Half the homeowners told they need a new panel do not. We run the load calculation first. If you really need 200 amp service, we do that too, start to finish with ComEd.
30 seconds. We text you back the same day with what to film, then your estimate.
The most expensive words in EV charging are you will need a panel upgrade. Sometimes that is true. A 60 amp fuse box, a Federal Pacific or Zinsco panel, or a 100 amp panel already feeding an electric range, dryer, central air and a hot tub genuinely cannot take another 50 amp load. But many 100 amp homes can, and the only way to know is the load calculation the electrical code requires.
We do that calculation on every job, using your actual appliances and square footage, before anyone quotes a new panel. The result tells us the largest charger your service can carry today. If that is a 32 amp charger instead of 48, you still add 25 miles of range an hour and fill the car overnight. If the honest answer is an upgrade, we tell you that with the number attached.
When an upgrade is the right call we handle the entire thing: the new 200 amp panel, meter socket if needed, grounding, the ComEd service coordination, the permit, and the inspection. Then the charger circuit goes in the same day.
A load managing charger such as the Wallbox Pulsar Plus, Emporia, or Tesla Wall Connector with a power sharing meter can watch your whole house draw and back off when the dryer and oven are running. It lets a 100 amp home run a 48 amp charger safely because the charger never pushes the service past its limit. The code allows this and inspectors around here accept it.
A smart splitter can share an existing dryer or range circuit with the charger so only one runs at a time. And a simple 32 or 40 amp install instead of 48 often fits the calculation with room to spare. We price all three against an upgrade so you can choose.
Fuse boxes, panels with no open spaces and no room for tandem breakers, known problem brands like Federal Pacific and Zinsco, and homes planning for two EVs plus a heat pump or hot tub are the usual cases. Older housing in Elmhurst, Western Springs, La Grange, Downers Grove, Wheaton and the older parts of Joliet and Lockport is where we see it most.
A full service change runs $2,000 to $4,500 on top of the charger install depending on whether the meter and service entrance cable need to change. ComEd has to disconnect and reconnect, and we coordinate that date. Expect the power to be off for most of a day.
A new 200 amp main breaker panel with at least 40 spaces, new grounding electrode system if the existing one is not up to code, new service entrance conductors and meter socket if required, every existing circuit transferred and labeled, surge protection, and the new EV circuit. Permit and inspection are included.
The invoice separates the charger install from the panel work so your ComEd rebate application is clean. The rebate applies to the charger and its installation, and a panel upgrade done for the charger is often an eligible cost. We confirm that for your situation before we start.
Often yes. It depends on what else is electric in the house. A gas heat, gas range, gas dryer home on 100 amps usually has room for a 40 or 48 amp charger. An all electric home usually does not without load management. We run the actual calculation and tell you.
Typically $2,000 to $4,500 in addition to the charger install, depending on whether the meter socket and service entrance cable need replacing. We give you one estimate from your video of the panel, the meter, and where the service comes in.
Yes. ComEd disconnects at the meter so we can replace the service equipment safely, then reconnects after the inspection. We schedule it and manage the day. You just need to plan for the power to be off for most of that day.
We will not add a 50 amp circuit to a Federal Pacific Stab Lok or Zinsco panel. Those breakers have a documented failure history and most inspectors will flag them. Replacing the panel is the right answer and it solves the EV question at the same time.
For charging, yes. Most nights the charger will run at full speed because the house is quiet. It only slows down when big appliances run. A panel upgrade is better if you also plan on a second EV, a heat pump, a hot tub, or a kitchen remodel with more electric appliances.
A dedicated 50 or 60 amp circuit, your charger hardwired or on a NEMA 14-50 outlet, permit and inspection included. Most homes $1,200 to $2,500.
Learn more →Gen 3 and Universal Wall Connector installs on a 60 amp circuit for full 48 amp charging. Works with Tesla, Ford, Rivian, Hyundai and any NACS car.
Learn more →Hardwired up to 50 amps or plug-in on a NEMA 14-50, with the amperage set to what your panel can actually carry. Permit and inspection included.
Learn more →Level 2 stations for apartments, condos, offices, shops and fleets. Load studies, networked chargers, ComEd business rebates and Illinois grant paperwork.
Learn more →Charger tripping the breaker, charging slow, error lights, or a bad install from someone else. We diagnose it, fix it, and bring it up to code.
Learn more →Up to $2,500 for income qualified households, up to $750 for everyone else. 2026 funds are spent, the next window opens January 1, 2027. We check eligibility and file it.
Learn more →Reach out, get a same day estimate, confirm it with a free visit, book a day. Most installs are done in one visit.
