Illustration by @Kampeck_Ink
Did anyone else notice that last week was National Drive Electric Week? Two weeks ago California Governor Gavin Newsom issued an Executive Order to ban all sales of new gas powered cars in 2035. In other words, all new passenger vehicles sold in 15 years must be zero emission in the Golden State. While some claim that no mandate like this can become law without legislation, it is sending a clear message about the links between vehicle emissions in California, Climate Change, and the exponential destruction of Homes and Forests this year due to the Fires.
Change doesn’t have to be scary. How about considering installing a home EV charger now?
Kinds of Home Charging Stations
The installation process begins by understanding the types of chargers available. Essentially there are three:
The Level One receptacle, the one we have in all of our homes and garages offers what they call a “trickle charge” or about 40 miles for an overnight charge. Not super efficient but doable if you only make small trips each day.
The Level Two charger steps it up with a 240 volt outlet and offers about 25 miles/hour worth of charging capacity. You can get home late and still have plenty of time to charge up even for a long distance commute.
The Level 3 is the Fast Charge some of us may have seen out on the street. With this at hand you can go from 0-80% charging capacity in a half an hour. Vehicles that charge using these DC Superchargers usually have a separate port on the car for this method
Cost of Home Charging Station Install
The cost for installing a charger at home can run anywhere from $750 to $2000 according to electrical vehicle plug-in websites. But you may encounter additional modifications to your existing electrical service. Some of the estimates can be affected by the distance between the panel and the station, the cost of running conduit, or trenching for a detached garage for example.
Your existing panel may also have to be modified to handle the additional load. Electricians like 125% protection on the main panel. Most electricians will install a 30-50 amp dedicated breaker for EV charging. This then, may require an upgrade of a subpanel or full out service upgrade to make everything safe.
Here is my invoice for the install at a midcentury San Francisco home, with existing 100 amp service. We opted for a subpanel to handle the additional loads. Coil Electric charged the following:
The permit was $150
The EV charger NEMA 14-50 outlet Install 40 amp breaker was $250.
Install 70 amp breaker to feed subpanel $75
Re-route 2-4 circuits to new sub $500
Subpanel install 20/40 circuit configuration rated at 125 amps. $1200
Total Cost with Subpanel: $2175
If we had elected to upgrade the panel to a 200 amp service, the 70 amp breaker, the permit, the EV charger would have been in play plus cost of 200 amp panel and install at $4000 making a grand total of $4475.
Since many households are two car households, you can ask your electrician to install two EVSEs each wired to their own circuit with separate hoses. The only caveat there is to then place the unit in the middle of the garage so there are no arguments about which driver gets to be closest to the charging unit.
What Not To Do
Upgrade Without a Permit
Permitting allows a third party to verify the work of your electrician. It also lets utilities know about capacities to avoid bronwouts and plan for upgrades in your area. Outside of the permitting cost, one of the common complaints is the wait for inspection. The good news is that virtual inspections are now becoming commonplace. Electricians will show the inspector the circuit breaker and the wire size all via cameraphone.
What Not to Do:
Hire Someone Unlicensed
Your electrician should have a state contractors license, proof of workman’s comp insurance, a city business license.
What Not to Do:
Buy Charging Equipment Yourself off Amazon or Walmart.
Electricians can only install UL/ETL listed charging equipment. If you buy something off the rack that isn’t verified this way they won’t be able to install what you’ve purchased. The inspector will never accept it.
The Good News:
Rebates
IRS Form 8911. Alternate Fuel Vejicle REfueling Program. Allows you to calculate your credit for alternative fuel vehicle refueling property you placed in service in the past year. (Not applicable to business credit.) The credit is defined as the smaller of 30% of the property’s cost (product and install) or $1000. This is expiring on December 31st so get moving!
Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) also helps finance energy improvements. The borrower repays over a specific timeline.
The Good News
Resale Value
The good news is if you are thinking about selling your home this is one amenity that has unilateral support from realtors as an asset no matter where you live. Angelina Wallent, Managing Broker of John L. Scott Realty in Redmond, WA says it is “totally worth it.” Kirk Dahle, Realtor with Vanguard SF in San Francisco says “for a car charger, most definitely will get the return on investment and then some. Especially if doing so in SF or Bay Area as we’re certainly more progressive.”
These are just the values associated with the charging station itself. Obviously if you swap out your gas powered car for an electric vehicle, you will have additional savings from a drop in car maintenance costs, (no pistons, sparkplugs, oil, radiator, gas pump, H20 pump) as well as a drop in utility bills.
And, oh, yeah, the environment, cutting carbon emission with a tailpipe free car.
A last thought. Many people rule out electric cars as their next car purchase because they don’t think expensive Teslas are for them. Teslas are not the only game in town. Currently there are 40 electric vehicle models in the US. Even brands normally associated with speed and power are joining the brigade, like the Mustang Mach E with hidden door handles, an e-latch system with your phone that actually unlocks the door and pushes it out, infrared cameras for hands free driving to detect when your eyes are on the road plus acceleration of 0-60 in three seconds. The VW ID4 is boasting 250 miles of range on a charge. Nissan Ariya is another name in the mix. With $7500 of federal tax credits and other incentives, the price of these vehicles can fall under 30K, certainly competitive with gas-powered brethren.
Five years ago I was lucky enough to vacation in Cuba and explore Havana. The charm of the old time car, American Graffiti world is true in color and vibe. What the photos don’t show are how the roads are choked with exhaust smoke. We are fortunate to live in a country where we don’t have to combat all the illnesses associated with this constant exposure. And now we can go one step further. Take it.