I would wait for the New York operation to get back with you and then make sure everything you want is documented in the quote.

 

Is there not a sub panel in your detached garage already?

 

I got my Bolt EUV last month and have been struggling with the process of getting a level 2 charger installed in my detached garage. I have a main panel and a subpanel in my house with wiring going through a buried conduit to my garage. This means I’m looking at a “non-standard” installation, so I started the Qmerit process with my fingers crossed hoping I wasn’t going to be paying a fortune.

One electrician accepted my request, and after coming out and taking a look at my property, they said they could install a subpanel in the garage, but when I asked how they were going to run the wiring for it, they were really dodgy with the details. Eventually they came back with a quote for $2,700. However, the quote stated that the installation would be on the exterior of my house with no other details. I emailed the electrician and asked to add more details to the quote so I knew what work they were going to do, and they added some more vague wording that didn’t convince me they were actually going to install the charger in my garage. After calling them again and getting no response, I rejected their quote and called a local electrician. The local electrician did not give the subpanel as an option. Instead they’d have to dig a trench to run new wire, and the cost for that would be $6k, or if I wanted to install two chargers in case I get another EV in the future, $10k! Way out of my budget.

Yesterday another company accepted my request through Qmerit, and I spoke to someone from that company in New York (I’m in South Carolina) and they made it sound like they could possibly run new wire through the existing underground conduit and install a subpanel in the garage, but they would have to check with their electrician in my area. I was supposed to hear back today, but no one called.

Is it realistic to think I can get a level 2 charger installed in my garage for a non-astronomical price? I don’t mind going over the $1,000 Qmerit credit a bit, but at some point the investment makes zero sense because the cost of the charger would never be offset by the savings in gas. I thought about either getting a standard installation on the exterior of my house or the EVGo credit, but with my driving habits I doubt I’d use either one.

How many cables do you have running through the underground conduit to the garage? If it's more than one, do you need both of them currently, or could you repurpose one for a charge station?

Even if it's just 12 ga for a 20 amp circuit, that would give you Level 2 @ 16 amps. Not the fastest, but about 100 miles in 8 hours.

I'm asking because we got lucky and had two cables running to our detached garage, but only one was in use. So I used the 12 ga one not in use for Level 2 @ 16 amps, and it's always been plenty. And it was a super cheap install. Everything else in our garage runs off the other cable which is 14 ga, so a 15 amp circuit.

 

I’m not sure. I have two garage door openers and 4 standard outlets in the garage, so I’m guessing quite a few

 

I am in NC and willing to help in any way I can. I have installed several Level 2 Chargers for friends and family. Seems to me your detached garage would already have a sub panel. If the distance is not too far from your house and the current wire is at least #10 you should have no trouble installing the a 16 amp level 2 charger with a 20 amp breaker and a #12 wire from an existing sub panel( breaker box)

 

Unfortunately there is not a subpanel in the garage; just the main and subpanels in my house.

 

Not in SC, but in 2018 the cheapest option to get level 2 to our detached garage was to install a second service/meter in the garage. Overhead line was only about 50 feet from the garage, so the electric company only charged $200 for the new line (mast, meter, panel, EVSE wiring was an additional $1500 from private electrician). Not sure if anything like that is an option for you. The alternative for us was trenching a new line from the house and adding a sub panel to the tune of about $4k.

 

When the the electrician comes ask about doing the trench yourself. You'll save a ton. All you need is a shovel and some free time.

 

And a free call to ensure you know what is underground before you dig.

 

What size in amps is the breaker in your house panel box that cuts off current to your attached garage ? Also....
Is it a 110 volt breaker looks like the one for lights and or receptacles in your house)or is it 220 breaker( looks like the one to the stove or hot water heater)
Also is there more than one breaker that controls electricity in your garage...
one for lights there, one for receptacles
Your house panel box has all the answers

 

And most importantly how far is it form your house panel box to the garage
three of the chargers I have done have been in detached garages

 

I got my Bolt EUV last month and have been struggling with the process of getting a level 2 charger installed in my detached garage. I have a main panel and a subpanel in my house with wiring going through a buried conduit to my garage. This means I’m looking at a “non-standard” installation, so I started the Qmerit process with my fingers crossed hoping I wasn’t going to be paying a fortune.

One electrician accepted my request, and after coming out and taking a look at my property, they said they could install a subpanel in the garage, but when I asked how they were going to run the wiring for it, they were really dodgy with the details. Eventually they came back with a quote for $2,700. However, the quote stated that the installation would be on the exterior of my house with no other details. I emailed the electrician and asked to add more details to the quote so I knew what work they were going to do, and they added some more vague wording that didn’t convince me they were actually going to install the charger in my garage. After calling them again and getting no response, I rejected their quote and called a local electrician. The local electrician did not give the subpanel as an option. Instead they’d have to dig a trench to run new wire, and the cost for that would be $6k, or if I wanted to install two chargers in case I get another EV in the future, $10k! Way out of my budget.

Yesterday another company accepted my request through Qmerit, and I spoke to someone from that company in New York (I’m in South Carolina) and they made it sound like they could possibly run new wire through the existing underground conduit and install a subpanel in the garage, but they would have to check with their electrician in my area. I was supposed to hear back today, but no one called.

Is it realistic to think I can get a level 2 charger installed in my garage for a non-astronomical price? I don’t mind going over the $1,000 Qmerit credit a bit, but at some point the investment makes zero sense because the cost of the charger would never be offset by the savings in gas. I thought about either getting a standard installation on the exterior of my house or the EVGo credit, but with my driving habits I doubt I’d use either one.

Is the sub panel in the house for feeding the garage? What is the breaker size and voltage (120 or 240) that feeds the garage? If you do have 240 going to the garage a very easy fix is to add 240 outlet and just size the charger to the amp of the breaker.

 

It might be worth trying to just have an electrician from outside of the Qmerit process give you a review of the existing setup and an estimate on potential upgrades. The information you have shared so far unfortunately isn’t really enough to give any kind of accurate suggestions. Given the various interpretations or ignorance of the electrical codes, and possible later modifications, the only way to any kind of an idea of what to suggest would be to have a professional look at it. You must know where you are before you plot a course to somewhere else. Anything suggested in the absence of that information is just useless speculation. It may be easy and cheap; it may be difficult and expensive. Right now, it is just unknown.

 

When I had solar installed on my detached shop, I hand dug the 26 inch deep 50 foot long trench over to the house myself. This way I knew it was done right and my landscaping wouldn't be ruined. The electricians were thrilled that they didn't have to dig it.

 

In NC, my son, a Bolt owner and Extra Class Ham operator, installed his own, on the outside of his house.
It was as near the panel as he could, to shorten the run. He has a Juice Pro 40, and the install looks clean
on that outside wall. Given past and probable future EV concerns, he just decided to keep out of the garage
for the charge time.

 

I got my Bolt EUV last month and have been struggling with the process of getting a level 2 charger installed in my detached garage. I have a main panel and a subpanel in my house with wiring going through a buried conduit to my garage. This means I’m looking at a “non-standard” installation, so I started the Qmerit process with my fingers crossed hoping I wasn’t going to be paying a fortune. ....

...Is it realistic to think I can get a level 2 charger installed in my garage for a non-astronomical price? I don’t mind going over the $1,000 Qmerit credit a bit, but at some point the investment makes zero sense because the cost of the charger would never be offset by the savings in gas. I thought about either getting a standard installation on the exterior of my house or the EVGo credit, but with my driving habits I doubt I’d use either one.

It really depends how much or how little you would suffer to just charge on 120volts at 12 amps.
That depends on your usage pattern (for example if you typically drive less than 100 miles per day you'd probably be just fine with 120 volt charging.

We could get level-2 into our garage for under $500 or so I'm sure.
Never bothered. We've been driving EVs for `10 years now and in our pattern of use there were maybe two occasions when I thought it would be really nice (yet not even critical) to have had a level-2 charger in the garage.

Also note that all things being equal the longevity of the battery is very likely to be greater if virtually always charged at the slower "level-1" 120volt 12 amp rate than at level02.

It also depends on whether you have other level-2 or higher charging options near your or where you park. For example in my town there are about 18 free level-2 chargers within half a mile of me. So if, as happened once in two years, I feel I can benefit or need a fast charge I can do so there and even walk home. Maybe you have charging where you work.

 

amps.

You need to see what you got. What size cable? Is there room in conduit to pull another cable? Then decide.
You can use the existing cable to pull some larger cable if it’s not large enough. But need to tie together just right.

UFB is rated for direct burial but most put it in conduit.
I pulled cable thru conduit using foam to lub it. 100amp size. Then installed the 200A panel. First time and only time. It all depends on how picky the city code enforcer is in your area. Lots of you tube videos to help.

 

Depending on how far your driveway is from the house, you could get the plug and charger installed on the house. Charger cables are 20-24 feet. If you need a longer cable, you can buy a 20 foot J-1772 extension cord for about $200.

 

I got my Bolt EUV last month and have been struggling with the process of getting a level 2 charger installed in my detached garage. I have a main panel and a subpanel in my house with wiring going through a buried conduit to my garage. This means I’m looking at a “non-standard” installation, so I started the Qmerit process with my fingers crossed hoping I wasn’t going to be paying a fortune.

One electrician accepted my request, and after coming out and taking a look at my property, they said they could install a subpanel in the garage, but when I asked how they were going to run the wiring for it, they were really dodgy with the details. Eventually they came back with a quote for $2,700. However, the quote stated that the installation would be on the exterior of my house with no other details. I emailed the electrician and asked to add more details to the quote so I knew what work they were going to do, and they added some more vague wording that didn’t convince me they were actually going to install the charger in my garage. After calling them again and getting no response, I rejected their quote and called a local electrician. The local electrician did not give the subpanel as an option. Instead they’d have to dig a trench to run new wire, and the cost for that would be $6k, or if I wanted to install two chargers in case I get another EV in the future, $10k! Way out of my budget.

Yesterday another company accepted my request through Qmerit, and I spoke to someone from that company in New York (I’m in South Carolina) and they made it sound like they could possibly run new wire through the existing underground conduit and install a subpanel in the garage, but they would have to check with their electrician in my area. I was supposed to hear back today, but no one called.

Is it realistic to think I can get a level 2 charger installed in my garage for a non-astronomical price? I don’t mind going over the $1,000 Qmerit credit a bit, but at some point the investment makes zero sense because the cost of the charger would never be offset by the savings in gas. I thought about either getting a standard installation on the exterior of my house or the EVGo credit, but with my driving habits I doubt I’d use either one.

If you have a three way circuit you could convert to a 240V outlet, it would run in the hundreds, but using the old wire would restrict the amperage so that a charger wouldn't give you more than using the factory cable with a converter to the new box. We charge two '19 Bolts one at a time this way with satisfactory results.

 

Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency® - DSIRE

The most comprehensive source of information on incentives and policies that support renewables and energy efficiency in the United States. Managed by NCSU.

www.dsireusa.org

might want to check for what kind of programs are coming out to help with the cost of wiring.

 

I got my Bolt EUV last month and have been struggling with the process of getting a level 2 charger installed in my detached garage

From what I read you are not so experienced with electricity, are you?

Distance between the panel and the garage?

I installed two L2 EVSEs myself. Not a big deal.
I worked with my friend on burying a cable to his garage. Doable.

But you must know a quite bit to not kill yourself or mess up something very badly.

 

The problem you seem to have is exactly what a friend of mine had. Detached garage without a sub panel or a 240 outlet and wasn't interested in spending the money right then to do the upgrade so this is what we did. 1) The sub in the house had a 30 amp 240 breaker for the garage and had appropriate buried wire. 2) Garage lacked a sub panel or a 240 outlet 3) Incoming 240 feed was split at first outlet into 2 120 routes in garage. 4) We installed a small sub panel in garage 5) Added a 20 amp 240 breaker 6) Installed a single slot 20 amp outlet to be dedicated just for charging 7) Friend uses the factory supplied dual voltage charger and gets 3 kWh charging vs the 1.5 kWh via 120 in their garage for a $100 investment 8) Installed 50 amp breaker in the house main panel and wired a NEMA 14 - 50 RV plug/box on the outside of the house to use with a 6 kWh charger (this rarely ever gets used). If you aren't driving more then 100 miles per day on average the 6 kWh charger isn't even needed.

The fact the factory charger can be used with 240 and can charge twice is fast is, IMO, a no brainer quick first fix. As long as the buried wire will carry the load a cheap quick fix is doable. There will be more and more programs to help with costs of upgrading in future so I would go with the easy cheap route now if the need isn't really there. Good luck.

 

The problem you seem to have is exactly what a friend of mine had. Detached garage without a sub panel or a 240 outlet and wasn't interested in spending the money right then to do the upgrade so this is what we did.

I agree and that is what I would do, too.
Yet, I am afraid the OP does not have the skills and knowledge to DIY.
Any electrician (officially, and especially through the program) will not do that. Unless you know someone...

 

Kinda ugly but I ran EMT on outside of building then painted it to match.

I suspect you could get by with 16A@240VAC evse setting.

 

I had Qmerit do a non-standard install for a detached garage in Northern California (so assume everything is as expensive as it could possibly be) a couple months ago. It ended up costing just over $2200 on top of the $1000 Qmerit credit and the $200 they cover for the permit.

The install involved adding a new exterior subpanel for the garage. There was an existing one inside, but it didn't have room for another breaker, and codes have changed to require a shut-off switch where electricity enters a building anyway. I also wanted to make a future rooftop solar installation on the garage roof easier so figured I may as well add a nice accessible subpanel with plenty of room for expansion now rather than do it again later. This also meant we didn't need to do any work inside the walls.

The electrical service to the house is 200A, and the subpanel that was already in the garage was 40A, which was sufficient for the lights, outlets, and washer and dryer, but not anything more. We left that panel alone and ran a new 100A service to the new exterior subpanel, and then installed a 40A circuit to power that existing interior subpanel and just tied that in to the existing wire that was running from the conduit to the interior subpanel. We ran exterior conduit from the back of the garage where the new subpanel was installed to a hard-wired Clipper Creek 40A EVSE on the front of the garage on a 50A circuit. (The cost for the EVSE is not included in the $2200 listed above, it was another $600-700 or so. We could have just had them install a waterproof outlet, but I preferred a hardwired EVSE for an exterior installation, and my Bolt is the 1LT so I would have had to purchase a level 2 anyway.)

We got lucky in that the existing 40 feet of conduit that ran underground from the basement of the house to the garage was just large enough to run the new larger wire through for the 100A service we were hooking up, and we used the existing wire to pull the new one through. It was oversized for the original 40A wire, and if it hadn't been we would have had to run a new trench and the cost would have been a lot higher.

Overall, the installation took about a month from the first visit by the electrician to completion. I did some work on my end to dig up a section of the existing underground conduit to confirm it was large enough for the new wire, removed some siding and cut away the exterior wall to expose the area where the conduit stubbed up into the wall so we could see what was going on, and then closed that wall back up after the panel was installed and before they came back to run the exterior conduit and install the EVSE.

If you've got any specific questions feel free to ask and I'll provide what answers I can.

 

I put in an underground 120VAC outlet to carport. There was a depth requirement that could be reduced if I put concrete over the emt. There was the underground rating too. I didn't put concrete but had to run a yellow warning tape with wire detection to find later above it.

 

Wonder if you can still change to EvGo credit??

 

Possibly, but I don’t know when I’d use it. I think there are 5 EvGo chargers in my entire state.

 

Some people sell their credit somehow.