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One of the main concerns that people have when they consider buying a new electric vehicle is the availability of charging stations. Having a charging station at home is a very convenient option and makes it easy to leave your house with a full or near full ‘tank’. But, how much does it cost to install an EV charging station? Read on to find out.
Electric vehicles can be plugged into existing 120V outlets in a home with charging cables usually provided by the automaker. However, the charging speeds provided by a 120V socket are only about 10 miles per hour. To achieve Level 2 charging speeds (adds 30 to 50 miles per hour) at home, you will need to install a charging station or a 240V outlet, if not already available in your preferred charging spot, to which you can plug a charging cable into.
Charging station home installations cost on average $1300, according to JD Power; not including the cost of the charging station or service panel upgrades. When you include the charging station equipment costs, installation costs come to about $2000.
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The cost to install a charging station can be broken into the following categories:
A charging station will cost about $500-$1000 depending on amperage, and features. Higher amp stations will cost more money. A networked charging station (one that can connect to WiFi) will also be more expensive that one without the capability. For example, the Chargepoint Home Flex wall charger costs $749.
One big driver of installation costs is the distance from the charging station installation location to the electric service panel, also called a fuse box or breaker box, which provides power to the home. If a new 240V outlet or a hardwired EV charging station is being installed, they would need to be connected to the electrical panel with new wiring. Longer distances will drive up material and labor costs. For example, if the vehicle will be charged in the garage but the electrical panel is in the basement, wiring would need to run from the basement, through ceilings and possibly through walls to the electric vehicle charging station in the garage. The cheapest installation is possible when the service panel is in the garage where a vehicle will be charged and so, not a lot of wiring will be required to connect the new EV charging station.
Another major cost driver is service upgrades. Before an electrician provides you a quote, he will typically conduct a load calculation to determine whether the power being supplied to your home by the utility is sufficient enough, after accounting for your regular energy use (for example, energy used to power washers, dryers and hot tubs), to add the load for charging an electric vehicle. If it is not, you will need a service upgrade and in parallel, a service panel upgrade, which can drive up costs a few thousand dollars.
Permits are required in most jurisdictions for any new electrical work, including for installing a new outlet or an electric vehicle charger. This is to ensure that work is done to code and ultimately, to protect the occupants of the home. Moreover, permits are required to qualify for government incentives. Permits will typically cost $100-$250.
Other costs not typically associated with EV charging installation can be incurred. For example, some installations may require ripping up and replacing concrete, which will involve specialized contractors, beside the electrical contractors installing the EV charging stations. Some beautification may be necessary; for example, painting of exposed conduit. Outdoor installations typically cost more than indoor installations because the outdoor setup needs to be weather and tamper proof.
Overall, the price of installing a level 2 charging station at home can be anywhere from $1000 to $5000 or more. The main factors that drive the cost up are the wiring costs and any service panel upgrades if required. This is especially true if the service panel is located far from where the vehicle will be charged. You would be very lucky if the electric panel or an already installed 240V outlet is present right in your garage. If you have a 240V outlet present in your preferred charging location, you can easily plug in your electric vehicle using the charging cable provided by the vehicle manufacturer or plug-in a wall charger.
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