Help, One Electrician Wanted To Charge $1500

[TMThree]

2. If I don’t use Tesla electrician, warranty on my new model 3 that I’m picking up Monday is void

There is no such thing.

What Tesla does after you buy a new car, is send surveys. They will ask what electrician you used. If you say you used ElectricianX and they did a good job, Tesla will add ElectricanX to their list of installers for others to use.

I know this because the place I used wasn't on the Tesla list, but he was added within the month after I had told Tesla the name and contact info for him.


Unfortunately now that he has more business from Tesla, his install price went from $216 (for my install) to $350 (For my coworker's install who purchased after I did). Once they get more business, they will increase the price.

There is no requirement to use only those listed. It's a standard NEMA 14-50, nothing Tesla specific about it (other than installing it upside down so ground is pointed up instead of down)

My 14-50 install was super simple - the first 2 installers from the Tesla list wanted $500 and $400 for it. So you can see how little I actually paid ($216) by comparison by shopping around first.

 

[Goutami]

The guy sounds crooked - find someone else.
That being said, the copper wire for a 75 foot run is a significant cost...I would think 400-500 in parts..
Are you just putting in a Nema 14-50? Tell the next electrician that you are doing the project for your new Nissan Leaf coming soon and that you want to future proof it for the day you can afford a Tesla

Ha ha, I like your thinking. I actually called a few friends with friends who have Teslas around me, and one electrician charges 500, so I’m assuming he skipped the 378 permit.
I am putting in a Nema 14/50 I got on amazon for super cheap but other comments on here told me to get a better one so I will.
Does anyone know if I can use an extension cord? Like instead of the electrician running the wires to the garage, he just puts it by the breaker box and I run a 30ft cord I saw for 199.00. Some Tesla owners on this site said don’t do it and others said they did it.

 

[Goutami]

There is no such thing.

What Tesla does after you buy a new car, is send surveys. They will ask what electrician you used. If you say you used ElectricianX and they did a good job, Tesla will add ElectricanX to their list of installers for others to use.

I know this because the place I used wasn't on the Tesla list, but he was added within the month after I had told Tesla the name and contact info for him.


Unfortunately now that he has more business from Tesla, his install price went from $216 (for my install) to $350 (For my coworker's install who purchased after I did). Once they get more business, they will increase the price.

There is no requirement to use only those listed. It's a standard NEMA 14-50, nothing Tesla specific about it (other than installing it upside down so ground is pointed up instead of down)

My 14-50 install was super simple - the first 2 installers from the Tesla list wanted $500 and $400 for it. So you can see how little I actually paid ($216) by comparison by shopping around first.

Thanks, I didn’t know about the upside down part!

 

[Goutami]

As others have said, stay away from this guy, it's a scammer. Using another electrician does not affect the warranty.

That said, running a wire from one end of the house to the other can get expensive, both in labor and material. Also, I would recommend to use an industrial-grade outlet rather than the $11 model from Amazon. EV charging generates a high continuous load, and the cheap outlets usually don't have particularly durable contacts. That's saving in the wrong place.

Thanks I’ll return it and get another one. None are too pricey.

Does anyone know if I can use an extension cord? Like instead of the electrician running the wires to the garage, he just puts it by the breaker box and I run a 30ft cord I saw for 199.00. Some Tesla owners on this site said don’t do it and others said they Did it and it works fine.

 

[Goutami]

I did it myself. Cost: HPWC-$500, Wires, Breakers and hardware - $200.

I’m actually terrified of doing it on my own but am super impressed you did it.

 

[Goutami]

Thanks I’ll return it and get another one. None are too pricey.

Does anyone know if I can use an extension cord? Like instead of the electrician running the wires to the garage, he just puts it by the breaker box and I run a 30ft cord I saw for 199.00. Some Tesla owners on this site said don’t do it and others said they Did it and it works fine.

I did it myself. Cost: HPWC-$500, Wires, Breakers and hardware - $200.

I did it myself. Cost: HPWC-$500, Wires, B


Does you know if I can use an extension cord? Like instead of the electrician running the wires to the garage, he just puts it by the breaker box and I run a 30ft cord I saw for 199.00. Some Tesla owners on this site said don’t do it and others said they

Here's a short video of my 85 foot 14-50 install to my detached driveway. Having an unfinished basement made it a lot easier. I did almost all of it myself, except for letting my electrician connect the wires to the socket and to the breaker, he was at the house for some other stuff anyway. This video is more of an overview, it doesn't go into all the technical details, it presumes prior knowledge.

https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=SwcZ4p5sEWI

 

[Big Dog]

I obtained a half dozen quotes and all of the Tesla-approved quotes were pricey, almost 2x of the local guys. Went with a local, licensed and bonded electrician. It did cost ~$1300 to install a sub-panel and run a cable from one side of the garage up thru the attic crawl space and back down the other side. Took two guys nearly 4 hours total. If I recall, parts were ~300 of that total.

So price might be reasonable, but the comments he made about the warranty are a crock of....

 

[Goutami]

To be clear, I'm not taking a position on the cost. Simply taking advantage of an ignorant consumer by misstating warranty requirements is grounds for being removed from consideration.

I get what both of you are saying but what insurance is going to be voided? The car? The house? Other states no permit or permit is $40. $400 is so typical for where I live because my county can’t spend money fast enough in its race to the bottom of the worst Atlanta metro county. Georgia wants $200 a year for registration on top of normal fee because they say I’m not paying gas tax anymore. I’m freaking paying gas tax on my other car and my Ga power bill will go up a little.
Anyway, just venting. I miss California, not the rent, just the tax credit for EVs

 

[ZOMGVTEK]

It’s super easy to do it yourself, but I wouldn’t recommend it for most people since there’s a lot of little details that can be screwed up in some odd situations. Install costs are going to vary wildly depending on how far it is, how much access there is along the way, your location, local laws, and things of that nature. For some people that have a main panel in the garage, it can be $50 in parts and 15 minutes labor. For others with detached garages far away, panels in a finished basement with no access, or situations that make it physically difficult to run the wire, it can be extremely expensive.

Most residential electricians won’t pull a permit. And at that cost I can see why. Plenty of inspected installs are not to code or questionable in some way. It’s probably not worse if the electrician wants a permit, but it’s also no guarantee the work is done properly. You can run a cord on the floor if you want, that works perfectly fine. But it’s kinda best suited for a temporary situation unless you don’t have another practical choice. Either way, I would say it would be sensible to oversize the conductor slightly and be sure to place it where it avoids physical damage. If you use something like SJOOW or SOOW and it plugs into a receptacle, it’s fine.

 

[TexasEV]

Thanks I’ll return it and get another one. None are too pricey.

Does anyone know if I can use an extension cord? Like instead of the electrician running the wires to the garage, he just puts it by the breaker box and I run a 30ft cord I saw for 199.00. Some Tesla owners on this site said don’t do it and others said they Did it and it works fine.

Do NOT use an extension cord for your regular charging setup. Doing it on the road as a one time thing is OK if you’re careful and use a 10 or 12 gauge cord, but for your daily charging setup you need to pay to have a proper circuit installed. This may sound insensitive, but if someone can’t afford to have the needed electrical work done they should reconsider if they can afford the car.

 

[Mr-T]

Thanks I’ll return it and get another one. None are too pricey.

Does anyone know if I can use an extension cord? Like instead of the electrician running the wires to the garage, he just puts it by the breaker box and I run a 30ft cord I saw for 199.00. Some Tesla owners on this site said don’t do it and others said they Did it and it works fine.

If you mean to wire an extension cord from your breaker box to your car, I’m not sure I would do that. Is that even compliant with code? In industrial applications, I’ve seen Power Whips run from PDUs to the equipment, but in a home installation, is the potential for disaster worth it?

 

[GSP]

@Goutami,

It is definitely worth shopping around a bit to find a reasonably priced electrician.

Also, since you have a long run from your panel, you should be able to save money by installing a NEMA 6-50 outlet instead of a 14-50. You will have to buy a 6-50 adapter from Tesla, but the 6-50 only needs three wires for your long run. The 14-50 requires four wires.

Good Luck with your install,

GSP

 

[Goutami]

I'm not sure why this is a problem (and why everyone is piling on the electrician). No, your warranty isn't voided. Many folks don't even install one.

But $1500 isn't unrealistic nor is the permit charges. In most metro counties, permits may be required. It's got to be inspected, hence the cost. If you skip on the inspection and something happens, it is possible that your insurance may be void.

I think people are saying him telling me I have to use a Tesla electrician from their website or warranty for car is void and no permit warranty is void - everyone on here and Tesla later told me this is not true at all. Tesla lady said “We’re Not cops and we’re not allowed into your house”. Anyway, of the 6 Tesla electricians on the site, only 2 service my out of the way county. So I have to use him or the other company or I void my warranty, according to the electrician. That’s the shady part. Maybe 1500-2000 is perfectly reasonable. It just shocked me because the Tesla salesmen told me 250-400 and my neighbors are saying it cost them 500:

 

[markb1]

It’s super easy to do it yourself, but I wouldn’t recommend it for most people since there’s a lot of little details that can be screwed up in some odd situations. Install costs are going to vary wildly depending on how far it is, how much access there is along the way, your location, local laws, and things of that nature. For some people that have a main panel in the garage, it can be $50 in parts and 15 minutes labor. For others with detached garages far away, panels in a finished basement with no access, or situations that make it physically difficult to run the wire, it can be extremely expensive.

Most residential electricians won’t pull a permit. And at that cost I can see why. Plenty of inspected installs are not to code or questionable in some way. It’s probably not worse if the electrician wants a permit, but it’s also no guarantee the work is done properly. You can run a cord on the floor if you want, that works perfectly fine. But it’s kinda best suited for a temporary situation unless you don’t have another practical choice. Either way, I would say it would be sensible to oversize the conductor slightly and be sure to place it where it avoids physical damage. If you use something like SJOOW or SOOW and it plugs into a receptacle, it’s fine.

I've seen lots of reports locally of electricians lying about the need for a permit. (I assume they're lying, not just misinformed, because a licensed electrician ought to know the rules!) Around here, you do need a permit, and the electrician is the only one who is allowed to pull the permit. (A homeowner can only pull the permit if it's a DIY job.)

 

[Goutami]

@Goutami,

It is definitely worth shopping around a bit to find a reasonably priced electrician.

Also, since you have a long run from your panel, you should be able to save money by installing a NEMA 6-50 outlet instead of a 14-50. You will have to buy a 6-50 adapter from Tesla, but the 6-50 only needs three wires for your long run. The 14-50 requires four wires.

Good Luck with your install,

GSP

Thanks, Ill look into this.

 

[Burrito]

NJ here, I quoted 3 places, I think 2 were “Tesla certified” and prices ranged from 400 to 1000 to install a plug literally 6” from my electrical box which is in my garage.

Went with the cheapest, they are fully licensed and insured, files permits with my town and took about 30 minutes.

 

[ChrisMPK]

The warranty thing is total BS. It would be reasonable to say that an HPWC would need to be installed by a licensed electrician (not necessarily a Tesla electrician) or the warranty is void. To say that about a car is just absurd.

Generally speaking most cities and counties require a permit for any EV charger and generally speaking you should get one so that the work is inspected. You can easily get away without one, and if you are knowledgeable about electrical and willing to take the risk of self-inspection then don't. You can also easily verify the cost of the required permit by calling your local building department.

The install cost could be totally reasonable, or a total ripoff as others have said. If you want to get a better feel on that post pictures of your house with details about where the wire will run (attic, crawl space, etc) and photos of your electric panel. If your main panel needs to be upgraded that could legitimately be $2000 by itself. If it is a super easy install it could be under $500 out the door. Comparing your cost to anyone else's cost, even your neighbor, is apples to oranges as their house is different.

All that being said, I installed an HPWC myself, no inspection and the materials (not including the HPWC) were about $350. It took the better part of a day running in the basement and conduit in the garage with THHN. That was facilitated by the fact that I had stubbed conduit from my main panel to the crawl during a previous upgrade. The panel was on the opposite corner of the house from the garage. I am a licensed electrical and low-voltage contractor in CA and if I were to do the same install for a customer the bill would probably come to around $2000 not including and patching or painting.

As others have said get at least one more bid from any licensed electrician, and don't use an extension cord.

 

[RedNeB]

The cost is certainly all relative to the type and complexity of the install. I'd love to find a guy who'd charge $1500. The person doing my install said on average it costs $700-900 for everything. I got 2 quotes (both from electricians on the Tesla site) and the first was $2700, the next $2000. Now I have a very long run from the panel to the garage (50') with no easy way of getting there. They'll need to fish a wire through a finished basement, out the house, underground, and then into the garage with conduit over to the other side where the charger will go. Not an easy install. I also need to upgrade my panel, which I'm doing at the same time so there's another large expense on top of everything.

 

[brianman]

In my house, the breaker box is far from the garage, like opposite ends of the house. I’m in a suburb of Atlanta and electrician from Tesla website said
1. The permit is 378$
2. If I don’t use Tesla electrician, warranty on my new model 3 that I’m picking up Monday is void
3. If I don’t get permit, Tesla warranty void
4. It costs so much because the distance of the wires from breaker box to garage wall is 50-75 ft depending where I’m putting the plug.

Request:
Please inform Tesla when you take delivery about this guy so that they can remove him from their recommended installers list.

Advice:
If you're still nervous, ask Tesla to put it in writing (email is fine) that a "using a non-Tesla electrician won't void your warranty". This is a reasonable request and you have more power before/at delivery than you do after delivery.

As for your #1 and #3, I can't speak to the permit costs in your area or the general pricing structure electricians use there. :|

 

[Goutami]

Request:
Please inform Tesla when you take delivery about this guy so that they can remove him from their recommended installers list.

Advice:
If you're still nervous, ask Tesla to put it in writing (email is fine) that a "using a non-Tesla electrician won't void your warranty". This is a reasonable request and you have more power before/at delivery than you do after delivery.

As for your #1 and #3, I can't speak to the permit costs in your area or the general pricing structure electricians use there. :|

Thanks, I hate getting people in trouble with their jobs but since he showed up and I looked up the permit cost on my county website and got another estimate, I think I might have to say something. The permit for my county is a minimum of $50 and then adds cents per kW and feet. For my installation, it’s like $100 and some change, not 378, so definitely worth getting, IMO.
What’s weird is this guy said if you find someone to do it for less, let me know, like it wouldn’t be possible. But the next estimate I got dropped $400. So I’m going to let Tesla know what the dude said about the warranty and his creative math (to him 50ft is 85ft, etc.)
What sucks is if anyone else falls for this, there are only 2 electricians on Tesla’s website that list my county, so people might think they have no choice. I pick up on Friday and I have 2 electricians coming today and one weds.
I’m going update this thread with final cost and what Tesla says when I let them know the situation.