Can I install an EV charger without upgrading my electrical panel?

Yes. Variablegrid's Adaptive Power Management measures your panel's available capacity in real time and dynamically throttles your EV charger so it never exceeds the panel's safe limit. About 50% of North American homes can avoid the $4,000 to $30,000 electrical service upgrade quote this way.

What is Adaptive Power Management (APM)?

Adaptive Power Management is patented hierarchical software that senses, decides, and controls electrical loads in milliseconds. It turns the panel you already have into a smart, responsive system that can add EV charging without an upgrade. Recognized under CEC 8-106(10) and NEC 625.42 energy management provisions.

How much does a Level 2 EV charger cost to install with Variablegrid?

Available nationally in Canada through Kia Canada dealerships, with turn-key installation by a certified electrician at point of sale. No service entrance changes, no permits beyond a standard EV charger install. Significantly less than the $4,000-$30,000 a service upgrade typically requires.

Does Variablegrid work in condos and multi-family buildings?

Yes. VarianPro is a patented EV Energy Management System (EVEMS) that turns existing electrical capacity in multi-unit residential buildings into charging for every parking stall. 40+ buildings deployed, 1,000+ stalls live across Canada.

Is Variablegrid certified to electrical codes in Canada and the US?

Yes. CSA certified. The technology is recognized as an EVEMS under CEC Section 8-106(10) in Canada and NEC 625.42 in the United States, both of which permit dynamic load management as an alternative to a service upgrade.

Variablegrid — Adaptive Power Management for EV Charging

Chosen by Hover to pause

BC HydroUtility · Demand response

Kia CanadaOfficial EV charging partner

Manulife CentreFlagship commercial deployment

HyperchargeIntegration partner · TSXV: HC

Pacific Northern GasUtility · Skye's Place trial

Metro VancouverRegional government

Polygon HomesBuilder · Deep Cove reference

Leading Ahead EnergyCarbon credit partner

Reliable ElectricLead installer partner

QualicoHomebuilder · Bailey

FirstService ResidentialProperty manager · 1111 Haro

Tribe ManagementProperty manager · Hartford Lane

Quay PacificProperty manager · The Promenade

Dwell PropertyProperty manager · Soma Lofts

01 · The Problem

The barrier to EV charging is power, not range.

Half of North American homes can't run a fast Level 2 charger on the panel they already have. Most condos and multi-family buildings can't either. The grid was built for an earlier era of demand.

$4K-$30K

Per home · Service upgrade quote

Killed at the dealer lot, every day. The electrical service upgrade quote is what ends the EV conversation before it starts. Same story in condos, just at building scale.

EVs are doubling household electricity demand

Every EV sold needs a charging plan. Half of those plans hit the panel wall.

Heat pumps and induction add more load

Electrification compounds the same problem on the same panels.

Utilities can't build their way out

Demand flexibility is now the cheapest capacity. Variablegrid delivers it on the customer side of the meter.

02 · Solutions

One platform. Every building.

Adaptive Power Management is the orchestration software underneath. Four product configurations fit it to the building you have.

Homeowners

VarianHOME

Single family

Smart home charging that turns your existing electrical panel into a Level 2 EV station, no service upgrade required. Available nationally through Kia Canada.

For EV buyers at the dealership

Buildings

VarianPRO

Multi-family · Commercial · Fleet

Patented EV Energy Management System that turns existing electrical capacity into charging for every parking space.

For property managers, CPOs, and fleets

Hybrid

VarianSENSE

Townhouse · Multi-tier

Hierarchical coordination that protects both the individual panel and the shared site service, so every home in a complex can charge.

For builders and townhouse developments

Integrations

VarianAPI

Utilities · OEMs · CPOs

Standard APIs that connect Variablegrid to the systems your EV, building, or charger network already runs on.

For utilities and platform partners

03 · See it work

Add appliances. Watch what happens.

A 100A panel with a 48A EV charger. Click household loads on the left and watch the EV charger adapt in real time, full draw when there's room, dialed down when there isn't.

Your panel, in real time

The EV charger wants 48A. The breaker trips at 100A. Toggle Variablegrid on to see the orchestration layer dial the charger down in real time so the panel never trips.

Base household

EV charger

48A

Central AC

15A

Dryer

23A

Range / oven

25A

Washer

Dishwasher

10A

Water heater

19A

0A25A50A75A100A

80% · NEC

Trip · 100A

0%25%50%75%100%

0A/ 100A panel

Within limit

Live · EV charger

RS48 48A J1772 / NACS

Delivering full request

48A

Click loads to the left to add them to the panel. Base household load is always on. The EV charger is plugged in and requesting 48A.

04 · How it connects

Patented load management makes legacy infrastructure smart.

No new service wires. The panel you already have, plus a sensor and a controller that talk to your charger and your car.

Sense. Compute. Control.

Closed loop, in milliseconds, on the panel you already own

Existing

100A PanelNo upgrade

Variablegrid

VarianHOMESense + Compute

L2 charger

RS4811.5 kW · J1772 + NACS

Vehicle

EVJ1772 / NACS

Measure at the panel

Decide in milliseconds

Throttle the charger

Report to the utility

Patent-protected hierarchical coordination · CSA certified

05 · For partners

Built with the people putting EVs in driveways and parking spaces.

Variablegrid partners with automotive OEMs, utilities, electricians, fleet operators, property managers, and the charge point operators behind them.

Automotive OEMs

White-label home charging through the dealership channel. Variablegrid is the official EV charging partner of Kia Canada, with turn-key home install offered at point of sale.

Live · Kia Canada

Utilities

A controllable load on the customer side of the meter. Hierarchical demand response flattens peaks across thousands of chargers without touching the grid.

Live · BC Hydro

Property Managers

EV charging for every stall in your building without a service upgrade or a billing headache. We handle installation, load balancing, and resident billing.

40+ buildings deployed

Fleet Operators

Real-time control over every depot charger, automatic off-peak optimization, and the confidence that every vehicle is ready when the shift starts.

Depot + last-mile ready

The Electrical Industry

EV charging as an easy add to your service mix. We bring the platform, the training, and the load management that lets you say yes to buildings other contractors turn down.

Installer network · Canada-wide

CPOs & Integrators

The EVEMS platform turns constrained electrical service into deliverable charging capacity, expanding the addressable market for your hardware, your network, or your integration services.

VarianAPI · Standard endpoints

The VarianPro EVEMS has allowed us to install 80 EV charging outlets for owners without the need for a costly upgrade to our electrical service. We have the comfort of knowing that as the need arises, Variablegrid's solution will allow every owner who wants a charger to install one.

★★★★★

Peter K.

Property Manager · Cates Landing · 80 stalls deployed

The ability to set charging priorities and adapt to energy demands in real-time has enabled us to install more chargers than we thought possible.

★★★★★

Jackie K.

Property Manager

Variablegrid's EVEMS has been a pivotal addition to our service offerings and added a new, profitable revenue center.

★★★★★

Kevin S.

Installation Partner

Variablegrid removes the cost and infrastructure barriers for EV adoption.

★★★★★

David S.

Director of Strategic Planning · Kia Canada

06 · For homeowners

Charge an EV at home. Skip the upgrade.

Most homeowners shopping for an EV get quoted four to thirty thousand dollars for a service upgrade. Variablegrid makes the panel you already own smart enough to charge at full speed without one.

50%

Of North American homes need a panel upgrade for L2 charging

Variablegrid eliminates the upgrade for most of them. Same 48A charger, same 11.5 kW, on the panel you already have.

1

Buy an EV through a Variablegrid OEM partner Available nationally through Kia Canada at point of sale. More OEMs coming.
2

A certified electrician installs VarianHOME and your RS48 charger Turn-key install on your existing panel. No service entrance changes, no permits beyond standard EV charger install.
3

Charge at full speed, every night Variablegrid measures the panel in real time and gives the charger every amp the house isn't using. The breaker never sees a spike.

Talk to our team → Find an installer

07 · The hardware

The brain that makes your panel smart.

VarianHOME mounts beside your existing panel and turns it into a smart, responsive system. Sensing, decision-making, and charger orchestration in one weatherproof device.

Continuous sensing on both legs of your service. Real-time orchestration of the EV charger. Time-of-use scheduling, demand response, and over-the-air firmware updates that keep installed units current without a service call.

Pairs with the Variablegrid RS48 Level 2 charger as a complete home install, or with any compliant J1772 charger via standard control signals. Designed and built in Toronto.

Power

5V DC2.0A

Connectivity

Wi-Fi+ Ethernet

Sensing

L1 / L2CT clamps

Pairs with

RS48+ standard J1772

Updates

OTAfirmware

Made

TorontoCanada