48 amps, 6 gauge, one visit: what an EV charger install actually involves.

A Level 2 charger at 48 A moves about 11.5 kW into the car, roughly 35 miles of range an hour. Here is everything between the breaker and the plug.

The circuit

A 60 A two-pole breaker (chargers are continuous loads, so the circuit is sized at 125 percent of 48 A). 6 AWG copper, in conduit along a garage wall or NM-B through the attic. A hardwired charger, or a NEMA 14-50 receptacle on a GFCI breaker if you want to take the charger with you.

The one question

Can the panel carry it? We run the load calculation on the walk. Three outcomes: yes; yes with a load-managing charger that throttles when the oven is on; or a panel upgrade first. We give you the number, not a guess.

The visit

• Morning: breaker in, conduit run, charger mounted at the height that suits your charge port.
• Midday: terminated, tested, the car plugged in to confirm the handshake.
• Afternoon: inspection booked, charger registered with your utility EV rate.

Permits

Sunnyvale issues most EV permits online, often the same day. Inspection is a short visit; the inspector checks the breaker size, the conductor and the labeling.