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Cost to install wall connector in NorCal?

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Super happy first time owner of a 2016 Model S 90D! Picked it up Sunday along with a Wall Connector.

So, I just had someone come out to quote installation and I was pretty shocked to hear:

$1200-$1400 to install the wall connector and add a 100 amp circuit (to future proof as wife is pondering Tesla)
OR
$1000-$1200 to install the wall connector and add a 60 amp circuit

I'm told there are 2 reasons it is expensive:
1 - They have to mount a wall disconnect to comply with code (a switch that can shut off power to the wall charger)
2 - The city I live in requires permits for this work and they run $350

Ouch. I was expecting to be less than $500, if it looked like it would be easy to run. It is super duper simple as the breaker box has plenty of empty capacity AND we literally are running the line only a few feet (the breaker box is on the outside wall of the location of the garage the connector will be).

Does any of this sound realistic in terms of pricing and other issues?
 
Congratulations on the new ride!! While I can't comment on your local installation costs (my wall charger installed in Charlotte, NC was about $700), I can recommend that you check with your electric utility for EV charger rebates. Most electric utilities offer at least a $500 rebate on an installed EV charger.
 
In San Rafael it was $500 to install the 14-50 outlet. I am expecting about the same for a wall charger if my referral code charger ever shows up. I was planning on just setting it up for 60 amps, enough for my 75D. $1200 including the permit fee is not ompletely unreasonable. Checking home depot 100A safety switches are about $110, 100A breakers can run $100, and AWG #2 wire can be tough to bend around. Add in a few hours of the electrician's time. My plumber is $150/hr, I suspect electricians are about the same. Parhaps finding a one man operation you could find a slightly better rate than from a large operation.
 
We actually just upgraded a service today. This is for solar but it would be the same for a HPWC. You can tap directly off the meter base. You just need to provide a separate breaker or fused disconnect for over current protection. If the meter base is compatible it shouldn't cost much >$500; ~$850 if you have a $350 permit :(

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You might get other estimates. Mine ran close to $2500.

I ran wire up into the garage ceiling, down a support post, and mounted the HPWC to the support post. About 20 feet of wire used. My total included permit and wall board repair to ceiling and wallboard on post that hides the wires plus new 50 Amp breaker in panel. Pulling wire was the slowest part of the process. Once that was done it took about 45 minutes to mount and connect HPWC.

My permit required the electrician to do load calcs and verify the loads throughout the home. So they had walk through the house counting outlets, number of ovens, etc.
 
Ouch. I was expecting to be less than $500, if it looked like it would be easy to run. It is super duper simple as the breaker box has plenty of empty capacity AND we literally are running the line only a few feet (the breaker box is on the outside wall of the location of the garage the connector will be).

Hard to explain away the $200+ cost difference between the two options when you’re only running wire a few feet.

If you look around I’m sure you’ll find someone who will do it for that $500 or so you were expecting. That person isn’t gonna pull a permit.

As for the service disconnect, I may be wrong, but I think this is only code required for circuits >60 amps?

I’d seek a second opinion or two.
 
Buy your own parts and pay for labor ..that is a simple run I did same thing back to back install (less than 5ft run ) parts were under $100... take a Pic of box and @eprosenx I’m sure can guide you on parts needed :);)
 
probably the first thing you need to do is to find out how many amps your car can take, ie does it have double chargers 80A, single charger 40A or single charger 72A.

If your car can only accept 40A then either a 14-50 or HPWC set to 50A is all you need and you won't need to worry about the disconnect (only necessary for greater than 60A). If you have one of the higher power options (72A or 80A) then you probably want to have a 90-100A circuit and cost will be more depending on the how far the run will be from the breaker box.

Just had a HPWC installed at my house today and it cost me $825 for a run less than 5 foot from the breaker box. Since the house has a 200A box and my panel was pretty much full, he had to consolidate some of the breakers to make room for a 100A breaker with #2 wire to give me the full 72A. So if I want, I can daisy chain another HPWC in the future. My electrician claimed that since the breaker was so close to the HPWC I didn't need a separate disconnect and there is some controversy on whether or not you actually need it anyway. See HPWC thread....

And to be honest, most people won't need more than 40A to charge so you should consider if it's even worth it.
 
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Super happy first time owner of a 2016 Model S 90D! Picked it up Sunday along with a Wall Connector.

So, I just had someone come out to quote installation and I was pretty shocked to hear:

$1200-$1400 to install the wall connector and add a 100 amp circuit (to future proof as wife is pondering Tesla)
OR
$1000-$1200 to install the wall connector and add a 60 amp circuit

I'm told there are 2 reasons it is expensive:
1 - They have to mount a wall disconnect to comply with code (a switch that can shut off power to the wall charger)
2 - The city I live in requires permits for this work and they run $350

Ouch. I was expecting to be less than $500, if it looked like it would be easy to run. It is super duper simple as the breaker box has plenty of empty capacity AND we literally are running the line only a few feet (the breaker box is on the outside wall of the location of the garage the connector will be).

Does any of this sound realistic in terms of pricing and other issues?
Hire an electrician to put in a 50 amp plug. That is all you need. Mine cost less than $500.
 
Wow I wrote this where it say 2017 ?
I’m honestly not sure what you’re confused about.

You said a 2016 car has either single (40a) or dual (80a) chargers, and that the 72 amp charger “came around 2017”.

This is wrong. You can have a 2016 car with a 72 amp charger.

Or a 48 amp charger
Or a 40 amp charger
Or an 80 amp charger

Depending on when it was built and how it was configured.

Anyway. As I’m unsure how to make this any more clear and we’ve hijacked poor OP’s thread about getting a wall connector installed, I think I’ve said my piece.
 
Its the old 40 amp pre-refresh 90D :-(

Still, I was hoping to future proof a bit and have him run a 100 amp in case my wife ends up getting an X. And tbh, I love this car, but can see upgrading again in a few years.

Well, I'm expecting the official quote(s) tomorrow so I'll post the details to see what you guys think.

Thanks
 
Still, I was hoping to future proof a bit and have him run a 100 amp in case my wife ends up getting an X.

I guess it mostly depends on what you want from “future proof”.

Do you want to install a second wall connector on the same circuit and have them load share?

Do you just want the option of a faster charge rate if you happen to buy a used X with a 72 amp charger?

Personally I wouldn’t worry too much about either option and the whatifs. Load sharing 2 wall connectors on the same circuit might be nice for some applications but if you have plenty of panel space it’s not really much different than just running a second circuit when the time comes.

As for faster charging at home, it’s a rare case indeed when you actually NEED this. 32-48 amps at 240v is more than adequate for almost all use cases.
 
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In the Sacramento area it seemed like the basic cost was around $500 for the install if you put it close to the fuse box. The cost went up substantially the farther you have to move the box (even just to the halfway point of the garage). This didn’t seem that hard for the electrician to do, so I’m not sure why the cost went up quite so much.
 
I live in Napa and I swear any kind of professional work here costs more than I would expect elsewhere. I usually get multiple quotes on things like this but everyone is always in the same cost ballpark. Right now I don't even have a 240v outlet I can use, so I don't have time to dink around on quotes - kind of ansty to get something in place.
 
Check the cost on just getting a 14-50 outlet. It's enough for over night charging. My wife and I both use 14-50 and each outlet cost $40 to install. We can charge both cars at the same time since it's off of two different breakers.

I had it installed next to the breaker box so the wires was like 2.5 ft long. I knocked down some dry wall so the electrician can get to the box easier. I already have wires and outlet setup for him. He just needed to connect the wires to the breakers. Then I went to Home Depot and bought a sheet of drywall to patch it myself.

Only took the electrician an hour to wire both. He charged me $80. Materials I bought was like $80. My drywall in the garage looks like crap but my garage is not finished so I don't care.
 
Personally I would forget the future proofing bit and go with the 60A (or less) solution with no shutoff requirement. Even if you have 2 Teslas, with 200+ mile daily range do you need to charge both of them every night? Or is alternating an option? Might be best to just wait and see

Second, since you are in California you are in the most dense concentrations of Superchargers in the world. I have 5 (soon 6) within 15 miles of my NorCal house. So if you do run a little low while you are out and about, you can stop by a Supercharger for a quick top up.

I know I worried a lot more about charging before I got the car. Once I go the car, the reality was that I did not need to charge as much as I thought I did, and there were a lot more charging options beside at home.
 
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