Pictured above is the main breaker panel with the door open so we can see all the breakers inside. The black square by itself is called the main breaker, it controls the power for the whole house. By turning off the main breaker it would stop the flow of power to everything. 

Typically, the main breaker panel is home to the main breaker, the subpanel breaker (more about this in a minute), and things that need a larger amount of power; the AC system(s), furnace, electric appliances and the pool. It's not uncommon to see a couple of smaller circuit items that might be nearby like the room that might be on the other side of the wall.  

Recap: we have power coming into the meter, then to the main breaker panel. 

From the main breaker panel, we often see a breaker labeled as the subpanel. This breaker is a portion of home's power. If we have a 150 amp or 200 amp main breaker, we usually see a 60 amp subpanel breaker. The subpanel is most commonly found in the garage but it's not unusual to see it in the mud room or laundry room. 

Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs): These vehicles have both an electric motor and an internal combustion engine, but they cannot be charged by plugging them into an electric outlet. Instead, the electric motor is powered by a battery that is charged through regenerative braking and the internal combustion engine. Since these cars can't be charged by plugging in there's no need for an electrician. 

Subpanel

Load calculations are based on what the current National Electrical Code allows. Without getting into the nitty gritty the basics are that NEC Article 220 is for Branch-Circuit, Feeder, and Service Load Calculations which tells us which numbers to use in different scenarios. These codes include taking the square footage of the home into consideration and appliance load (electrical use) which spits out a number telling us how much power is available for use without the threat of tripping the main breaker. 

Tesla Cord End: This is what the end of the Tesla Charging Station cord and the mobile connector cord look like. This cord end is proprietary to Tesla and doesn't plug directly into any other make of electric vehicle. 

Pictured above on the left is the meter can (round part in the middle) and meter enclosure (square part around the meter can). On the right is the main breaker panel (some might call this a fuse panel)

After power enters the meter it goes into the main breaker panel. 

200 amps coming into the home - 140 amps of usage = 60 amps available for electrical needs.*

*This is going to vary from home to home.

Fill out the form on our EVSE Quote page, it's relatively painless and I promise all the information is necessary but if you're unsure what to put you can always leave it blank and we can walk you through that part if we need to later. 

Choosing an electrician is part intellect and part instinct. 

Find an electrician that is licensed. First and foremost, you'll want to make sure that the person or company you choose is licensed and insured. You can check for licensing on the TDLR website. If anything were to happen to your home the electrician's insurance would cover you and them. 

When possible the electrician should be trained to install the equipment per the manufacturer's specs. Some manufacturers, like Tesla, have a program for installers, and some, like Juicebox, don't. 

You should choose an electrician you trust and are comfortable with. Ultimately, this is your home where you sleep every night, you should be choosing an electrician that you feel will do the work you're requesting, will explain the process along the way, and will do the work to current code guidelines. 

When determining the location for an electric car charging station in your garage, there are a few things to consider:

Proximity to your electric panel: The charging station will need to be connected to your home's electric panel, so it's important to choose a location that's relatively close to the panel. For most installations, especially on homes that are not newly constructed, there isn't enough power available in the panel typically located inside the garage. Almost every installation will require an electrical run from the main breaker panel, typically found on the outside of the home next to the electric meter. The further away from the breaker panel the installation is, the more expensive the installation will be.

Accessibility: The charging station should be easily accessible, both for you and anyone else who may need to use it. Consider factors such as the location of your car's charging port, the length of the charging cable, and the way you plan to park. Some cars have a charging port at the front of the car near the front tire, many have a charging port where a gas tank cap is typically found. 

Let's take accessibility into account for a Tesla, the charging port is on the back driver side of the car. If you typically pull into the garage the best location would be closer to the garage door. If you typically back in then the best location would be closer to the front of the garage. 

We do a lot of installations between garage doors so that a vehicle can be charged from either parking spot. Keep in mind that with the Tesla Wall Connector the charging cord comes into the right side of the unit leaving very little space. A charging station like the ChargePoint Flex keeps the handle on the front of the unit so installation could be completed in a tighter space. 

Safety: Make sure the charging station is installed in a safe location, away from any potential hazards such as flammable materials, water sources, or areas where it could be easily damaged. Many a charging cord has been run over from being drug across the garage floor.

Space: Consider the amount of space you have available in your garage. You'll need to ensure that the charging station won't take up too much space or obstruct your ability to park your car. This isn't typically a problem for most homes in the Austin area but it's definitely something to keep in mind. 

We'll cross the house in the attic and come down on the opposite side of the house running power into the garage from there. 

Types of Charging Station Cord Ends

Universal Connector or J1772: This is what the end of the J1772 cords look like. This is what we call a universal connection because it works with every EV and plug-in hybrid. It can be used with Tesla as long as there's an adapter to convert from the J1772 to the Tesla connection. 

There are 4 factors that we look at for putting together a quote for an electric car charger.

1. Where is power located?

2. How much power is available?

3. Where do you want the charging station installed?

4. What does the run between the power supply and charging station look like?

Let's start with power locations, for a brief overview of your home's electrical system let's start from the beginning. 

Power is created and travels to your home via high-voltage power lines into a transformer before making its way into your electric meter can. ​

No garage? No problem, all reputable charging stations that we have come across so far are UL listed to be installed outside safely. 

The simplest explanation of how we determine how much power is available is by what we call a load calculation. We take how much power is coming in and subtract how much power is being used to determine how much power we could allocate to a charging station to be able to charge your car at any time during the day or night, no matter how you plan to use your home. 

Thinking about buying an electric car but not sure where to start?

Bringing Power to the Charging Station

Level 1 charging refers to charging that is done using a standard household outlet. This type of outlet is likely already installed in your garage or on the outside of your home so an electrician isn't needed in most cases. 

Types of Level 2 Charging

We've already discussed where a charging station could or should be installed above in the charging station section but to recap, electrically we can place the charging station anywhere that makes sense for you and your parking preferences. 

The last part of the quote equation is what will the run between the power supply and the charging station look like? We have a full gallery of pictures here. Few charging station runs look exactly the same unless the main breaker panel is on the outside of the garage. 

Charging Station: This is a hardwired charging setup to be connected to a dedicated circuit. (A dedicated circuit simply means that the wiring goes from the breaker directly to the thing being powered.) This unit attaches to the wall and the plug comes to the car via the cord attached. This is a permanent installation but the unit can be uninstalled by an electrician to take with you to the next house. The circuit will stay in place if the unit is uninstalled so the next tenant can bring their charger to connect.  

This setup is currently recommended due to changes in the National Electrical Code 2020.

Level 3 charging refers to charging that is done using a high-power direct current (DC) connection. This is a commercial-type charging station. 

NEMA 14-50 or 6-50: First let's define what a NEMA 14-50 is; it's a 240-volt outlet at 50 amps. It is not a dryer outlet - dryers work on 30 amps. A NEMA 6-50 is another 240-volt outlet at 50 amps with a 3-prong configuration instead of 4 like the 14-50. With this setup you would need the mobile connector cord which until recently used to come with every Tesla. 

Why are 14-50s associated with electric cars? Because when Tesla first rolled onto the market there weren't Superchargers located on every major interstate so they were equipped to be able to charge from any RV park. It was a great idea with great execution -- until National Electrical Code changed with the 2020 code year. Around the summer of 2019, Tesla stopped shipping NEMA 14-50 adapters with every car when the Model 3 standard range came out. In 2021 or around that time, they stopped shipping mobile connectors with all cars altogether. It seems they found the same problems as we did with these setups in the new electrical code rules. 

This setup is not currently recommended due to changes in the National Electrical Code 2020. Article 210 (Branch Circuits) lists 210.8 Ground-Fault Circuit-Interrupter Protection for Personnel (A) Dwelling Units. All 125-volt through 250-volt receptacles installed in the locations specified in 210.8(A)(1) through (A)(11) and supplied by single-phase branch circuits rated 150 volts or less to ground shall have ground-fault circuit-interrupter protection for personnel. 

​    (2) Garages

What this code says is that all garage outlets like the NEMA 14-50 need to be protected by a GFCI breaker. All in all, not that big of a deal, except that when the EV runs its self-test cycle the GFCI breaker interprets the signal as an issue and trips (disrupts charging) to make sure everyone is safe. The only problem is that there wasn't a problem to keep people safe from, it's an annoyance, also referred to as nuisance tripping. I truly believe that one day this issue will be resolved between manufacturers but until then, the charging station is our recommendation.

Main Breaker Panel

Ready to get a quote

Ready to get a quote

Installing a charging station inside the garage near the garage door is probably the most common installation we do but you'll need to decide if the left or the right side of the garage works best for your needs. 

Car Charging 101

Charging Station Location

Choosing an Electrician

Determining Available Power: Load Calculation

Battery electric vehicles (BEVs): These vehicles are powered solely by an electric motor and a battery pack, and do not have an internal combustion engine. They are charged by plugging them into an electric outlet or charging station. From an electrical standpoint, we typically install a 240-volt hardwired charging station for this type of EV. We generally look for an installation amperage between 30 and 60 amps if possible but many drivers could charge more often with a lower amperage charging circuit if needed. 

Pictured above is the subpanel with the door open so we can see the breakers inside. This subpanel was fed with a 60 amp circuit and from there it feeds the majority of the rooms inside the house like the dining room, bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen, water softener, and other smaller items. Because the function of this panel is to run a lot of small things there's not much power available to run anything larger like a car charger. 

While it would be more convenient to run power from this panel because it's located in the garage where we would ideally place a charging station we wouldn't have very much power to charge with. In this scenario, bringing power from the main breaker panel regardless of its location would make the most sense. 

Disclaimer: this set up is common but there are all kinds of variations in our area. It's not a one-size-fits-all electrical system. Houses will have different amounts of power, power located in different areas, and charging stations will be installed in different distances from a power supply. 

Your Home's Electrical System

Types of EVs

If you're still unsure what the heck we're talking about, no problem, the second half of the equation to getting a charging station installed in your home for an electric car is your home's electrical system. 

Level 2 charging refers to charging that is done using a dedicated 240-volt circuit. This type of install should be done by a licensed electrician. 

Meter

Types of Charging: Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs): These vehicles have both an electric motor and an internal combustion engine, and can be charged by plugging them into an electric outlet or charging station. They can operate in either electric or hybrid mode, depending on the charge level of the battery and the driving conditions. Most plug-in hybrids can't take more than 30 amps on a 240-volt circuit, so using a standard household outlet (20 amp 120-volt) or a 240-volt 20 amp circuit will work for most drivers/cars. 

The most common installation we do is bringing power from the main breaker panel. Sometimes this panel is on the outside of the garage and sometimes it's not. When it's not we'll typically need to bring power from the panel to the attic.

If you're looking to install an electric car charger in Austin, Texas, there are a few steps you should follow:

1. Determine the type of charger you need: There are several types of electric car chargers available, including Level 1, Level 2, and DC fast chargers. Level 1 chargers plug into a standard 120V outlet and provide a slow charge, while Level 2 chargers require a 240V outlet and can charge your car much faster. DC fast chargers are even faster, but they're typically only found at public charging stations. More about this below. 

2. Choose alocation: You'll need to find a location where you can install the charger. If you own a home, you can install the charger in your garage or driveway. Every charging station we've come across so far is UL listed to be installed in the garage or outside. 

If you live in an apartment or condo, you'll need to get permission from your landlord or homeowners' association to install a charger. While we don't take on commercial charging station needs there are plenty of electricians in the Austin area that do but keep in mind that some apartment buildings have specified electricians that are the only contractors allowed to do work on the premise.  

3. Find a licensed electrician: You'll need to hire a licensed electrician to install the charger. They'll be able to determine the best location for the charger and install it safely and according to National Electrical Code and local ordinances. 

4. Check for incentives: There are often incentives available for installing electric car chargers, such as tax credits or rebates. Check with your utility company or the city of Austin to see what incentives are available. Austin Energy currently has a rebate for their customers installing a Level 2 charging station. To find out if you're eligible for the federal tax rebate you'll want to speak to a tax professional to find out if you qualify.  

5. Enjoy your electric car: Once your charger is installed, you'll be able to enjoy the convenience of charging your electric car at home.

Overall, installing an electric car charger in Austin is a relatively straightforward process, but it's important to work with a licensed electrician and follow all local regulations to ensure your safety and the safety of others.

Sometimes we need to route power around the garage to put the charging station in the best position for the driver.

Whatever this run looks like for you and your home we'll put together a quote that fits your home and your needs.

Sometimes it looks like crossing the porch. 

Fill out the form on our EVSE Quote page, it's relatively painless and I promise all the information is necessary but if you're unsure what to put you can always leave it blank and we can walk you through that part if we need to later.