Autel Level 2 EV Charger up to 50Amp, 240V, Indoor/Outdoor Car Charging Station with J1772 Connector, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Enabled EVSE, 25-Foot Cable, Hardwired, Dark Gray

Why it's worth it

Autel's MaxiCharger runs up to 50 amps and 12 kW, has a color display, and supports OCPP — the open protocol that lets it join utility demand-response programs and third-party smart-home setups. It's more charger than most people need, in a good way.

OCPP support is the unusual part. Most home chargers only talk to their manufacturer's cloud, so when that cloud has a bad day, your scheduling goes with it. This one can point at a local server instead — owners have connected it to Home Assistant and gotten direct control over availability, current and a stack of sensors. That's a genuine hedge against a company changing its app or its mind.

At 50 amps and 12 kW, it's the fastest unit here on paper. That's roughly 37 miles of range added per hour, which only matters if your car's onboard charger can accept it — most can't. Where it does pay off is if you're buying now and planning to keep the charger through your next EV, which will likely accept more.

From our review of 10 home ev charging stations, by Genevieve Dubois, Home & Living Expert

What we like

• +OCPP support is the unusual part
• +At 50 amps and 12 kW, it's the fastest unit here on paper
• +Autel has been building automotive diagnostic tools since 2004, and mechanics who use their scan tools tend to arrive at this…
• +The app handles scheduling, off-peak optimization and remote start, and it connects over Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or Ethernet

What to know

• –Not everyone reaches the advertised 50 amps
• –It's expensive for a single-car household that charges overnight, and the full-capacity install demands a large dedicated…