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$5000 install for 100 amp service.....

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Welcome to Chicago. :)

$5000 seems excessive but it depends upon what you mean by "snaking" the conduit. It may involve a lot of work that we can't see based on your description.
 
$5000 sounds about right for all that work (as long as they have a several year warranty on the work and this cost includes permit/inspection)

i did the following and it costs $2100 (the service to my house is already 100A)

100A Garage sub panel with some crazy armored cable
50A breaker for NEMA 14-50 outlet
NEMA 14-50 Outlet (30ft run)
15A Breaker for NEMA 5-15 outlet
NEMA 5-15 Outlet (4ft run, maybe for a future electric motorcycle)

to replace the main box with a 100A and everything inside costs alot of money and labor.

also for the HPWC i wouldnt run anything less than 100A to the unit, and your main service should be a minimum of 150A if not 200A
the HPWC is kind of useless unless you have dual chargers on your car, if you only have a single then a nema 14-50 will already max charging the car at 31miles/hr while being quite a bit cheaper.
 
In Houston I had a 150 amp service. I had a gas dryer, water heaters and range. Although the home was built for an electric dryer. When I had my Blink charger installed on a 40 amp breaker, the city inspector required a load analysis even though the Chevrolet Volt would never draw more than 13 amps. I had to upgrade to a 200 amp service which entailed runing larger guage wire from the transformer to the service panel. I was lucky that I didn't need to replace the breaker box. I can't imagine the cost for going to a 100 amp service from my main breaker. I suspect they weould have rquired and additional service panel.
 
Well, I did it. Had the HPWC and 100amp charger installed over the weekend after taking delivery on the car on Friday. I did use another contractor, with a MUCH lower price for install. I'm really happy with the work....and like that I was able to have the car 90% charged with a quickness after driving it home Friday and then all day on Saturday.

If anyone in IL needs a referral or wants to see the install 1st hand, just let me know.
 
That's not that different from what I'm paying. I'm paying $4500 to replace my main panel with a 200A panel (and 2 meters) and running conduit for a HPWC. I just wish the electrician wasn't so bloody slow getting back to me about stuff I needed to get the permits.
 
I paid $1250 to run 240 V 100 Amp service about 90 feet to my garage through basements and attics. That included a breaker box in the garage and several 240 outlets. What's the breakdown in your estimate? I wouldn't be surprised if half the cost is rewiring your existing main panel, especially if it's old and looks like a rat's nest inside. But $5,000 stills seems way high. Get another estimate or two.

I chose to "future proof" the installation for possible multiple EVs in the future. Another reason for the heavier 100 Amp cable is lower loss, even when if it's only used for charging at less than 50 Amps. Over a long period of time, the extra cable cost is recovered in less power loss in the cable.
 
I ended up under $2000 including install and all parts/hardware. Electrician is really interested in getting more Tesla owners to use him, as more cars are sold to owners out in my area. I had to agree to allow his potential customers of Tesla owners to look over this install. I told him that if he did great work, I would have offered to do that for him for free anyway (I happen to be a CRM consultant and make it a point to refer and share positive customer experiences so that those businesses will have a better chance to flourish).

Here's all that was done:

  • 1" 100amp line from outside meter box into basement fuse panel was replaced with a 2.5" 200 amp line
  • Fuse panel with 24 breakers was replaced with 50 breaker panel in the basement
  • Power Surge protector installed just before the main fuse panel (sold to me at his contractor cost)
  • Voltage regulator installed just after the main fuse panel (given and installed for free seeing that he had one sitting in his truck and saw that I run quite a few electronics from home due to my business; I think he felt guilty that he thought I thought he was trying to upsell me more stuff during the process of install.
  • 24 breaker fuse panel from basement was reused in garage
  • ~150 foot of conduit was laid from basement fuse box to garage fuse box and then to HPWC
  • 1 14-50 NEMA outlet installed pending 2nd visit
  • 6 standard outlets installed pending 2nd visit


All in all, I think I ended up on a good deal. I know people have suggested just skipping the whole HPWC, but it seemed as if I needed to upgrade the incoming line and the basement fuse panel anyway. We are planning to finish our basement and our garage....the original panel just didn't have enough spots for doing either. Having to draw a 50 amp line in the garage anyway, I figured I may as well just have everything 'once and done' and have what I want from the get-go. Sure I may not use to the full potential from the things I want, but at least I'm happy. That's what's important anyway....I could have had and used a Nissan Leaf more to its potential, but got a Model S.

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Only problem with this install is that I almost always have to back the car into the garage.

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It wasn't until we got the car home and realized how wide the car is. Really, it's like a normal car...but for my wife and me, 'normal' cars have been BMW 3-series sized cars or smaller. We had a Toyota Highlander Hybrid and currently have a Toyota Tacoma, but both those sat/sit outside on the driveway. Backing that wide a55 up into the garage is un-nerving, especially without hearing engine spool up and not be able to slip a clutch.

I'm learning to turn 'creep' on when backing into the garage, when it's normally off.