Most of the work happens at the switchboard.

Do you actually need a charger at all?

Not necessarily on day one. Every electric car comes with a lead that plugs into an ordinary power point, and for someone driving short distances that can genuinely be enough. It is slow, and the point it plugs into should be checked rather than assumed, because a socket carrying a car overnight is being asked for far more than it was ever used for.

Where a dedicated charger earns its money is regular driving, a car that needs a real top-up every night, or wanting to charge from your own solar during the day. If you are not sure which you are, say so on the phone and we will tell you honestly.

Single phase or three phase

Most inner north houses are single phase, and a single phase charger is what goes in. It will comfortably refill a normal day's driving overnight, which is what matters far more than a headline charging speed.

If a property already has three-phase supply, a three-phase charger is worth considering because the extra speed costs almost nothing to take advantage of. Adding three phase purely to charge a car is rarely worth it, and we will say so rather than sell you the upgrade.

Load management, and what it is for

Older properties often have a supply that will not comfortably carry a car charging at full rate while the oven, the heat pump and the air conditioning are all running. Load management solves that in software rather than with a supply upgrade: the charger monitors the rest of the house and eases off when everything else is busy.

In practice you rarely notice, because the car is charging for eight hours and only needs a few of them.

Charging from solar

If you already have solar, a charger that can follow your export is worth asking about. It charges when the panels are producing more than the house is using, which is the cheapest energy you will ever put into a car. It works best for people who are home during the day or who can leave the car plugged in on weekends.

We handle the board and supply side of this and coordinate with whoever installed your solar.

Apartments and shared car parks

Harder, not impossible. The questions are whose electricity the charger draws on, whether the run crosses common property, and what the owners corporation requires. Buildings vary enormously, so this is a site visit rather than a phone quote.

Rebates

Rebate and incentive programs for chargers and home batteries change regularly, and the conditions change with them. Check what is current before you commit rather than relying on something you read last year, and check whether it requires the installation to be done a particular way.

Which charger to buy

We install what you have bought, and we are happy to tell you what we see holding up well. What matters more than the brand is whether the unit suits your car and your supply, and whether you actually want the app.

How long does an EV charger installation take?

A straightforward install is most of a day. If the switchboard has to be upgraded first, that is a separate piece of work and you will know about it before we start rather than on the day.

Do I need a switchboard upgrade?

Sometimes. It depends on whether there is a spare way, whether there is safety switch protection, and what the board is. On older inner north boards it is common, which is why we check before quoting the charger.

Can I just use the plug that came with the car?

You can, and for low mileage it may be all you need. Get the point it is plugged into checked first, because an ordinary socket carrying a car for hours every night is doing something it was not really installed for.

Will it trip the house?

Not if it is installed properly. It gets its own circuit with its own protection, and where the supply is tight we set up load management so the charger backs off instead of the house tripping.

Can you install a charger in an apartment car park?

Often, yes. It needs a site visit and usually owners corporation approval, because the answer depends on whose supply it runs from and whether the cable crosses common property.

Do you install any brand?

Yes. We install what you have bought, and we will tell you honestly whether it suits your supply before you buy it if you ask first.

Do I get a certificate?

Yes. Every install gets a certificate of electrical safety, and it is not an extra charge. Licence REC 35681.

Which areas do you cover?

The inner north for everything, and we take charger installs across the northern and eastern suburbs.