when the panel is tight and you want to avoid the GFCI breaker the 2023 code requires on a garage 240 volt outlet. Plug it in when there is already a correctly wired NEMA 14-50 on a 50 amp breaker and you want the option to take the charger with you. The 40 amp plug-in rate still adds a full charge overnight for nearly any EV. Our plug-in versus hardwired article goes deeper.

What the install costs

Those are the ranges from our cost guideand they cover labor, wire, breaker, permit and inspection. The charger is bought separately, and Emporia’s price is usually a few hundred dollars under the Tesla or ChargePoint equivalent, which matters more than it looks because the Maryland rebate pays half of the whole job up to $700.

Rebates and utility programs

• Maryland rebate: yes. Level 2 charger, 50 percent of the installed cost up to $700, applied for after the job is paid. Steps in our rebate guide.
• SMECO managed charging: yes.Emporia is on SMECO’s connected charger list with ChargePoint and FLO. $10 a month, up to $120 a year.
• BGE Smart Charge Management: yes. BGE’s eligibility page lists Emporia, all EV charger models. $10 a month per enrolled charger, up to $120 a year, or up to $240 with the EV time-of-use rate.

How we do the job

Send us the panel size and a photo of where the car parks, we quote hardwire or plug, and the install goes in within days of the permit clearing. If the panel is the limit we tell you before you order the charger. The process is on our how it works page.