It starts at the switchboard
A charger is one of the largest continuous loads a house will ever run, and unlike a kettle or an oven it runs for hours. That is why the board comes first: the question is not only whether there is a spare way for a new circuit, but whether the supply into the house can carry the charger on top of everything else.
In older Brisbane homes the answer is often that the board needs work before the charger goes in. That is not an upsell — it is the reason the job cannot be quoted over the phone.
If a quote for an EV charger does not mention your switchboard at all, it has not been looked at.
The cable run decides the rest
The charger needs its own circuit run from the board to wherever the car parks. A garage on the other side of the wall from the board is a short job. A carport at the far end of the property, past a driveway, is a different one.
- Distance from the board to the charger position.
- Whether the route is through a roof space, along a wall, or underground.
- Whether anything has to be trenched or cored.
- Where the car actually parks, and which side its socket is on.
That last one is worth thinking about before installation day. A charger on the wrong wall means a cable stretched across the bonnet every night for the life of the car.
Load management
Where the supply cannot comfortably carry a charger at full output alongside everything else, load management is often the answer. The charger monitors the household load and backs off when the house is drawing heavily, then returns to full rate when it is not.
It usually means you can have a charger without upgrading the mains, which is the more expensive alternative. Whether it suits depends on how much driving you do and how quickly you need the car back to full.
Choosing a charger
We install suitable chargers from the brands we regularly work with rather than pushing one product. What matters is that the unit suits your supply, your car and where it will live — an outdoor position in Brisbane sun and rain is a real consideration.
Single-phase or three-phase supply changes what charging rate is available to you, which is worth understanding before choosing a unit.
Charging at home
Get it installed properly the first time.
EV charger installation across Greater Brisbane, including the switchboard work most homes turn out to need.
