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Quick verdict
The Emporia is an inexpensive, capable 48A charger, and its community Home Assistant integration (ha-emporia-ev) does start, stop and throttle charging, which many EVSEs never manage. The catch is that it is entirely cloud-based: there is no official integration and the charger has no local API, so the integration logs in to Emporia's cloud with your app credentials. There is no ESPHome escape hatch either - community attempts have not produced working local firmware.
Standout: One of the cheapest 48A chargers whose community Home Assistant integration does real control - a charging switch and a charge-rate slider - rather than read-only telemetry.
Notes last checked Aug 19, 2026.
Compatibility snapshot
Home AssistantokayFunctional but cloud-dependent for core features; the integration leans on the vendor cloud.
Apple HomenoneNo official support on this platform.
Google HomegoodWell supported, with only minor gaps.
AlexagoodWell supported, with only minor gaps.
Works offlinepartly / no
Setupeasy
Extra hub neededno
Powerhardwired (48A) or NEMA 14-50 plug-in (40A), 240V
Why it stands out
Affordable 48A (11.5kW hardwired) / 40A plug-in Level 2 charger with single-amp current adjustment (6-48A)
Built-in energy management and scheduling in the Emporia app
The community ha-emporia-ev integration exposes a charging switch and a charge-rate slider, plus power, energy and status
Reasons to hesitate
No official Home Assistant integration; the community route runs entirely on Emporia's cloud
The charger has no local API, so nothing works in Home Assistant when Emporia's servers are unreachable
No working ESPHome reflash exists despite the ESP32 inside - community attempts have not produced local firmware
Best for
Budget-conscious buyers who want a capable 48A charger with energy monitoring
People who want start/stop and charge-rate control in Home Assistant and accept a cloud path to get it
Avoid if
You want local or offline control - there is no local API and no ESPHome route
You are uncomfortable relying on a vendor cloud for the stock experience
Privacy and local-control notes
Emporia has no official Home Assistant integration and the charger exposes no local API. Both the Emporia app and the community HACS integration ha-emporia-ev sign in to Emporia's cloud with the same account credentials, so control and monitoring route through Emporia's servers. Attempts in the Home Assistant community to reflash the charger with ESPHome have not produced working local firmware: the ESP32 inside appears to handle only connectivity while a separate controller runs the J1772 and safety functions.
Home Assistant support: supported · integration path: ha-emporia-ev (community HACS, cloud API) - no official integration and no local API.
Buying reality check
Price notes: Model: Emporia Classic Level 2 EV Charger (48A hardwired / 40A plug-in on a NEMA 14-50), $449 direct from Emporia, with a Pro model at $599 above it (shop.emporiaenergy.com, checked 2026-08-19). The Amazon listing linked here is the 48A NEMA 14-50 J1772 version.
Verified price reads: lowest seen $449, latest $449 on Sep 7, 2026.
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