EV charger installs look like a two-hour job and frequently are not. The quote that goes wrong is nearly always the one given over the phone, before anyone has looked at the panel.
The load calculation decides everything
A Level 2 charger is a continuous load — you size at 125% of the rated current. A 48A charger needs a 60A circuit, and that is before anything else in the house.
Run the service calculation properly (NEC 220.82 or 220.83 for an existing dwelling). The answer determines whether this is a straightforward circuit or a service upgrade, and that is a difference of thousands of dollars. Never quote without it.
When the panel cannot take it
Three options, and the customer should see all three:
- Load management. A device that prevents the charger and a large load running simultaneously. Often lets a 100A service take a charger without an upgrade, and it is far cheaper than the alternative.
- A smaller charger. 32A instead of 48A. Most overnight charging does not need the larger unit, and plenty of customers are happy once the maths is explained in miles per hour.
- Service upgrade. The honest answer sometimes, and a much bigger job involving the utility.
The line items that get missed
- The run length. Panel in the basement, charger on the far side of a detached garage, is a completely different job from a panel on the garage wall. Measure.
- Trenching for a detached garage, plus whatever is under the lawn.
- Conduit and surface mounting where fishing a wall is not possible.
- GFCI requirements — for a hardwired unit the charger may provide it; for a receptacle install it generally does not.
- Receptacle vs hardwired. A NEMA 14-50 looks cheaper and brings its own requirements. Hardwiring is often the better install and should be offered as an option, not assumed.
- Permit and inspection — required nearly everywhere for a new 240V circuit.
- Commissioning — app setup, Wi-Fi connection, showing the customer how it works. Budget the time; it is rarely five minutes.
Rebates are part of the sale
Utility and state rebates frequently cover a meaningful slice of the job, and many customers do not know they exist. Knowing your local programmes — and which require a licensed installer or a specific model — turns a price objection into a reason to go ahead. Some require pre-approval before work starts, so raise it at quoting time, not after.
Give them options on one page
Charger size, receptacle versus hardwired, load management versus upgrade — this is exactly the job for good/better/best. A single number invites a second opinion; three options invite a decision.
Quote it from the driveway
Toolbelt’s Load Calc Helper gives you the service-load sanity check on site, then a sentence becomes a priced, branded, e-signable quote with tiers and a deposit button — before you leave. Three free estimates, no card.
See also quoting a 200A panel upgrade, standby generators, and Toolbelt for electrical.