A job in Boise last month showed me how much EV charger installs have changed

Three years back, most of my EV work was simple 240-volt outlets in garages. Last week, I wired a whole house panel upgrade just to handle two fast chargers and a heat pump. The homeowner said his old setup kept tripping, so we had to run a new 200-amp service. Has anyone else seen this shift toward bigger electrical loads for home charging?

3 comments

3 Comments

nora_walker578d ago

Totally get what you're saying. Just finished a job where we had to put in a whole new subpanel just for a charger because the existing garage circuit was already maxed out with a workshop. It's not just the car charger anymore, it's the charger plus all the other stuff people are adding at the same time. I'm seeing way more service upgrades now than I ever did before. Feels like every other call is about getting ready for an electric car or a heat pump.

lucasjackson8d ago

Yeah, my neighbor's house is from the 70s and they had to do a full service upgrade just for a heat pump install. I mean, @nora_walker57, you're right that it's all adding up fast now. It feels like a lot of older homes just weren't built for this much draw.

finley_price246d ago

That "maxed out" feeling @nora_walker57 mentioned is real. Get a load calc first.