The Sparky's Playbook — Chapter 4: The EV Charging Opportunity
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The Sparky's Playbook — Chapter 4: The EV Charging Opportunity

This article is Chapter 4 of The Sparky’s Playbook — the free guide to scaling, compliance, and building a high-value electrical business in Australia. Download the full 12-chapter book free →

Sparky’s Playbook — Chapter 4: The EV Charging Opportunity

EV adoption in Australia has crossed the point where residential and commercial EV charger installation is a meaningful, ongoing revenue stream for electrical businesses. The early adopter phase is over. The mass market is here.

This chapter covers the technical requirements, business case, and commercial strategies for building EV charging work into your electrical business — from the residential install you can price and complete in a day to the multi-site commercial projects that justify higher rates and recurring revenue.

Why EV Charging Is a Real Business Opportunity

The numbers behind EV adoption in Australia tell the story:

  • EV sales exceeded 8% of new car sales in 2024, up from under 2% in 2022
  • The Federal Government’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard accelerates the shift to EVs and hybrids across the fleet
  • Every new EV owner is a potential charger installation job — most prefer to charge at home

Beyond the residential install, the commercial opportunity is larger:

  • Apartment buildings and strata complexes face significant pressure from residents to provide charging
  • Fleet operators — delivery companies, government vehicles, councils — are transitioning to electric fleets that need depot charging infrastructure
  • Commercial properties (shopping centres, hotels, car parks, workplaces) are investing in charging as an amenity and revenue source

The electrician who understands EV charging technology — the charger types, the load management requirements, the metering and billing systems — is positioned to capture this work at a premium over generalists.

The Technical Landscape

Charging Levels

Level 1 — Slow (10A GPO, 1.4–2.4kW) Using a standard 10A outlet. No installation required beyond verifying the outlet is on a dedicated or appropriately rated circuit. Adds 8-15km of range per hour — adequate for low-mileage drivers but not a recommended primary charging solution.

Level 2 — Fast AC (7.4kW to 22kW) The bread and butter of residential and most commercial EV charger installations. A dedicated EVSE (Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment) unit installed on a dedicated circuit. Types:

  • Single phase, 32A = 7.4kW — the most common residential install
  • Three phase, 16A = 11kW — increasingly common where three-phase supply is available
  • Three phase, 32A = 22kW — commercial and high-demand residential

DC Fast Charging (50kW–350kW) Bypasses the vehicle’s onboard charger. Requires significant electrical infrastructure — dedicated transformer feeds, large cable runs, specialist switchgear. Not typically in scope for a small electrical business without specialist experience.

AS/NZS 3000 Requirements for EV Installations

The Wiring Rules have specific requirements for EV charging installations:

  • Dedicated final subcircuit (EVSE must not share a circuit with other loads)
  • RCD protection on the circuit — Type A minimum for AC EVSE, Type B where the charger can produce smooth DC residual currents (most modern DC-capable EVSE requires Type B)
  • Circuit rated for continuous load (EVSE draws close to rated current for extended periods — size for 125% of rated load, not 100%)
  • Appropriate cable selection for the installation environment (outdoor cable for exterior runs, conduit protection where applicable)

The Type B RCD issue catches electricians who default to their standard Type A or Type S RCDs. Read the EVSE manufacturer’s documentation — if it specifies Type B, that’s what goes in, and it needs to be documented on the CoC.

Residential EV Charger Installations

The Standard Residential Job

A typical residential Level 2 installation:

  1. Site assessment — switchboard capacity, available circuit space, cable run from board to garage/driveway, earthing system condition
  2. Switchboard work — install dedicated MCB and RCD (or RCBO), label the circuit
  3. Cable run — from switchboard to installation location, in conduit where required
  4. EVSE installation — mount the charging unit, terminate cable connections, commission
  5. Testing — insulation resistance, loop impedance, RCD test, functional test
  6. Documentation — Certificate of Compliance, label circuits, provide handover to customer

Time: 3–6 hours depending on complexity. Price range: $800–$2,500 for a straightforward single-phase install.

When a Switchboard Upgrade Is Required

The most common complication is an existing switchboard without capacity for a new 32A circuit. Options:

  • Full switchboard replacement (adds cost, but creates space for future circuits)
  • Tandem breaker installation where permitted
  • Smart charger with power management that limits draw to available capacity

Build switchboard assessment into your quoting process — a fixed-price quote for a “standard” install that turns out to require a board upgrade creates price disputes. Quote the board upgrade as a conditional item, assess on-site, and confirm scope before starting.

Pricing Residential EV Work

Three cost components:

  1. EVSE unit cost (varies widely — $300 for basic units to $2,000+ for premium brands with app connectivity)
  2. Labour and associated materials (cable, conduit, MCB, RCD)
  3. Any switchboard work required

Decide whether you supply the EVSE or the customer supplies it. Supplying it gives you a margin on the unit and control over quality; customer-supplied removes the purchasing headache but means you lose the product margin and occasionally deal with units you’d prefer not to install.

Commercial EV Charging

Commercial installations are where the business case for specialising in EV charging becomes compelling.

The Commercial Opportunity

SegmentTypical scopeJob value range
Apartment/strata5–50 chargers with DLM$15,000–$150,000+
Commercial car park10–100 chargers, metering/billing$40,000–$500,000+
Fleet depot10–50 chargers, 3-phase supply upgrades$20,000–$200,000+
Hotel/hospitality4–20 chargers as guest amenity$10,000–$60,000+
Workplace charging5–30 chargers, load management$12,000–$80,000+

The electrical work involved — supply assessment, switchboard upgrades or new MSB installation, cable distribution, EVSE installation, load management commissioning — is substantive and complex enough to justify higher rates than residential work.

Dynamic Load Management (DLM)

DLM is critical for commercial multi-charger installations. Without it, installing 10 x 7.4kW chargers requires 74kW of dedicated supply capacity. With DLM, those same chargers can be installed on a 30–40kW supply connection, with the system automatically distributing available capacity.

How it works:

  • A DLM controller monitors total site load (either via CT clamps on the main supply or via integration with the site’s energy management system)
  • When total load is high, the DLM reduces individual charger output
  • When load is low, it increases output (up to the maximum charge rate each vehicle requests)
  • The result: vehicles charge as fast as available capacity allows without overloading the site supply

Specifying DLM correctly:

  • Confirm the maximum available supply capacity at the site
  • Calculate peak charger demand vs. peak site demand to determine headroom
  • Specify a DLM system capable of managing the number of chargers required
  • Commission and test the DLM system under realistic load conditions

Metering and Billing for Commercial Sites

Commercial operators increasingly want to charge tenants or customers for the electricity they use. This requires energy metering on individual charger circuits and either:

  • A third-party CPMS (Charge Point Management System) that handles billing, access control, and reporting, or
  • Simple sub-metering with manual or automated billing reconciliation

Your role as the electrician: ensure the electrical infrastructure supports the metering solution chosen. This means individual metering on each charger circuit if the operator wants per-charger billing, and appropriate communication infrastructure (network connectivity) for the CPMS.

Building Recurring Revenue from EV Charging

One of the structural advantages of EV charging work over most electrical trade categories is the potential for recurring revenue through maintenance and monitoring contracts.

Commercial charging maintenance contracts:

Commercial charging operators — car parks, fleet operators, hospitality venues — want guaranteed uptime. A maintenance contract that covers:

  • Regular physical inspection and cleaning
  • Software/firmware updates
  • Fault response and rectification
  • Annual testing and compliance checks

Can generate $1,000–$5,000 per site per year in recurring revenue. For a business with 20–30 commercial sites under contract, that’s $20,000–$150,000 in annual recurring revenue before any reactive work.

The key is to position this at the point of installation — when the customer is buying the install, they’re also buying the ongoing relationship. A maintenance contract clause in your installation quote is easier to sell than a cold proposal 12 months later.

Getting Your First Commercial EV Jobs

Breaking into commercial EV work requires demonstrating capability before most commercial clients will engage you. Three paths:

1. Leverage residential relationships. Customers who own or manage commercial properties and have already had you do residential work are warm leads. Ask directly: “We’re now doing commercial EV charging installations — do you have any commercial properties that need this?”

2. Partner with EV charger distributors. Charger manufacturers and distributors maintain installer networks and often refer customers to installers in their network. The install margin may be lower (they’ll negotiate), but it’s a pipeline of leads and commercial experience that builds your portfolio.

3. Approach fleet operators directly. Council fleets, delivery companies, utility vehicles — find fleet operators in your area and propose a charging infrastructure assessment. Even if they’re not ready to buy immediately, you’re in the conversation early.

Quick Wins

3 actions to start building EV charging revenue this month:

  1. Add EV charger installation to your website and Google Business Profile — many homeowners search specifically for “EV charger installer [suburb]” and the first result that clearly services the area gets the call.
  2. Do one commercial EV charging site assessment for free — a strata building, a small car park, a local business. Use it to build your quoting process and understanding of DLM requirements.
  3. Pick one EVSE brand and do their installer training — manufacturer training is often free or low cost, gives you technical support access, and allows you to be listed as an authorised installer.

Want the full Sparky’s Playbook? This is Chapter 4 of a free 12-chapter guide covering licensing, EV charging, commercial solar, cash flow, tech stack, marketing, and building a business worth selling. Download The Sparky’s Playbook free →

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