Guides

Five questions decide most of what an EV charger costs, and four of them have nothing to do with the charger. These guides answer them once, nationally. The city pages answer the fifth — what happens at your address.

Is there still a federal EV charger tax credit?

No. The Section 30C Alternative Fuel Vehicle Refueling Property Credit terminated on June 30, 2026. Public Law 119-21 moved its sunset forward from December 31, 2032, and property placed in service after June 30, 2026 does not qualify. There is no federal replacement. The separate clean-vehicle credits under Sections 30D and 25E ended for deliveries after September 30, 2025.

Updated 2026-08-13

Do you need a panel upgrade for an EV charger?

Usually not. What decides it is spare capacity under a load calculation, not the number printed on the main breaker. A 200-amp service with open breaker spaces normally takes a 40 to 60-amp EV circuit as it stands. Where capacity is genuinely short, a load-management device that sheds the charger under heavy household draw is almost always cheaper than upsizing the service.

Updated 2026-08-13

Do you need a permit to install an EV charger?

In most United States jurisdictions, yes: a dedicated 240-volt circuit for a hardwired charger is permitted electrical work, and the inspection is the point of the exercise. What varies by city is the fee, the turnaround, whether a plug-in unit on an existing receptacle is treated differently, and who performs the inspection — which is not always the building department.

Updated 2026-08-13

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Every question we have answered, grouped by who is asking. Each figure carries its source and the date we checked it.

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Guides

Is there still a federal EV charger tax credit?

Do you need a panel upgrade for an EV charger?

Do you need a permit to install an EV charger?

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