OpenEVSE
OpenEVSE is a Monroe, NC-based open-source hardware company that designs and sells SAE J1772 and IEC Type 2 EV charging controllers via pre-built stations, DIY kits, components, and OEM licensing, serving individual EV owners, commercial manufacturers, and renewable-energy enthusiasts globally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersCharlotte, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What OpenEVSE does
OpenEVSE (OpenEVSE LLC) is a Monroe, North Carolina-based private company that designs, manufactures, and licenses open-source hardware and firmware for SAE J1772 (and IEC Type 2 / Mennekes) electric-vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) controllers. Founded in February 2011, the company sells pre-built charging stations hand-assembled in the USA, DIY kits for end-user assembly, individual parts and components, and OEM licensing packages for manufacturers producing 1 to 10,000+ units. Its flagship Advanced Series product line adds WiFi connectivity, open APIs, MQTT support, a color LCD, energy monitoring, temperature-based throttling, and real-time solar diversion for PV self-consumption optimization, with an Ohm Connect integration enabling grid-aware demand response.
The technical stack is centered on an open-source firmware and circuit-design library that has been iteratively refined since the company's founding, originally prototyped around an Arduino-based controller. Products support an adjustable current range of 6A-48A and are compatible with both SAE J1772 (North America) and IEC Type 2 (international) connector standards, giving OpenEVSE cross-standard coverage. Community feedback channels, including the My Nissan LEAF Forum and active GitHub/Discord/Dozuki presence, feed into product roadmaps and reinforce a developer- and DIY-friendly positioning.
OpenEVSE's business model spans four revenue streams: (1) direct-to-consumer sales of pre-built stations, (2) lower-priced DIY kits, (3) components and spare parts at quantities ranging from 1 to 10,000+ units, and (4) licensing of the open-source design and embedded controller platform to commercial OEMs. Customer segments include individual EV owners (primary), commercial manufacturers integrating OpenEVSE into their own products (primary), and solar/renewable-energy enthusiasts seeking PV-coupled charging (secondary). The company is privately held with 1-10 employees and has not raised institutional funding.
OpenEVSE firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- OpenEVSE
- Legal name
- OpenEVSE LLC
- Website
- https://openevse.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- OpenEVSE is a Monroe, NC-based open-source hardware company that designs and sells SAE J1772 and IEC Type 2 EV charging controllers via pre-built stations, DIY kits, components, and OEM licensing, serving individual EV owners, commercial manufacturers, and renewable-energy enthusiasts globally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
OpenEVSE industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Electric Vehicle Charging Hardware
- NAICS
- Automatic Environmental Control Manufacturing for Residential, Commercial, and Appliance Use (334512), Switchgear and Switchboard Apparatus Manufacturing (335313)
- SIC
- Electronic & Other Electrical Equipment (No Computer Equip) (3600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- EV Charging Hardware Manufacturing (AC/DC Chargers/Dispensers) (IMACACAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Charging Infrastructure Components (connectors, cables, dispensers, payment/controls) (IMAGAHAH), Managed EV Charging Software (Residential, Fleet, Workplace) (EUAFAMAA), Car Chargers & Vehicle Power Adapters (CRACATAB)
Keywords
Where OpenEVSE is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Charlotte
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
OpenEVSE business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Pre-built Charging Stations: Hand-built charging stations assembled in the USA by OpenEVSE experts, offering advanced features at an affordable price. These are complete, ready-to-use EV chargers sold as one-time purchases.
- DIY Kits: Complete kit packages that customers assemble themselves using just screwdrivers in about an hour. Kits include all components and detailed build guides, providing an educational and cost-effective option.
- Parts and Components: Individual components and replacement parts for charging stations. Available for commercial customers in quantities from 1 to 10,000+, enabling manufacturers to build their own products using OpenEVSE proven hardware.
- Licensing to Manufacturers: Open source hardware and software that manufacturers can incorporate into their products, with many designs successfully completing UL, ULc, CE and EnergyStar compliance testing.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Charging Stations - Pre-built units assembled in USA |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | DIY Kits - Self-assembly charging station kits |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Parts and Components - Individual and bulk parts |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
OpenEVSE product offering
Product offeringCore offering
OpenEVSE designs, sources, and supplies open-source electric vehicle charging station hardware and software. It sells USA hand-built pre-built SAE J1772 / IEC Type 2 charging stations to consumers, screwdriver-only DIY kits for self-assembly, and OEM-grade controllers, enclosures, and parts to commercial manufacturers building their own EVSE products in volumes of 1 to 10,000+ units. Open firmware on GitHub and open APIs enable home automation, MQTT integration, and real-time solar diversion.
Product overview
OpenEVSE offers an open-source electric vehicle charging ecosystem with three main product lines: Charging Stations (expert hand-built units), DIY Kits (assembler-friendly station kits), and Components/Parts (for custom builds and repairs). The products support SAE J1772 and IEC Type 2 standards, offering adjustable power (6A-48A), WiFi connectivity, color displays, energy monitoring, and real-time solar diversion. The Advanced Series represents the flagship pre-built offering while the Kits provide an educational, affordable DIY option. All products share common hardware and firmware, enabling interoperability and upgradability.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- OpenEVSE Charging Stations Expert hand-built, USA-assembled EV charging stations based on proven OpenEVSE open-source hardware. They offer adjustable current from 6A to 48A, a 3.5-inch color LCD, WiFi control with open APIs, MQTT support, real-time solar diversion, energy and kWh monitoring, temperature monitoring with safety shutdown, and compatibility with SAE J1772 (North America) and IEC Type 2 Mennekes (Europe/international) plugs. Sold to individual EV owners for home, portable, and travel charging.
- Advanced Series Charging Station Flagship pre-built OpenEVSE charging station sold via the store.openevse.com Advanced Series collection, with 6A–48A adjustable output, integrated WiFi, color display, power measurement, Level 1 and Level 2 charging, and all standard safety features required by SAE J1772, UL, and NEC. Sold to individual EV owners and prosumers.
- OpenEVSE Kits (DIY charging station kits) DIY EV charging station kits intended for consumer self-assembly, packaged with all components needed to complete the build, a detailed build guide, and the OpenEVSE controller platform. Assembly requires only screwdrivers and roughly one hour, with no drilling, soldering, or crimping. Available in 30A, 40A, and 50A configurations with LCD display and color-changing status indicators. Targeted at DIY EV owners, maker communities, and educational projects.
- OpenEVSE Parts and Components Individual OpenEVSE replacement parts and OEM building blocks — including charge controllers with kWh/amp displays, 3.5-inch color LCD displays, and polycarbonate enclosures — sold to enable repairs of existing OpenEVSE stations and to let commercial manufacturers assemble their own branded EVSE products on a proven reference platform. Available in unit quantities from 1 to 10,000+ for OEM buyers.
Quantifiable outcome
- Charging time reduced from 6 hours (factory L1 EVSE) to under 2.5 hours with 30A kit
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use OpenEVSE
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
OpenEVSE technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
AI capability3 records
Feature8 records
OpenEVSE partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
OpenEVSE competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Wallbox: Wallbox manufactures Level 2 smart EV chargers (Pulsar Plus, Pulsar Core, etc.) targeting residential and SMB customers with WiFi, app control, and solar integration. Closely comparable to OpenEVSE on product (J1772/Type 2 smart chargers) and end-customer (DIY-leaning residential EV owners), but operates at much larger scale and as a closed, branded hardware company.
- ChargePoint: ChargePoint offers residential (Home Flex) and commercial networked EV chargers with WiFi, app control, and a back-end EV charging platform. It is a direct competitor on smart, networked Level 2 home charging and overlaps on managed-charging software — the same adjacent layer where OpenEVSE's open APIs and Ohm Connect integration are positioned.
- Blink Charging: Blink manufactures and distributes EV charging equipment (including residential Level 2 units) plus operates a charging network. Comparable to OpenEVSE on the home charger product line, though Blink's commercial-network focus makes it more of a competitor at the OEM/network-management software layer than on open-source hardware.
- Grizzl-E: Grizzl-E builds rugged, affordable Level 2 EV chargers for residential use, competing head-on with OpenEVSE's pre-built station product line. Similar price-performance positioning for cost-conscious DIY and prosumer EV owners, though Grizzl-E is a closed product versus OpenEVSE's open-source platform.
- Lectron: Lectron sells portable Level 1/Level 2 EV chargers and adapters direct-to-consumer online, with broad J1772 / NACS / Tesla compatibility. Highly comparable on portable J1772 hardware sold through e-commerce to DIY-leaning EV owners, and overlapping on accessory/parts SKUs that compete with OpenEVSE's parts catalog.
Broad incumbents
- Tesla (Wall Connector): Tesla's Wall Connector is the volume-leader in residential EV charging for Tesla/NACS-compatible EVs and increasingly the broader market with the NACS adoption. Broad incumbent competitor: same Level 2 home-charging category, vastly larger scale and brand pull; an existential benchmark for any small residential EVSE brand.
- Enphase (formerly JuiceBox): Enphase acquired the JuiceBox residential EV charger line, pairing it with its IQ microinverters and solar/battery energy management platform. A broad incumbent in networked residential EV charging, and the most direct solar-integration competitor to OpenEVSE's real-time solar diversion feature.
Emerging players
- Emporia Energy: Emporia sells smart EV chargers integrated with home energy monitors and its Vue energy-management app, targeting prosumer solar+battery households. Direct overlap with OpenEVSE on the solar-diversion / energy-monitoring feature set and DIY-installer customer segment, though Emporia is a closed, app-led product.
- Autel Energy: Autel Energy produces smart Level 2 AC chargers (including the MaxiCharger line) with WiFi, app control, and RFID, selling direct and through distributors. Closely comparable on networked J1772 home charging and on the rapid-pace feature competition OpenEVSE faces from app-driven emerging players.
Regional players
- FLO | AddÉnergie: FLO is a leading Canadian EV charging manufacturer and network operator with Level 2 residential products including the FLO Home X5. Comparable on J1772 residential hardware and on smart/networked software features, but primarily a Canadian/North American commercial-network operator that competes in overlapping installer channels rather than OpenEVSE's DIY e-commerce core.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
OpenEVSE social profiles
Digital presenceOpenEVSE financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
OpenEVSE leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
OpenEVSE funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
OpenEVSE M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about OpenEVSE
What does OpenEVSE do?
OpenEVSE designs, sources, and supplies open-source electric vehicle charging station hardware and software. It sells USA hand-built pre-built SAE J1772 / IEC Type 2 charging stations to consumers, screwdriver-only DIY kits for self-assembly, and OEM-grade controllers, enclosures, and parts to commercial manufacturers building their own EVSE products in volumes of 1 to 10,000+ units. Open firmware on GitHub and open APIs enable home automation, MQTT integration, and real-time solar diversion.
Is OpenEVSE a public or private company?
OpenEVSE is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was OpenEVSE founded?
OpenEVSE was founded in 2011. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is OpenEVSE based?
OpenEVSE is headquartered in Charlotte, United States, in the North America region.
How does OpenEVSE make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Pre-built Charging Stations are the primary driver. The others are DIY Kits, parts and Components and licensing to Manufacturers.
Who are OpenEVSE's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Wallbox, ChargePoint, Blink Charging, Grizzl-E and Lectron. Broad incumbents are Tesla (Wall Connector) and Enphase (formerly JuiceBox). Emerging players are Emporia Energy and Autel Energy. FLO | AddÉnergie is listed as a regional player.
Does OpenEVSE have an API?
Yes. OpenEVSE offers open APIs that allow users to control their charging station and access data. The system supports open standards-based protocols for control and automation. MQTT is supported for home automation integration, enabling automations. The API is available for all users - not restricted to enterprise.
What industry is OpenEVSE in?
OpenEVSE's product category is Electric Vehicle Charging Hardware. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMACACAE, EV Charging Hardware Manufacturing (AC/DC Chargers/Dispensers), with a secondary code of IMAGAHAH, Charging Infrastructure Components (connectors, cables, dispensers, payment/controls). Its NAICS code is 334512 and its SIC code is 3600.