Derek J.
06/10/2016 12:00:00 SA
I called Erik to install a NEMA 14-50 outlet for an electric vehicle. Because my vehicle's manufacturer recommended an electric permit (and when I asked the city, they also said this was necessary), I looked for an electrician willing to submit a SimplEpermit. Erik was the only who was willing to help me submit this (he filled out the paperwork, I submitted it and paid the invoice). The city was a little difficult to work with here; at first they said I couldn't do this online, even though the paperwork specifically says I can for a residential garage. After trying to get this through the city for about 2 weeks, I was able to secure the permit electronically. Erik then came on the day that was scheduled near the end of the time window and installed the outlet. Installation is fairly quick if it's close to the breaker, which mine was. They made only the exact hole size needed in my drywall for the outlet, and then once they put the outlet cover on it looks perfect--no drywall to patch.
If you check some EV charging forums, many electricians will say you don't need the wire gauge and circuit breaker size that my manufacturer required. However, given these were the manufacturer recommendations, I insisted that we install wiring and a breaker that met the manufacturer's recommendations and Erik was willing to work with me here which I very much appreciated. They cleaned up as well at the end. I then had the city come out to inspect a couple days later and they gave it the official pass.
Erik's pricing was one of the lowest of any of the electricians I asked, and again he was the only one willing to help me with the Epermit. The overall cost (permit, labor, parts) was about $250 less than the official manufacturer's installer for my vehicle, with about 40% of the cost for the work being just the permit itself... If you're willing to try to get the Epermit, I think it ended up being worth it, otherwise compared to my manufacturer's recommended electrician it may not be worth the effort. Either way, Erik's team did a great job so from that end I'm quite happy.