Searching “Schneider Electric EV charger” usually turns up two different things: the company’s home charger, sold under the name Schneider Charge, and confusion with Square D, the Schneider-owned breaker-and-panel brand most US homeowners actually recognize. They’re related — same parent company — but not the same product. Here’s what the Schneider Charge itself actually is, what it costs installed, and a detail about its own most-cited review worth knowing before you trust it.
Schneider Charge, by the numbers
- $695 — MSRP for the 48-amp unit, per EnergySage’s August 2026 ChargerRater review.
- 48A / 11.5kW — rated current and maximum power output, adjustable via the Schneider app.
- $800–$3,000 — typical installation cost on top of the unit price, since it’s hardwired-only with no pre-attached cable and no plug-in NEMA 14-50 version.
- 84/100 (4.2 stars) — the ChargerRater score from reviewer Tom Moloughney, strongest on power and construction, weakest on “intelligence” (limited third-party app support, no RFID/PIN).
- ~$545 — the reviewer’s “effective price” once you account for the bundled SmartAmp load management hardware, which competing chargers often sell as a separate add-on.
What you’re actually getting for $695
The Schneider Charge ships with SmartAmp, a load-management system built into the unit rather than sold as an add-on, and it’s certified to UL 3141 — a certification the ChargerRater review notes may let an inspector exclude the charger’s amperage from your home’s load calculation under the 2026 National Electrical Code. That’s a genuinely useful feature if your panel is close to its limit, but “may let an inspector exclude it” isn’t a guarantee: get a written assessment from your own electrician before assuming it saves you a panel upgrade.
Two other specifics worth knowing before you buy: it’s hardwired only (no pre-attached cable, no plug-in NEMA 14-50 option), and its load management runs over the hardwired connection rather than Wi-Fi, so — per the reviewer — it keeps working if your internet goes down. It does not support power-sharing between multiple chargers, which matters if you’re a two-EV household; see our best dual EV charger roundup if that’s your situation.
| Charger | Price | Amps / Output | Connector | Load management | Install |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schneider Charge | $695 MSRP | 48A / 11.5kW | NACS or J1772 (pick one) | SmartAmp, built in, UL 3141 | Hardwired only, $800–$3,000 |
| Emporia Classic | $449 (J1772) / $479 (NACS) | 16–48A adjustable | J1772 or NACS | Vue Energy Monitor, built in | Plug-in NEMA 14-50 or hardwired |
| ChargePoint Home Flex | ~$549 | 16–50A adjustable | J1772 or NACS | None built in | Plug-in NEMA 14-50 or hardwired |
The conflict of interest worth knowing about
EnergySage’s Schneider Charge review — the most detailed one we found while researching this page — carries a disclosure that’s easy to miss: EnergySage and Qmerit are both owned by Schneider Electric, the same company that makes the Schneider Charge. We’ve covered Qmerit’s installation pricing separately — it’s the exclusive booking network behind the Schneider Charge’s own install program, among several other brand and utility programs. The reviewer, Tom Moloughney, states he kept full editorial independence, and the review itself isn’t a rubber stamp — it dinged the charger’s “intelligence” score for limited third-party app support and no RFID/PIN access control. But when the product maker, the reviewer’s own platform, and the installer you’d likely book through are all the same parent company, it’s worth reading the glowing parts a little more skeptically than you would an independent teardown.
Emporia Classic Charger
- Gets you a similar core idea to the Schneider Charge's SmartAmp — stay within your panel's limit without a dedicated electrician assessment first — for roughly $250–$300 less, on a plug-in NEMA 14-50 outlet instead of a mandatory hardwire job; see our full Emporia pricing and spec breakdown.
Buying for more than one property, or setting up a small fleet of chargers for a rental portfolio? A free Amazon Business account unlocks quantity discounts and tax-exempt purchasing — worth setting up before you order hardware in bulk, whichever charger you end up choosing.
ChargePoint Home Flex
- No built-in load management, but it's the charger Qmerit's own network most commonly installs for utility rebate programs — see our full ChargePoint Home Flex review if you'd rather have the flexible amperage range than Schneider's built-in SmartAmp system.
The bottom line
The Schneider Charge is a legitimate 48A charger with a real feature most competitors charge extra for — built-in load management certified to a standard that might let you skip a panel assessment — and a 3-year warranty backing it up. At $695 plus a mandatory $800–$3,000 hardwired install, it’s priced like a premium pick, and its most detailed published review comes from a Schneider-owned platform reviewing a Schneider-owned installer’s exclusive install path — read that review’s praise with that in mind, not as a reason to dismiss it outright. If the SmartAmp idea is what sold you but the price or the mandatory hardwire job didn’t, the Emporia Classic gets you a similar load-managed outcome on a plug-in outlet for less. Either way, get an independent electrician’s quote alongside whichever installer a program points you toward — our EV charger installation cost guide breaks down what that number should look like.