HPWC Installation Cost

I've ordered my car with the HPWC and the Dual Chargers. I got a quote from the Tesla recommended electrician in my area today and it just seems high for the job. I asked them to break out the labor and materials but they say they have a simple flat fee to "keep our overhead costs down":
$545.00 base price including 100amp breaker.
$150.00 permit fees
$1020.00 (17/foot for feeder length, based on the 65’ length you provided minus the 5’ included in our base price.)
TOTAL: $1715.00

This doesn't appear to include an upgraded main panel (I already have a 200 Amp panel and at least as I figure the load I have plenty of capacity even if you derate that 200 Amps). I asked him for clarification on this and he didn't respond to that part yet.

This is going in an attached 3 car garage that the whole house panel is in with the HPWC on the bay farthest from the panel (unfortunately the bays are not the same size and the car can only fit in the first or second bays and the second bay is the only bay big enough to hold my truck, so I don't have a lot of choice).

I actually told him 64' feet from the panel, which includes probably at least 2-3 extra feet of slack. The garage is not finished so the wiring runs across the open joists in the ceiling of the garage. I realize that the wiring can be expensive but the $17 per foot cost for the run seems pricy. Especially since I anticipate that it'll be rather easy to run the wiring across the garage. As can be seen in the below pictures:

Wiring coming out of the load center:


Wiring start to cross the joists:


Wires reaching the other side of the garage and heading toward the front to support outlets and lighting on the front of the house:


Where I ultimately want the install done, just below the previous picture. Roughly where the first broom is from the left:

I may end up doing this install myself. Buddy of mine was doing electrical work but isn't anymore (ended up buying into another business from a friend and stopped). I called to ask him about the quote I got, he thought it was high as well. He's offered to help me do the install.

cpa said:

Here in the middle of California our electrician installed a 14-50 plug, a new 50A breaker on our 200A service with about 65 feet of six-gauge wire enclosed in a metal conduit for $650. While this is comparing apples to oranges, your quoted price of nearly three times this amount seems extreme. The job took him less than four hours, so I figure his labor charge was about $125 per hour.

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I expect it to be more than the install you describe because Telsa says you need 3 AWG wire for 80A charging (and I've seen some people suggest 2 AWG because they think Tesla is not being conservative enough). The difference in cost for a 50A vs 100A breaker is probably $40. My understanding also is anything over 60A needs to be in a conduit if exposed. But your wire run is pretty close to mine and you say you're putting it in a metal conduit. So I can't imagine there would be that much difference. I'd also expect your labor to probably be higher.

I would be suspicious of any contractor who would not split out labor and materials. Have you checked with the Washington State Contractors' Licensing Board?

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I agree it's strange but I don't think there's anything illegal about it. They are the Tesla recommend electrician, I'm guessing they've chosen a price to make it quick and easy to quote and do the jobs.

Maybe electrical code in coastal Washington has more requirements than California.

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We follow the National Electric Code. So I doubt it very much.

Zroiron said:

The Tesla referred electrician here in Vegas quoted me $2700 to run 100 ft. We have 400 amp service panel so all he had to do was add 100 amp breakers to the panel. We had the system installed by our solar contractor instead at a significantly lower cost.

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breser said:

I expect it to be more than the install you describe because Telsa says you need 3 AWG wire for 80A charging (and I've seen some people suggest 2 AWG because they think Tesla is not being conservative enough). The difference in cost for a 50A vs 100A breaker is probably $40. My understanding also is anything over 60A needs to be in a conduit if exposed. But your wire run is pretty close to mine and you say you're putting it in a metal conduit. So I can't imagine there would be that much difference. I'd also expect your labor to probably be higher.

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So looking into this some more (translated as actually reading the NEC). There is one large wrinkle in adding a HPWC. The NEC requires a disconnect (I recall hearing about some people mentioning an inspector forcing them to add this):

625.42 Disconnecting Means. For electric vehicle supply equipment rated more
than 60 amperes or more than 150 volts to ground, the disconnecting means shall
be provided and installed in a readily accessible location. The disconnecting
means shall be lockable open in accordance with 110.25.

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Looking for safety disconnects like they are describing they cost around $200-300. That right there doubles my expected material cost from what I was figuring. Brings his quote up into the more reasonable range.

mmh said:

In my thread: House Electrical Upgraded, Finally! (and HPWC install)

I detail it more, but in the end the total cost for installation came to $1900 that included a service upgrade, conduit, and running cable through some tricky areas.

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That price makes total sense for a service upgrade. If I needed the service upgrade I would pull the trigger on that easily.

I did find the load calculation spreadsheet that was discussed towards the end helpful. It was one of the more detailed ones I've seen.

mitch672 said:

You may not need the disconnect, it's really up to the local electrical inspector. It depends if the circuit breaker panel is visible from the HPWC and the distance, the circuit breaker can act as the "disconnect", and circuit breaker lockouts are readily availble as well.

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Thanks for this. The circuit breaker lockout is like $3. Given that apparently you can have the disconnects behind locked doors as long as "a key or lock combination is available to those for whom ready access is necessary." I can't imagine having it on the opposite side of the garage in the breaker box should be a problem.

See the "Readily Accessible" section here:
Inkling

Based on what I've found the explanatory text below is taken from this OSHA interpretation:
10/24/2005 - The definition of does not necessarily preclude the locking of electrical panels, provided those needing ready access are provided a key or lock combination.

internauts said:

It is probably not reasonable to ask a forum for electrical code advice. These responses are helpful though to compare what others have paid for an 80 amp wall connection.

I trust the contractor. I still think he is making this job harder than it needs to be. Replies here confirm that much. He says we need a new line from the utility pole to the house. I really think the upgrade to 400 amp for the house makes sense. We probably will have a second EV in our future, and by then 80 amp charging should be the standard for the new car, so it seems appropriate to prepare for two EV cars charging at the same time. In Seattle we don't have discounted rates at night, but someday we will, so I plan to have two cars charging just in the wee hours.

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Yup I started the thread because I was just shocked by the quote and have been trying to figure out (other than being high if there was something I was missing). I've seen a lot of people talking about prices to put 14-50's in but few giving much info about their HPWC installation experiences. After talking with a friend I think I'm going to try doing it myself, which has led me into reading up on the National Electrical Code, so I can make sure we do it correctly.

In your case if you're upgrading service you may very well need a new line from the pole. There are tables in the NEC describing what wire is suitable for different loads. I'd imagine your electrician can tell you what wire you have and what wire he's going to install and you should be able to look it up in the tables (or for that matter you can ask him to show you that).