Frequently Asked Questions

Bear Copper Electric is a certified installer or an affiliate vendor for the top 10 brands in the industry, along with several others. We recommend three products and order the right one for your vehicle and panel; most arrive within two days, well before your install date:

1. ChargePoint Home Flex – considered the best of the best. Slim profile, sleek design, adjustable output up to 48 amps, powerful app, plug-in or hardwire available.
2. Emporia – larger profile, adjustable output up to 48 amps, user-friendly app, plug-in or hardwire available — the budget-friendly option.
3. Mustart – plug-in only, output 40 amps. The plug-in upgrade for all the “car included” chargers that only give 32 amps — the least expensive option.

We recommend a hardwire installation. Its benefits are often better charging performance and higher power output, and these units typically have apps that let you monitor charging, set start and stop times for off-peak charging, and control the charger remotely.

Plug-in chargers offer mobility and the ability to change over to other products easily as technology changes. Hardwire units are permanently mounted and not easily removed.

Yes, and they must be at least 18 years of age. We understand that special circumstances may arise, and we will do our best to accommodate you to find an optimal solution.

Every major brand of charging equipment lists their product as indoor and outdoor rated. We always recommend installing the equipment inside, as outdoor installations may have a shorter life span due to the extreme conditions.

SMUD currently offers a $750 rebate for EV circuit installation when their guidelines are followed, and runs charger rebates from time to time; check SMUD’s site for current offers. PG&E customers go through PG&E’s own prequalification program first and are then referred to an approved installer to complete the install and the rebate paperwork. Ask us which applies to your home.

Some panels may need more physical space to add breakers. In most cases, we can install ‘tandem’ or ‘quad’ breakers to condense the full-size breakers, allowing more breakers to fit into the panel.

We typically install surface-mounted systems to save our clients the burden of having the drywall repaired and repainted, as we do not offer these services ourselves. We may install your EV charger in-wall if a pre-installed in-wall system (EV Ready) exists. Our technicians make the best decision on-site to optimize the installation, including running through the attic and crawl spaces to minimize the materials used.

We install #6 single-stranded copper cables with THHN insulation. This allows up to 60-amp circuits, or 48 usable amps for charging EVSE (Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment). Even if you are having us install a 32-amp charger (40-amp circuit), we still install the #6 to future-proof the project and allow easy changes if you ever decide to get different equipment.