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EV Chargers

How home EV charger installs work in California: Level 2 circuits, NEMA 14-50 vs hardwired, panel capacity, permits and starting prices.

Thinking about charging at home? These guides cover the questions we hear most: which charger level makes sense, outlet or hardwired, and whether your panel has room for it. Take your time, and give us a call if you'd like a second opinion.

Guides in this section 3

EV Chargers

EV charger basics: Level 1, Level 2, outlet or hardwired

Level 1 vs Level 2 home charging, NEMA 14-50 outlet vs hardwired chargers, circuit sizes for 32, 40 and 48 amp chargers, and GFCI rules.

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Can my panel handle an EV charger?

How to tell if a 100, 125 or 200 amp panel can add an EV charger: load calculations, smaller charger settings, load management and service upgrades.

Read guide EV Chargers

EV charger install: permit, inspection and what to expect

What happens during a home EV charger install in California: site check, permit, the install, inspection, and tips on charger placement.

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Helpful tools

Tool

Can my panel handle it? (EV, heat pump, hot tub)

Quick, rough check of whether a 100 to 200 amp panel can handle a new EV charger, heat pump or hot tub, using a simplified NEC 220.82 load calculation.

Open tool Tool

Wire size calculator

Free wire size calculator: enter amps, copper or aluminum, and distance to see the minimum AWG by NEC 310.16 ampacity and for 3% voltage drop. Rough guide.

Open tool Tool

Voltage drop calculator

Free voltage drop calculator: enter wire size, copper or aluminum, amps and one-way distance to see volts lost and percent drop. NEC Chapter 9 Table 8 values.

Open tool
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General information for California homes. Local rules and inspectors can vary. Not a substitute for an on-site inspection.