Electric Vehicle Charger Installation: An EV Home Charger for Every Kind of Home
A new build in Rolleston, a 1920s villa in Merivale and a townhouse in Riccarton each need a different plan. Here is what changes for each.
The Merivale Body Corporate That Said Yes in a Week
A Merivale townhouse owner assumed her body corporate would take months to approve a charger. The switchboard was hers, but the car park and the wall it faced were common property. She sent us her photos and asked what the committee would want to see.
We put together a one-page plan: the exact cable route, a photo of where the charger would mount, the load figures showing her supply could carry it, and a note that the CoC would be copied to the body corporate. The committee approved it at their next meeting. Paperwork like that is part of the job on shared properties, and it is usually what gets the yes.
What Changes From One Home to the Next
| Home type | Usual situation | What we plan for |
|---|---|---|
| New build | Modern board with spare ways, garage close to the board | A straight install, or pre-wiring during the build for a charger later |
| 1950s to 1980s home | Older board, sometimes full or with no RCDs | Load management first, a board upgrade only if safety needs it |
| Villa or bungalow | Board inside the house, detached garage out the back | Cable under the floor and a trench or overhead run to the garage |
| Townhouse or apartment | Shared walls, shared parking, body corporate rules | A written plan for the committee and a copy of the CoC |
| Rental | Tenant wants a charger, landlord owns the walls | Written landlord approval, and a charger that stays as an asset |
| Lifestyle block | Long driveways, sheds, sometimes three-phase for a bore pump | Longer cable runs, trenching and a check of the supply at the meter |
Ask Your Builder for These
- A spare way in the switchboard marked for an EV charger
- A conduit or cable run from the board to the garage wall
- A 63A or larger supply if the house is all-electric
What We Check First in an Older House
- Rewirable ceramic fuses, which mean the board needs work
- Whether the circuits have any RCD protection at all
- The size of the mains, which can be small in older cottages
Installs Across Christchurch, Selwyn and Waimakariri
We install across Christchurch city, Selwyn, Waimakariri and Banks Peninsula at the same prices, with no travel charge. The ten areas we visit most each have their own page with local housing notes.
See the service area page for the full list of suburbs and towns.
Plan Your Electric Vehicle Charger Installation
Four photos are all we need: your switchboard with the door open, the spot where the charger will go, the path between them and your meter board. One written number comes back, usually the same day.