Wall charger install

[DrtyJrze]

Got the quote from Tesla to install the wall charger and it’s $750(not including wall charger). That seemed kind of high to me for my situation: 200 amp box with 2 slots side by side available and the wall charger installed less than a foot away.

Is there a list of estimates from electricians on a simple install somewhere? I’m 100% certain that it’s a DIY job, but in NJ when you sell a house you’ll need all the permits for any changes, so it makes no sense for me to do it now and then pay someone else to redo it again in the future.

Also if anyone has an electrician they could recommend in the SJ/Philly area I would appreciate it.

I tried to search before posting (both the TM3 forum and main search) and did not see a sticky or thread. If there is one, if you can link me to it I would appreciate it.

Thanks!

 

[Dot-11]

Mine was a simple-ish install (200amp box, enough space for the breaker, and just ran through the attic for ~25'-30'). It was somewhere around $500-$600, so I'd expect yours to be quite a bit less with only a 1' run.

 

[srs5694]

$750 does sound high, given your description. Also, I've seen claims that Tesla-approved electricians tend to deliver quotes that are on the high side. My suggestion is that you simply call a few electricians to get quotes, whether just randomly from the phone book, based on reviews on Web sites, or based on recommendations from friends and neighbors. Installing an EVSE is not all that different from installing any other electrical appliance; any competent electrician should be able to do it. If you like, ask the electricians about how experienced they are with installing EVSEs. Note that Tesla's Wall Connector has a little dial inside the unit that must be set for the amperage it should be able to deliver. This must be matched to whatever you run from your breaker box. This feature is a little different from most EVSEs, which are fixed to some specific amperage. I mention it because some people have found their Wall Connector delivers the wrong amperage when first set up if the electrician neglected to set the dial. You want to be sure it's set correctly. You'll also have to decide how much amperage to give it. An SR/SR+ or MR Model 3 maxes out at 32A (on a 40A circuit), whereas the LR variants max out at 48A (on a 60A circuit). The Wall Connector can be configured to deliver up to 80A (on a 100A circuit), IIRC. With such a short run, the cost to configure it to deliver up to 80A may not be much higher than to set it up for 32A; but depending on other circuits and typical load in your house, you might want to cut it back from that just to minimize the chance of causing problems if you end up charging a higher-amperage EV in the future.

 

[jjrandorin]

Got the quote from Tesla to install the wall charger and it’s $750(not including wall charger). That seemed kind of high to me for my situation: 200 amp box with 2 slots side by side available and the wall charger installed less than a foot away.

Is there a list of estimates from electricians on a simple install somewhere? I’m 100% certain that it’s a DIY job, but in NJ when you sell a house you’ll need all the permits for any changes, so it makes no sense for me to do it now and then pay someone else to redo it again in the future.

Also if anyone has an electrician they could recommend in the SJ/Philly area I would appreciate it.

I tried to search before posting (both the TM3 forum and main search) and did not see a sticky or thread. If there is one, if you can link me to it I would appreciate it.

Thanks!

My install sounds similar to yours (200 amp box, space for the breaker, load calculation confirms enough power, charger installed inside the garage on same wall as breaker box (breaker box outside, charger inside but on same wall), charger about 3 feet from the box but on the inside so could go straight through wall).

I think I paid 450 + permits, and the permits for my area were 200 or 210, so fully permitted 650. Could be done for less I am sure but I wanted all the permits, and dont do electrical work in my house that involves the panel.

There is somewhat of a "tesla tax", as you would probably save a bit getting a 14-50 installed instead by a "regular" electrician... but I wanted the wall charger partially for the cool factor (sue me, lol).

 

[DrtyJrze]

Thanks for the responses. I will call some local electricians and see what they say. The permits are about $100 and yes, piece of mind is worth the money. Have no problem paying fair value, but there are dozens of YouTube videos that show you the process. Definitely doesn’t look like a $750 job.

I know you have to adjust the switches and set the number inside the charger. Thanks for the tip though! I read/watch everything during the waits. It’s something constructive to do while you pass the time.

 

[Chisale]

That does sound a little high but not seeing the circumstances it's hard to say. Mine was around $500 with some mild complications like having to move some existing wiring and drilling through the very hard exterior of our house. Not sure what amperage you're going with but wire for high amp situations in fairly expensive. Plus I had my electrician install a new breaker as I had no idea how old the existing one was and that alone was $50. It wouldn't be difficult at all if you are handy. I just hired somebody as I had no way to drill through our wall. I used my own guy though the Tesla authorized one quoted about the same. He loved doing it. He had installed 240V plugs for PHEVs but that was his first Tesla. Great seeing how thrilled he was when he got done and we plugged it in.

 

[Akikiki]

You could drill down through Tesla under your Account > Manage or Support Menus to the Find an Electrician page.

 

[DrtyJrze]

Wanted to circle back to this and add my info to the community for future reference.

I contacted 5 local electricians.

3 were in the same price range
1 was way higher (but still under Tesla)
1 never responded.

My charger was installed by the second lowest bid because the first one was slow to respond and didn’t have any availability until December 18. Difference between the two was $12.

The cost of the labor was pretty much what was mentioned, $3-400. But the permits needed to do the job added significantly to the cost. I don’t blame the electricians for that.

TL DR contact local electricians and get a quote, don’t use Tesla.

Thanks again for the feedback everyone!

 

[davewill]

My understanding is that Tesla installs are quoted on a scale (like 0-20 ft is x, 20-60 ft is y, etc...) so if you're near the more difficult end of a bin, you get a better deal. Some people who have had more complex installs have found them to be a very good choice, doing a higher quality install than the average local guy.

 

[eprosenx]

Got the quote from Tesla to install the wall charger and it’s $750(not including wall charger). That seemed kind of high to me for my situation: 200 amp box with 2 slots side by side available and the wall charger installed less than a foot away.

Is there a list of estimates from electricians on a simple install somewhere? I’m 100% certain that it’s a DIY job, but in NJ when you sell a house you’ll need all the permits for any changes, so it makes no sense for me to do it now and then pay someone else to redo it again in the future.

Also if anyone has an electrician they could recommend in the SJ/Philly area I would appreciate it.

I tried to search before posting (both the TM3 forum and main search) and did not see a sticky or thread. If there is one, if you can link me to it I would appreciate it.

Thanks!

FWIW, in most places you as the homeowner are allowed to do your own work as long as you get it permitted. So I did my own and had it permitted and inspected. I should have zero issues selling my house since it was all on the up-and-up. The issue when selling is if you did work that was not permitted...

 

[DrtyJrze]

My understanding is that Tesla installs are quoted on a scale (like 0-20 ft is x, 20-60 ft is y, etc...) so if you're near the more difficult end of a bin, you get a better deal. Some people who have had more complex installs have found them to be a very good choice, doing a higher quality install than the average local guy.

Understood. As stated, my install was super easy, so I guess the scale is skewed a little so we end up subsidizing the cost of the more complex jobs. That’s a good deal for Tesla and customers with more complex jobs, but not for me

FWIW, in most places you as the homeowner are allowed to do your own work as long as you get it permitted. So I did my own and had it permitted and inspected. I should have zero issues selling my house since it was all on the up-and-up. The issue when selling is if you did work that was not permitted...

I salute you! My handyman/electrician skills are burn the house down at best and kill myself at worse, lol. I know my limits. If the zombie apocalypse happens I’ll be managing resources, not building houses.

So I have no problem paying someone for their skills if it saves me time, frustration, and potentially my life. I just felt the Tesla prices were a little inflated and it turns out for my situation it was.

 

[Nexus30]

Where in NJ are you located? Do you recommend your electrician? If you do, do you mind letting me know who you went with?

 

[Massive Attack]

Slightly off topic: I just got at NEMA 14-50 installed in my garage, no fancy Tesla charger (or any other brand). It cost me $1100. I got 3 quotes, all came in similarly.

I have a 3 year old house, but the breaker box was literally at the opposite corner from my garage. So I needed a 160 ft run of cable, one 50A circuit breaker, about 30 ft of PVC to house the cable in the garage (up the wall, across the ceiling, down to charge port height), and that was it. Two contracted electricians (one was an apprentice) took from 9:30am until almost 1pm, with a 45 minute trip to Lowe's. They did drill through 8 ceiling joists in my unfinished basement, and drilled through the cinder block foundation (from the crawl space into the garage).

 

[Akikiki]

Knowing what I paid for less distance, but about the same effort, I think you got that at a bargain.