Electricians Ripping Off EV Owners

[Max*]

As has been expounded on forever ---there is the electrical work a Homeowner can do, but is it safe, and even if safe is it legal. If a fire happens, and you did not use a licensed electrician, your insurance may not pay. How much is that worth?

In many jurisdictions you can still get a permit to do the work yourself. So if you're in one of those jurisdictions, do the work yourself, have it inspected, insurance would be required to pay.

 

[Sharkbait]

It's like cussing out a high-end steak place for their prices when "you can get the same steak for $12.95 at any restaurant!"

Well... not really. The guy going into $12.95 steakhouse might be driving a Tesla and sitting next to a guy that pulled in with his 1997 Camry with 240K on the odometer. The difference is that they both got same, reasonably priced steak and stayed away from Ruth's Criss Steakhouse.......

 

[thefortunes]

4 colored and coated conductors of 6 AWG run 62 cents foot X 4 or $2.48 a running foot at Home Depot.

Or you can order from various online shops for $0.32-$0.40 per foot (I just did this last week).

Two 75' runs (one for the Tesla HPWC for the Model S, one for a NEMA 14-50 for the Roadster) and my total cost for all supplies (wire, breakers, conduit, straps, box, receptacle, etc...) was < $300.

 

[Sharkbait]

Or you can order from various online shops for $0.32-$0.40 per foot (I just did this last week).

Ya, I know but I'm a Home Depot shareholder as well, so it's not quite that bad. It's my duty to keep the share price up

 

[Max*]

Well... not really. The guy going into $12.95 steakhouse might be driving a Tesla and sitting next to a guy that pulled in with his 1997 Camry with 240K on the odometer. The difference is that they both got same, reasonably priced steak and stayed away from Ruth's Criss Steakhouse.......

You lost me with your debunking of his analogy.

 

[msnow]

Agreed. A couple times a week we get callers that get seriously mad at us for charging $398-$698 for a detail job "when they can get the same thing for $125 down the street!" It's like cussing out a high-end steak place for their prices when "you can get the same steak for $12.95 at any restaurant!"
I understand we're just talking about a simple outlet installation but still, providing a free quote isn't hurting anybody and certainly isn't ripping anybody off. The OP is obviously smart enough to get the job done himself and save money, but many people are not, or can not, or are not willing to do it themselves, for those people there are contractors.

OT. If a detailer down here told me they wanted to charge me $700 for a full detail (no paint correction no nano coating) I'd think they were ripping me off too. Must be very different up there.

 

[MorrisonHiker]

Did they come down from Ideldale? is that hole-in-the wall breakfast joint still there?- serving a great meal with a load of attitude {bring me my eggs NOW and step on it----so the owner did indeed step on his eggs as demanded, full price}.

Nope, they were from Denver. Yes, the breakfast place is still there...but I think it's actually in Kittredge, not Idledale.

 

[David99]

We had many discussions here about this subject. I think it silly to argue that since you payed $100k for a car you should accept overpriced service. The price of a car has absolutely nothing to do with the price of installing a simple outlet.

Installing an outlet to code is not rocket science. With a little bit of education it's a fairly simple task. It does not require a college degree. We all have no problem paying a contractor for their time, their business expenses and the convenience of having someone come out and do all the work for us. The problem is not that, the problem is the unreasonable high prices that are no justified. I hire and pay for a lot of different contractors and they all have to run their business and make a profit. But none of them charges me rates anywhere near what electricians want. My plumber, my AC/heating guy, pool service, gardener, ... All of them have very reasonable and transparent rates. Only the electrician wanted $500 an hour plus materials plus his time for getting the permit.

 

[Sharkbait]

Inspector coming coming tomorrow and S75 being delivered on Friday. I guarantee I'll be charging on Friday night, all for $155 (including permit) and a little of my time.

Inspector just left. He blessed the installation and said it looked very professional. Now I get to use most of that excess power my solar array has been producing and sending to Edison for which they gave me peanuts!

 

[joebiker25]

I got quotes from $1500 to $5000 for a 240 Volt NEMA 14-50 outlet install in my garage from Tesla recommended electricians. I found a licensed electrician on Yelp who specializes in EV charging setups and he charged me $675. I spent $115 for a city permit and inspection. The outlet was installed on the other side of the wall from the main panel so very little #6 wire needed.

 

[David99]

I got quotes from $1500 to $5000 for a 240 Volt NEMA 14-50 outlet install in my garage from Tesla recommended electricians. I found a licensed electrician on Yelp who specializes in EV charging setups and he charged me $675. I spent $115 for a city permit and inspection. The outlet was installed on the other side of the wall from the main panel so very little #6 wire needed.

That's a perfect example.

 

[Sharkbait]

I spent $115 for a city permit and inspection. The outlet was installed on the other side of the wall from the main panel so very little #6 wire needed.

Except for the cost, your installation was similar to mine. Permit was the same price here and also like you I went through the wall to the backside of the panel. Used a little more than a foot of wiring but bought three feet of each just to be safe. Like I said, the Tesla electricians are vultures, preying on folks that mostly have deep pockets.

 

[Chopr147]

First, I have to say that I have a good electrician but he recently quoted me almost $500 to install a NEMA 14-50 outlet, not including the $115 the city wanted for a permit. WTF? Once on site this is a one hour job if you know what you're doing and fairly close to the main panel. How do they justify brain surgeon hourly rates? Yes, because they can get away it. I'll admit that long runs of conduit take extra time but.... Most people I know charge overnight in their garage, and the main panel is usually located on an exterior wall of the garage. If not, I guess I'm lucky.

Got the permit and went down to my local Home Depot and picked up $40 worth of quality parts. Installation took about an hour. I'm not an electrician. Used a circular hole saw from inside my panel to the interior wall, a small metal conduit with nuts and nipples (to prevent wire insulation chaffing). My receptacle was installed directly behind the main panel, two legs of 120V on a 50 amp breaker, a neutral and a ground using 6 AWG wire. All ready for the city inspector. My advice is to stay as close to the main panel as you can to keep the cost down. But really, $500-$1,000?

If you know absolutely nothing about electricity, hire an electrician. Pay the vultures but do a search for better prices. Angie's List often has deals for licensed contractors that will do a great job for far less. Better yet, take out your own permit, hire a good DIY guy with the agreement that he only gets paid after the inspector signs off. Plenty of videos on this topic as well.

Inspector coming coming tomorrow and S75 being delivered on Friday. I guarantee I'll be charging on Friday night, all for $155 (including permit) and a little of my time.

It's like a specialty item even though it's only a 220 outlet. I paid $600 and it was near the panel. Yes it was high but i'm actually very happy I went with the higher estimate. Professional job in 60 minutes. 1 minute for each kwh Organized my panel while they were here.
Now I had to put a second 14-50 in my upstate lake-house. That one i did myself for $55 but all I had to do was tap off of an electric oven with a 50 amp. breaker. Lucky me

 

[Sharkbait]

It's like a specialty item even though it's only a 220 outlet.

It's not really a specialty item. In many respects, it's like the very common electric stove or dryer outlet installed in your house. It has a 50A breaker instead of 30A, it has four conductors instead of three but the ground and neutral are tied to same common bus bar in the main panel. At least for me it was.

 

[AWDtsla]

It's like a specialty item even though it's only a 220 outlet.

It's like $6, available at almost any hardware store. No specialty here.

 

[Sharkbait]

You lost me with your debunking of his analogy.

Two guys paid the same amount for the steak and ate at the same place - right? Now, ask an electrician how much for a NEMA 14-50 for your $4,000 tig welder you use for a hobby in your garage. Then have another friend call the same electrician and get a quote for NEMA 14-50 for his $130,000 Tesla P100DL. Any bets on the quote for the same outlet from the same electrician being the same? That's the difference and the analogy I'm trying to make.

 

[Max*]

Two guys paid the same amount for the steak and ate at the same place - right? Now, ask an electrician how much for a NEMA 14-50 for your $4,000 tig welder you use for a hobby in your garage. Then have another friend call the same electrician and get a quote for NEMA 14-50 for his $130,000 Tesla P100DL. Any bets on the quote for the same outlet from the same electrician being the same? That's the difference and the analogy I'm trying to make.

Thanks for clearing it up, but I disagree, see below (I guess above )

I told them I need an RV outlet, they came by (my car was parked far away) and the first question was "This for an EV? Do you park nose in or nose out?" Electricians aren't stupid, they realize if you want an RV outlet in your garage, it's for an EV [his price didn't change though, so I went with him]

 

[RAM_Eh]

You are 100% right too! I did it myself. When you mention NEMA 14-50, or God forbid, electric car, or even worse Tesla, the electricians go for your throat! That's not fair pricing - that's gouging!

What's gouging? That he gave you a price over the phone?

Gouging is when you tell a contractor just to do it and you get a bill for way more than its worth.

 

[MDinFL]

$250 for a 14-50 installed in my garage about a foot below one of my two panels. I have done electrical work before, but never in or around the box or with 220. I know the principles are the same, but I just felt better having it done by a pro.

 

[msnow]

240v Issues (Burning smell, charred 240v plug)