In the Phoenix, AZ area, Tesla's website shows CastleGate Electric as one of the recommended electricians for installing the wall charger. Has anyone had experience with them? What is the quality of their work and service? How much do they charge for installation? Do I purchase the wall charger and supply it to them?
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Recommended Electrician- Phoenix, AZ
- Thread starter RKtect
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- Mountain & Southwest USA
JHWJR
Member
Can't help you on everything here, but I can help you on a couple things....
You decide whether you want the Tesla Wall Connector (capable of 80 amps of long term charging) or just a 50 amp outlet that is cheaper to purchase, less effective for charging fast, useable for other things besides charging a Tesla, less weather resistant, and less attractive. You've picked the Tesla Wall Connector.
You go to Tesla's website, order one for $550, and have it shipped to you.
While you wait, you have an electrician come out and give you an estimate to install it. Good idea to go with Tesla's recommended electricians as they had some level of training and experience with this. You advise the electrician whether you really want the 100 amp service or just a 50 amp service. The electrician will tell you whether your box can deliver the requested amperage, and what it will cost to run a line to the place you intend to have your wall connector. Proper 100 amp line (2 gauge) is more expensive than proper 50 amp line (6 gauge). There is no standard price for running the line and installing the wall connector; it's just too individual to the site. Total installation cost me $1,600 plus the wall connector. Also, 100 amp service in many area requires an unattractive on/of switch be mounted very near the wall connector. The 50 amp service is unlikely to need that.
Conceivably, you want to get an estimate for the different possibilities, as you might decide to back out of the 100 amp or the wall connector before you buy the wall connector from Tesla for $550, but I was "all in" and bought the connector first. The electrician supplied everything else.
Hope that helps.
You decide whether you want the Tesla Wall Connector (capable of 80 amps of long term charging) or just a 50 amp outlet that is cheaper to purchase, less effective for charging fast, useable for other things besides charging a Tesla, less weather resistant, and less attractive. You've picked the Tesla Wall Connector.
You go to Tesla's website, order one for $550, and have it shipped to you.
While you wait, you have an electrician come out and give you an estimate to install it. Good idea to go with Tesla's recommended electricians as they had some level of training and experience with this. You advise the electrician whether you really want the 100 amp service or just a 50 amp service. The electrician will tell you whether your box can deliver the requested amperage, and what it will cost to run a line to the place you intend to have your wall connector. Proper 100 amp line (2 gauge) is more expensive than proper 50 amp line (6 gauge). There is no standard price for running the line and installing the wall connector; it's just too individual to the site. Total installation cost me $1,600 plus the wall connector. Also, 100 amp service in many area requires an unattractive on/of switch be mounted very near the wall connector. The 50 amp service is unlikely to need that.
Conceivably, you want to get an estimate for the different possibilities, as you might decide to back out of the 100 amp or the wall connector before you buy the wall connector from Tesla for $550, but I was "all in" and bought the connector first. The electrician supplied everything else.
Hope that helps.
i used someone i found on angie's list. installing nema 14-50 outlets or tesla wall chargers is not complex electrical work by any means, any competent licensed electrician can do it. You can almost guarantee you will pay more for "tesla recommended"
i bought my own nema 14-50 outlet and 50a circuit breaker, had the electrician come and showed him what i want, he went to home depot to buy wire and came back and did it all within 2 hours and charged me $125 (plug is 5 feet from breaker panel)
i bought my own nema 14-50 outlet and 50a circuit breaker, had the electrician come and showed him what i want, he went to home depot to buy wire and came back and did it all within 2 hours and charged me $125 (plug is 5 feet from breaker panel)
clostridium
Member
As in any scenario where you have to hire a contractor make sure to get multiple quotes. Tesla may do some things to ensure that the people on their recommended list do a good job but they don't appear to do anything about making sure the prices are reasonable. I was left with the impression that perhaps there was some sort of policing on price for screened contractors however based on my experience that is NOT the case.
I had one of their recommended people come out and quote me $4300 for a new 100 A subpanel and 50 feet of 60 A circuit (to get 48 A charging) and the install of my HPWC. I knew thanks to the people on this discussion board that this was not reasonable. He tried to promote fear when I pointed out to him that the price was at least 2x what I was anticipating. I called another one of them and while they didn't come out they didn't seem like they would be willing to be much cheaper once I told them the scope of the project over the phone.
I ended up using a local person I've used before and it cost me $1800 including a whole home surge protector. It's not a complicated installation and any reasonably good electrician can follow the very clear directions that Tesla provides for the HPWC.
I definitely think that the HPWC is the way to go unless you already had a NEMA 15-50 outlet ready to go and even then I'd look to install an HPWC on that 50 A circuit instead of the outlet. Why?
1) An extra 15-50 connector cord costs only $30 less than an HPWC. This frees up your cord to remain in your trunk and be ready for use and not worn out from repeated disconnects.
2) There is also a safety benefit to not having multiple connection points that can wear out from repeated use and potentially contribute to an incident like a fire. I think that Tesla lowered the HPWC price considerably as an incentive because they don't want garage fires in the news. They've got enough stock price manipulators as it is.
3) The HPWC gives you the option of a longer cord
I had one of their recommended people come out and quote me $4300 for a new 100 A subpanel and 50 feet of 60 A circuit (to get 48 A charging) and the install of my HPWC. I knew thanks to the people on this discussion board that this was not reasonable. He tried to promote fear when I pointed out to him that the price was at least 2x what I was anticipating. I called another one of them and while they didn't come out they didn't seem like they would be willing to be much cheaper once I told them the scope of the project over the phone.
I ended up using a local person I've used before and it cost me $1800 including a whole home surge protector. It's not a complicated installation and any reasonably good electrician can follow the very clear directions that Tesla provides for the HPWC.
I definitely think that the HPWC is the way to go unless you already had a NEMA 15-50 outlet ready to go and even then I'd look to install an HPWC on that 50 A circuit instead of the outlet. Why?
1) An extra 15-50 connector cord costs only $30 less than an HPWC. This frees up your cord to remain in your trunk and be ready for use and not worn out from repeated disconnects.
2) There is also a safety benefit to not having multiple connection points that can wear out from repeated use and potentially contribute to an incident like a fire. I think that Tesla lowered the HPWC price considerably as an incentive because they don't want garage fires in the news. They've got enough stock price manipulators as it is.
3) The HPWC gives you the option of a longer cord
JHWJR
Member
This was a big one for me, especially because my wall connector is on the side of the house, not in a garage.
I don't want to leave my 15-50 cord out in the snow and rain and the dirt while the car charges and then put it in the car. In the morning, I want to disconnect and go. And I don't want someone stealing it if I leave it in the driveway. And I don't want to be without it because I opted to leave it in the driveway, at least not for the first year perhaps, until my confidence is built up.
And the wall connector on the side of the house looks modern and useful, not industrial and gas station.
Jus tto echoe what others have said . . . I definitely recommend multiple quotes from nearby electricians. I had 4 quotes that ranged from $500 - $2500. Just all over the place. The price will absolutely depend on what type of wire you run (2G is much more expensive then 6G) and depend on how far chosen wire needs to be run. Lower gauge wire (thicker wire) is exponentially more expensive and obviously a super long run will cost $$$$$. If you park right next to your electric box, then a short run like that shouldn't cost more then a few hundred. It's super easy to do (I actually ended up doing my own) and does not require "special tesla training" to make the connections work.
map724
Member
I used CastleGate and they were outstanding. I had a long run from my box to the garage so they had to trench the front yard and go under a walkway. Did an excellent job - clean and made sure everything (including my irrigation system) worked after the job was done. Pulled the permits for me, too. These guys are top notch. PM me if you need additional info.
