Buffalo, NY (WBEN) Local electricians say they're getting more inquiries from customers about upgrading their electric panels to accommodate electric vehicles.
Laura Tirone of Huber Electric tells WBEN she's been getting several phone calls a week about upgrades. "However, many people are not educated about the process and what the additional expense could entail," says Tirone. Among the questions she asks are: if they have space for an additional circuit, if their electric panel is full, and is the charger going in an attached garage or is it going in a detached garage?
Tirone says you could charge your car with a standard outlet, but you'll be waiting. "It could take up to 30 or more hours to charge the car. If you put in a dedicated 50 amp circuit for the car charger, it's gonna take probably a fifth of that time to charge the car," explains Tirone. She says the upgrade can take about a couple of hours, and can range from $3,000-$4,000.
Tony Pulvirenti of Empire Electric also has been receiving inquiries about electric upgrades. and it often involves upgrading their entire electrical system just to support 50 amps. But he notes EVs are requiring more. "Chevy has a full electric Silverado. Ford has their Raptor F150 and all those vehicles, the larger vehicles need an 80 amp charge, which is quite large, considering a lot of homes only have 100 amp service," notes Pulvirenti. That's prompted a policy for his crew to no longer estimate less than a 200 amp service at a home for an upgrade or even a new house.
Pulvirenti says the 200 amp minimum is partly because of the possibility New York's law to require new builds to have electric heating appliances by the end of the decade passes. "If we're going to install a new panel in 2023, and new circuit panel, new service, we want to make sure the customer is not doing that again in another year or two, when either they need to install some type of electric heating or appliances, or if they go with an electric vehicle, we want to make sure they're prepared for any of that," notes Pulvirenti.
Pulvirenti says the process is extensive and it can take a day to put the complete panel together. "It consists of all new service entrance cable ... where National Grid or NYSEG ... where they connect to your home. Anything at the house is the customer, what we call Customer-owned equipment. And then you have another stretch of service entrance cable from the meter down to your new circuit breaker panel. And then there's some other odds and ends we have to make sure the system is properly bonded and grounded," explains Pulvirenti.
Pulvirenti says he anticipates more calls as the push for electric vehicles and appliances continues.
