I’m thinking of setting up a Level 2 EV charger in my garage and wondering about the costs involved. My electrical panel has 150 amps, and I already have a 250V outlet in the garage where I park. It’s a twist-lock type, maybe meant for a generator, but we’ve never used it.
Is it possible to use the existing outlet, or would the cost be similar to installing a new 240V circuit? My washer and dryer are on the other side of the wall from the outlet. I’ll call an electrician, but any insights or cost ideas beforehand would be super helpful!
Did you mean 220v/240v? Where are you that has 250V?
Assuming you meant 220v. What’s the current receptacle? Nema 14-50R (that means a 14-50 receptacle). If so, install might be around $100, since they usually have a minimum. You could just buy a 14-50-based charger, mount it with four screws to a stud, and plug it in. It’s a quick job, 10 minutes max.
If you need a 14-50R installed, costs vary a lot by city. Most average $400-$500, but in cities like LA or New York, I’ve seen quotes up to $1200. My advice: if this isn’t your forever home, go for a 14-50R on a 50-60 amp circuit, then you can take the charger with you when you move, and your garage is EV-ready for the next owner.
alivia said: @Torrance
The outlet is labeled 30A -125/250V. It’s a twist-lock type, L14-30. The house is fairly new, built around 2000.
That outlet can run on either 120V or 240V. Do you know which breaker it’s connected to? If it’s a double breaker, then it’s 240V. You can run a 24A charger on a 30A circuit.
alivia said: @Torrance
The outlet is labeled 30A -125/250V. It’s a twist-lock type, L14-30. The house is fairly new, built around 2000.
Ah, right. You could get an adaptor to switch that to a 14-50. Some people say it’s a fire risk, but that’s pretty rare. I’d personally swap the outlet though.
Where do you live? Gas or electric appliances? It’s possible you can use that outlet, but it needs to be rated for continuous duty according to code. Also, remember, you don’t actually need a charger. Your car already has one built in.
@Olin
Thanks! But my car didn’t come with one. The new Ioniq 5’s don’t include them anymore. I don’t drive much, so I’m thinking of just using a regular outlet for now. But we’re considering Level 2 if the rebates make it affordable.
@alivia
Every EV has an onboard charger, no need to buy one for the garage. If your panel allows, I’d suggest adding a 50A 240V circuit. Also, be sure your electrician is licensed, bonded, insured, and pulls permits. That covers you for any insurance claims if something goes wrong.
Linden said: @Olin
You still need an EVSE to connect the car to the wall. The charger is built into the car, but you can’t just plug the car into the wall.
@Olin
The Bolt has a built-in charger that can handle 120V or 240V, but the EVSE handles the power exchange. The car checks the EVSE, and the EVSE checks the power supply. Then they decide on how to charge. For Level 3, the charger is in the station, not the car. People often confuse the EVSE with the charger.
If you have a high-powered wall outlet, the usual answer is to grab adapters and a plug-in charging station online that works with the voltage and less than 80% of the amperage. That will give you enough charge for most situations.
But, since it might be for a generator or share a circuit with your washer and dryer, you’ll want an electrician to check if it’s safe to run a 24A charging station and confirm the voltage. They might suggest a simple fix or a bigger job, depending on what you’ve got.
I’m in Maryland. We had ours done during COVID. My house was built in 1973, and one electrician quoted $2500-$3000 to run a new line and update everything to code. Another saw I had a converted gas dryer line and ran that out to the garage, installed a wall plug, and said I could buy the EVSE on Amazon. Total cost was $600, and they were done in one morning. He was licensed but didn’t pull a permit. Maybe I should’ve upgraded the breaker box for future-proofing and gotten rebates, but I’m happy with what we did. Get multiple quotes because every electrician sees things differently.