EV charger installation in Melbourne's South East: what it costs
Helcro Electrical does EV charger installation across Melbourne’s South East from our Cheltenham workshop, with our own licensed electricians: nothing is subcontracted. A Zappi wall charger, supplied and installed, is typically $2,200 to $2,500 on single-phase power and $2,500 to $3,000 on three-phase, including GST. We are a Registered Electrical Contractor (REC 35448, registered with Energy Safe Victoria).
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In business since 2006 · Registered Electrical Contractor REC 35448 · SiGENERGY and Tesla Powerwall Certified Installer · Clean Energy Council member · 12-month workmanship warranty
What EV charger installation costs
| Job | Price, including GST |
|---|---|
| Zappi EV charger, supplied and installed, single-phase | typically $2,200 to $2,500 |
| Zappi EV charger, supplied and installed, three-phase | typically $2,500 to $3,000 |
| SiGENERGY EV AC charger, supplied, installed and commissioned, single- or three-phase, up to 15 m of cable | about $2,800 |
| Tesla Wall Connector, supplied and installed | about $2,400 |
| Switchboard upgrade, only if one is needed | typically $1,250 to $2,500, quoted separately |
| Site assessment for a quote | $50 |
Some other brands cost a little less than a Zappi. A recent three-phase Zappi installation came to $2,860, supplied and installed, including GST. Your switchboard, supply and cable run set the final price, and you get a written quote before any work starts.
What moves the price of a home EV charger installation:
- The charger: the model, single-phase or three-phase.
- The cable run: the distance from the switchboard to where you park, and what the cable has to pass through.
- The switchboard: space for a new circuit and the protection it needs.
- Your supply: what the home can carry with the charger running.
- The mounting: a garage wall, a carport post or an outside wall.
Your written quote lists everything the job covers, and every installation finishes with testing and a Certificate of Electrical Safety.
Single-phase or three-phase: what your home and car can use
Most Victorian houses have single-phase power, and the Victorian Government says single-phase Level 2 charging meets most people's daily commute needs. The average Victorian drives around 38 km a day (Victorian Government charging guide).
How fast each option charges:
- Portable cable in a power point (Level 1, the "granny charger"): about 2.4 kW, adding about 14 to 21 km of range per hour.
- Single-phase wall charger (Level 2): about 7 kW.
- Three-phase wall charger (Level 2): 11 kW or 22 kW.
A wall charger adds about 42 to 65 km of range per hour for most vehicles. Most EVs on the Australian market can only charge at up to 11 kW on Level 2 AC, so your car's maximum charging rate sets the real speed.
A 22 kW charger only charges faster if your car can take more than 11 kW, and United Energy says a 22 kW charger needs three-phase power. A "22 kW fast charger" at home is still a Level 2 AC wall charger, not a public DC rapid charger.
Planning for two EVs? Upgrading to three-phase costs more to install, and the Victorian Government says it may be worth it if you plan to have more than one EV.
Is your switchboard ready for an EV charger?
Signs your switchboard may need work before a charger goes in:
- No spare space for a new circuit.
- Old rewireable fuses instead of circuit breakers.
- Circuits without a safety switch. In Victoria, safety switches became mandatory on power point circuits in new homes in 1991, and on lighting circuits too from 2001. Older homes only had to have them where significant electrical work was done.
- A small main switch, or a supply already carrying a lot.
United Energy says some homes need a power-supply upgrade to handle EV charging. A charger with load management turns EV charging down when the house is drawing a lot of power from the grid (myenergi's Zappi does this once a grid limit is set). We look at the board and the supply at the site assessment, before we quote. If the board does need replacing, the switchboard upgrade is quoted separately.
Which safety switch?
The Zappi has built-in 6 mA DC fault protection, so its circuit needs a Type A RCD rather than a dearer Type B, which chargers without that protection need (myenergi).
Does an EV charger need an isolator?
It depends on the site. myenergi notes the Wiring Rules don't require a separate isolator at the charger: if the switchboard is close and clearly visible, the circuit breaker can act as the isolation point; where the charger is far from the board, an isolator next to it is advisable.
Which charger: Zappi, Tesla Wall Connector, SiGENERGY and others
We install SiGENERGY, Zappi, Tesla Wall Connector, Wallbox, Fronius, Ocular, GoodWe and Schneider EVlink chargers for homes and businesses across Melbourne's South East. The right one depends on your car, your supply and what you want it to do.
Smart or basic? A basic charger charges at a set rate when you plug in. A smart charger adds app control and scheduling, charging from solar surplus, and load management. Some also support OCPP (Open Charge Point Protocol).
Zappi installation
The Zappi, made by myenergi, has an ECO+ mode that waits for surplus solar and pauses the charge when there isn't enough; its Minimum Green Level setting decides how much grid power can top it up.
Tesla Wall Connector installation
We install the Tesla Wall Connector (the "Tesla charger") on single-phase and three-phase homes. Tesla rates it at up to 7.4 kW on single-phase and 11 kW on three-phase, and says it works with most electric vehicles, not only Teslas, as long as its plug matches your car's charging inlet.
SiGENERGY EV chargers
SiGENERGY's Sigen EV AC Charger comes in 7 kW single-phase and 11 kW or 22 kW three-phase versions with a Type 2 connection. The SigenStor EV DC module (12.5 or 25 kW, CCS2) plugs into a SigenStor system and is built for two-way charging, which SiGENERGY says depends on the vehicle and on published standards. Both support OCPP 1.6J. SigenStor is the home battery we install most, so a SiGENERGY charger puts solar, battery and car on one platform: see solar installation, home batteries and home electrification.
Type 2 or Level 2? Level 2 is the Victorian Government's name for a wall charger. Type 2 is a plug shape, not a speed: check your car's charging port before choosing a charger with its cable attached.
Charging from solar, a battery or the Midday Power Saver
Solar. Solar-surplus charging uses the power your panels would otherwise export. It only works if the charger can see what the house is using and exporting, so where there is solar we wire the charger to it at installation.
A home battery. Where the charger and your system allow it, we set the charger up so it doesn't charge the car from your home battery.
The Victorian Midday Power Saver. Since 1 October 2026, Victorian households with a smart meter can sign up to the Midday Power Saver, available through most electricity retailers. It gives up to 24 kWh a day of free electricity from 11am to 2pm, shared by the whole house. A wall charger at about 7 kW running through the whole window uses most of that on its own, so it suits a car that is home at midday.
Electricity prices outside those hours and daily supply charges may be higher on this offer, so compare the whole plan with your current one before you switch. Our Midday Power Saver guide has the numbers. Victorian Energy Compare now includes EV-specific electricity offers (Victorian Government, April 2026).
Units, townhouses, rentals and heritage homes
Units and townhouses. If the charger, its cabling or its supply touches common property (the plan of subdivision decides), the owners corporation must approve the work. Body corporate committees can use the Victorian Government's EV-ready guide for owners corporations (September 2026).
Renting. Renters need their rental provider's permission before a dedicated outlet or wall charger is installed (Consumer Affairs Victoria).
Do I need council approval?
Usually not, but heritage homes are the exception. In a Heritage Overlay, a planning permit is needed for an EV charger that is visible from a street (other than a lane) or a public park (Victoria Planning Provisions, clause 43.01-1). Elsewhere, EV chargers are exempt from planning permits unless the planning scheme specifically requires one (clause 62.02-2).
Who can install an EV charger, and the paperwork
Can I install an EV charger myself?
No. A wall charger is electrical installation work: in Victoria you must engage a registered electrical contractor, whose licensed electrician does the work and issues a Certificate of Electrical Safety. myenergi says unlicensed installation of a Zappi is illegal and voids the warranty.
Can a normal electrician install an EV charger?
It must be a licensed electrician. United Energy, which runs the electricity network in Melbourne's east and south-east suburbs and the Mornington Peninsula, says EV wall and fast chargers must be installed by a registered electrical contractor and registered on its myEnergy connection service. We are a Registered Electrical Contractor (REC 35448), and on United Energy's network we register your charger on myEnergy for you. Our licensed electricians also hold the accredited qualification for EV charging infrastructure up to 22kW AC, covering design and test and commissioning.
Is there a rebate for a home EV charger in Victoria?
Not at the moment. Victoria's ZEV Subsidy closed to new applications on 30 June 2023, and the Victorian Government's current rebate list has no rebate for a home EV charger. The Australian Government's DRIVEN charger rebate is for car dealerships and EV repairers, not homes.
How an EV charger job works with Helcro Electrical
- Call 1300 201 358 or send the form. We will call you back within 2 business hours.
- A price on the phone where we can.
- A $50 site assessment. We look at the switchboard, the supply, the cable route and the parking spot.
- A written quote. Any switchboard work is quoted separately.
- The installation, by our own electricians. Nothing is subcontracted; you usually get Fedya or Rhys.
- Testing and paperwork. We test the charger, register it on myEnergy where United Energy runs your network, and give you the Certificate of Electrical Safety and your warranty in writing.
How long does it take? A typical home EV charger installation takes one day.
Building or renovating? Run the charger cable while the walls and ceilings are open; we can rough it in with the rest of the electrical work.
For a business? Workplace and customer charging is covered on our commercial electrical page.
Our EV work, warranty and credentials
Warranty. EV charger installation carries our 12-month workmanship warranty, which starts on the date your certificate is issued. The charger's manufacturer warranty is separate.
Credentials. You can check our Registered Electrical Contractor number, REC 35448, on the Energy Safe Victoria public register.
WHAT OUR CUSTOMERS SAY
Katherine Gwon, Google review
EV charger installation questions
How much does it cost to install an EV charger at home?
A Zappi, supplied and installed, is typically $2,200 to $2,500 on single-phase and $2,500 to $3,000 on three-phase, including GST. A SiGENERGY EV AC charger is about $2,800 on either, and a Tesla Wall Connector about $2,400. Switchboard work is quoted separately.
Is the power off, and do I get a certificate?
We tell you when we quote how long the power will be off. You get a Certificate of Electrical Safety wherever the work requires one, and a wall charger does.
EV charger installation across Melbourne's South East
We install EV chargers in Cheltenham, Mentone, Moorabbin, Highett, Parkdale, Beaumaris, Sandringham, Bentleigh, Bentleigh East, Brighton East, McKinnon, Carrum Downs, Aspendale, Hampton and Brighton, and in Black Rock, Seaford, Frankston and the other South East suburbs we cover.
Tell us your car, where you park and, if you know, whether you are on single-phase or three-phase power, and we will call you back within 2 business hours.
Helcro Electrical, 45/148 Chesterville Road, Cheltenham VIC 3192. Phone 1300 201 358.
Prices and rules on this page checked 21 October 2026.