Community
Topics

Search

Why don't more states just require new homes to be built EV-charger-ready? Seems like it would save everyone money later -- what's actually blocking this?

Was looking into retrofitting my 10-year-old house for a Level 2 charger and the quote involves running new conduit through finished walls, which obviously would've been way cheaper if it had just been roughed in during construction. Looked it up and apparently almost no states actually require new homes to be EV-charger-ready, even though it seems like it'd be a minor cost during a build versus a real project after the fact. Is this just builders and homebuilder lobbies not wanting the extra line item, or is there a more legitimate reason states have mostly stayed away from this? Feels like one of those things that should be an easy call.
Filed under: Codes, Permits & Fire Safety
015 answers
Summarize with AIChatGPTClaudePerplexityGeminiGrok
15 ANSWERS
tim_okonkwo
@tim_okonkwoOctober 04, 2026
Conduit is the easy part honestly. The part that bit me was the panel. I paid around $1300 for a 14-50 with 50 feet of wire and conduit and now my service is maxed out, so I can't add anything else big with out a service upgrade. If the builder had put a 50 amp circuit in the load calc from day one I would not be stuck like this.
greg_whitaker
@greg_whitakerOctober 01, 2026
California already does it for new builds, has for years. But read what "EV capable" actually means in those codes - in a lot of cases it's an empty conduit and a reserved breaker spot. Better than nothing... but it's not the 'just plug in' setup people picture.
tannerb_27
@tannerb_27October 01, 2026
Utah legislature would never. They gut half of every energy code update before adopting it and builders get whatever they ask for out here
rpatel_12
@rpatel_12October 01, 2026
So even where it's required it's mostly just the conduit? That's literally the part I'm getting quoted for lol. The guy said like 60% of it is labor going through two finished walls and a closet.
mreyes_84
@mreyes_84October 01, 2026
Newer CALGreen goes further than conduit for some building types. Single family is still mostly the raceway and panel capacity though.
rkitamura
@rkitamuraOctober 02, 2026
My house is from 1987 so none of this applied. Ran the circuit along the garage wall in surface conduit, not pretty but nobody looks at the garage wall.
tannerb_27
@tannerb_27October 01, 2026
Surface conduit is the answer for like 90% of these quotes. Ask if they can go outside or through the attic instead of fishing walls
greg_whitaker
@greg_whitakerOctober 02, 2026
Treehouse quoted me something insane for basically that same job. Get at least 3 quotes - the spread is wild.
bpark_21
@bpark_21October 01, 2026
@tim_okonkwo maxed out on the load calc, or maxed out on actual measured demand? Those are not the same thing. The NEC lets you use 12 months of utility demand data instead of the standard calc, and a lot of houses that are full on paper have plenty of headroom. Worth asking an electrician who will actually do that work.
mdonnelly_
@mdonnelly_October 01, 2026
Connecticut here... my house is older so no builder ever thought about any of this lol. Panel happened to be on the garage wall though, so I got lucky. $400 for the electrician and $750 for the JuiceBox 40 and I've put 120,000 miles on the Ioniq 5 since then. The first quote I got was almost triple that....same job, same garage. One guy wanted to put in a subpanel I didn't need. So yeah, +1 on getting 3 quotes. The spread is crazy and some of them just quote big because they don't really want the job.... As for the actual question, I don't know. In my experience builders put in whatever the code makes them put in and not a penny more.
Marcus Chen
@Marcus ChenVerified ExpertOctober 04, 2026
On the actual question: most states don't write their own residential code. They adopt the model codes (IRC/IECC), usually years late and with amendments. The national homebuilder groups fought hard enough that the residential EV-ready language in the 2024 IECC ended up in an optional appendix instead of the base code. So a state has to choose to adopt it on purpose, and most legislatures don't want to be seen adding cost to new homes. It's mostly lobbying plus inertia, not some technical reason it can't be done.
rpatel_12
@rpatel_12October 01, 2026
The panel's in the basement on the opposite corner from the garage, so I'm not sure going outside saves much, but I'll ask. He never brought up the attic.
jkimura
@jkimuraOctober 08, 2026
Whatever you end up doing, hardwire it. Don't let anyone talk you into a 14-50 and a portable unit just to save a little.
tobiasr82
@tobiasr82October 09, 2026
Our garage only has a regular outlet and we've been fine on Level 1 for over a year, but our drive is short. In Wisconsin winters I can see why someone would want more.
brett_kessling
@brett_kesslingOctober 11, 2026
Seconding @jkimura. My EV6 didn't come with any kind of charger, so I had to buy one anyway, and I'd already read enough melted 14-50 stories on here that I went hardwire from day 1. The plug only saves you money until the day it doesn't.