Crazy process of getting quotes for NEMA 14-50

[Kichwas]

Shopping quotes for a NEMA 14-50 plug in my garage here in Hayward, CA and getting quotes from about $500 to $1700...

Pretty all over the place...

While the $500 is very tempting, it is also from the guys who didn’t ask for any photos of my electrical panel or garage...

Going to call them up and see if they’re still there once they have info...

I am almost thinking of holding off for a bit and redirecting the money to wrapping the car in a coating and trying my luck with a standard plug and chargers at work...
(I also thing I will take a tape measure and measure the distance from my laundry room, through my hall, into the garage, and out to the driveway... because if that’s shorter than I think it is...)

How hot do these charge cables get when fully going? Should I NOT run it through my house over a hardwood floor or is it just warn to the touch?

It’s pretty bizzare though how different the quotes are... definitely something people should take stock of... get as many bids as you can get before you get this done as there appears to be no “market rate” yet...

 

[dhrivnak]

If installed properly the cables should NOT get hot. Maybe slightly warm but not hot as hot indicated a problem. I installed three NEMA 14-50 plugs in my garage for about $300. Fortunately my panel is in the garage as well.

I also REALLY LIKE the ability to charge at 240V so I would definitely add a plug rather than wrapping.

 

[Kichwas]

$300 wow. When I got my most recent quote today from a place wanting $1700 I was a bit floored...

Gonna keep on searching.

 

[Nocturnal]

Warm not hot. I'd suggest going for the plug, you will do it sooner or later. Getting by with 110 and work charging works ok, until it doesn't.

 

[Eno Deb]

The price depends a lot on how far the outlet will be away from the panel, and if there is still room for the breakers in the panel. If it's far away, that can significantly increase both labor and material cost. But then, there are also huge differences between the contractors. I have received quotes in a similar range as you just for installing an outlet right next to the panel. Given that I may move out in the not too distant future and hence don't want to invest too much, I am now considering building a simple switch box to be able to share my 10-30 dryer outlet between dryer and car. Not quite as fast as 14-50, but still 4 times faster than a standard 120V outlet.

 

[Kichwas]

Yeah my situation is also a next ti panel one.

I am on solar so I actually have 2 panels. My outside panel is duplicated inside next to my solar invertor and right near there is where I want the plug.

I wonder if the difference in quotes is about contractors thinking they do ir do not have ti drill through my wall...

Hmmm...
I will have to be extra clear on that next round of quotes I get and see if it bumps things up or down.

 

[Need]

(I also thing I will take a tape measure and measure the distance from my laundry room, through my hall, into the garage, and out to the driveway... because if that’s shorter than I think it is...)

There is no way the UMC is long enough to reach outside the garage. If you are parked inside the garage backing in...and if you hall is very very short.. maybe.

 

[Pied]

That's a large spread. Do you mind sharing who you got quoted from? You can DM them to me if you don't want to make them public. I'm in Union City.

I want to get a 14-50 installed and also have my circuit breaker panel replaced.

 

[Kichwas]

That's a large spread. Do you mind sharing who you got quoted from?

I will have to look them up again in the evening. What I did is go down the list I got on tesla’s “find an electrician” page for my location, which probably only a few miles from you, so we’ll get the same list.

I just went through everyone on the first two pages. It’s time for me to hit the next few pages, and call back the lowest of those quotes to hash details and see if they change their minds...

 

[MorrisonHiker]

Given that I may move out in the not too distant future and hence don't want to invest too much, I am now considering building a simple switch box to be able to share my 10-30 dryer outlet between dryer and car. Not quite as fast as 14-50, but still 4 times faster than a standard 120V outlet.

Dryer Buddy™

 

[Need]

I will have to look them up again in the evening. What I did is go down the list I got on tesla’s “find an electrician” page for my location, which probably only a few miles from you, so we’ll get the same list.

I just went through everyone on the first two pages. It’s time for me to hit the next few pages, and call back the lowest of those quotes to hash details and see if they change their minds...

Forget the Tesla "Find An Electrician who will know I bought a Tesla and will try to rip me off" page. Go to Yelp and look for the Best Rated Electrician your local area. Message the ones that responses in under a few hours. Tell them you need to install the NEMA 14-50 outlet and tell them approximately how far away from the panel. All the ones I asked want to see a picture of the panel, so you should probably get one ready in case they asked!

 

[Glamisduner]

I had mine done for $1100 Plus whatever I paid for the commercial 14-50. Parts alone were around $650 according to the contractor. Not having to chase conduit up in my attic is priceless though

Certainly shop around, but keep in mind permitted work will cost more than an electrician doing it on the side. Some installs are much more expensive than others.

Ask each contractor what they plan to use for an outlet and how they plan to route the cables ($15 lowes special or $100 commercial) and what gauge wire they intend to use. I paid for 4awg to ensure I could upgrade the wall connector later if needed. How many hours will it take to complete the install? Does the contractor need to belly crawl through attic insulation (my case)?

I too have solar in my garage with a sub-panel there, but the conduit was not wide enough to use for 6awg or even 8awg in addition to the solar wires.

 

[davewill]

Get them to break out different costs as much as you can to help you decide who's quote makes sense. Make sure whoever you pick handles the permitting and inspection. If they tell you that it's not needed, cross them off the list because they're a hack, not an electrician. Don't try running some sort of extension through the house except, maybe, as a one time desperation measure. This is not something to cut corners on.

 

[Eno Deb]

Dryer Buddy™

Yeah, I saw that. But he has months-long shipping times and the boxes that switch (as opposed to just splitting which is dangerous) are kind of expensive (~$300) and overkill for me. I will probably rig something up using a mechanical high load switch.

 

[Kichwas]

So if you’re going to move soon... that 110v plug will get you about 30-50 miles overnight depending on how long it’s sitting. If that can meet your needs, even if you need a supercharger to carry a little gap; do that and get a proper setup once you move.

I just bought my house a year ago so for me, I am not planning any moves any time soon.

Oh and yeah... all the quotes above 800 that I got include a permit that was from 500-800... now sure how a permit could have anything but one price, but that doea explain why they were so high. Also makes me wonder how the $500 quote was as low as it was (it had no breakdown).

I think I will try my luck on yelp. I went with the Tesla page hoping it would mean things like proper panel and grounding setup.

But yeah... I’m not rich, I am here because I won the car return lottery. VW is paying me half the price of a tesla for my 8 year old diesel because their German engineers lied to the German government...

 

[GutsyGibbon]

Yeah my situation is also a next ti panel one.
I am on solar so I actually have 2 panels. My outside panel is duplicated inside next to my solar invertor and right near there is where I want the plug.

I have a similar setup with a SolarCity Inverter and a extension panel inside the garage. I had a spare breaker on the outside panel, so I was able to get a Nema 14-50 installed for $400 (including parts, 50A breaker, cables, housing etc). I asked for referrals on social media, and Nextdoor. A ton of neighbors were using the same handyman for EV charger installs.

Some installers assumed there was no room in the outside panel by looking at pics. I had breakers where the output was not going anywhere. They were spares. In my opinion, a good electrician should visit the site, inspect everything physically and explain the quote.

 

[JoshPA]

For reference:

I had two 14-50's installed. One install was on the same wall as the panel, about 3 feet away, surface mount. Cost was $135. (Yes, $135).

Second (different house) was in the garage, adjacent wall to the panel, about 22 feet run, surface mount conduit, with a controller for generator that will delay power coming back on after the generator comes online, and then shed the load if needed. Total cast was $600 (that controller box is a little over $100). Could have had it done for less but I like to use the electrician that did the generator install because I know they stock parts and will come out when it fails in the middle of an extended outage.

 

[Glamisduner]

I have a similar setup with a SolarCity Inverter and a extension panel inside the garage. I had a spare breaker on the outside panel, so I was able to get a Nema 14-50 installed for $400 (including parts, 50A breaker, cables, housing etc). I asked for referrals on social media, and Nextdoor. A ton of neighbors were using the same handyman for EV charger installs.

Some installers assumed there was no room in the outside panel by looking at pics. I had breakers where the output was not going anywhere. They were spares. In my opinion, a good electrician should visit the site, inspect everything physically and explain the quote.

Indeed they really need to estimate after an inspection. Lucky you had room in the conduit. I wonder sometimes if they could have added the 14-50 off mine if I had gone with 8awg wire.

 

[angelman]

Just by way of a marker price. My installation was about $200. The Nema socket is right next to the panel so really couldn't be any cheaper. I think this probably represents the lowest cost you could get. This is with a licensed electrician, installed to code though without permits (though I think permits where I live in LA are about $25 electrician said). To install in my garage would involve digging a trench and would cost much more - maybe $2k or more. This was with a outdoor lockable outlet box.

 

[G35Rocker]

I just got a quote from a Tesla "Find An Electrician". They will be installing a NEMA 14-50 receptacle next to my electrical box for $750. This includes the permit and inspections. They also have to re-arrange some of the circuits in the box to accommodate the new EV Breaker. This electrician happens to be the same electrician that installed my solar panels a few years ago, so I trust them.