EV Charger Installation, Hervey Bay & Fraser Coast
Elcraft is a certified myenergi installer in Hervey Bay. We handle home EV charger installations across the Fraser Coast, from straightforward Tesla wall connectors through to full myenergi Zappi setups that pair your charger with your solar.
We sit down with you, talk through how you use the car, your solar setup if you have one, and whether you want the simplest reliable install or a full energy-management ecosystem. Then we pick from three options.
Why Hervey Bay homeowners choose Elcraft for EV charging
98 five-star Google reviews. Certified myenergi installer. Clipsal Wiser approved installer. Licensed Queensland electrician, EC licence 150 5451.
How it works
- Free site visit. We look at your switchboard, your parking, and your solar, and talk through how you use the car.
- Fixed written quote. One clear price for the whole job, including the Ergon side. No surprises.
- We handle Ergon. We work out which connection arrangement fits your address and lodge the paperwork.
- Install and walkthrough. A tidy install, then we show you how to use it before we leave.
Tesla Wall Connector
Good
Clean, brand-recognised, no-fuss install. Best for customers without solar who want a reliable charger that just works.
Ocular IQ Home Solar
Better
Australian-owned and designed for local conditions. Three solar-aware modes that send your surplus solar into the car automatically. No subscription and no special retailer needed.
myenergi Zappi v2.1
Best, we install this most
Works with any inverter brand. Pulls surplus solar into your car automatically. Expands into whole-of-home energy with Eddi and Libbi.
Why a properly installed EV charger matters
A 7 kW charger is a serious continuous load, more than a typical oven, drawing for hours at a time. Cutting corners on cable size, circuit protection, or commissioning is how garage fires start. Every Elcraft install includes:
- Correctly sized cable from your switchboard to the charger location
- Dedicated 40 A circuit with the correct Type A RCD protection, matched to the charger’s built-in 6 mA DC fault detection
- Lockable safety switch and circuit breaker (RCBO) in the switchboard, the isolation point the wiring rules require. We do not pad quotes with a separate isolator beside the charger, because AS/NZS 3000 does not call for one in a home install
- Data cabling run with the charger circuit as standard, so whole-home load management can be added later without rewiring
- CT clamp at the main switch on solar-aware installs, so the charger can run the car off your surplus solar
- Full commissioning and customer walkthrough, you understand how to use it before we leave
Ergon Energy requirements, we handle the paperwork
Hervey Bay sits in Ergon Energy’s network area. Ergon’s limit for an unmanaged charger on a single-phase home is 20 amps (about 4.6 kW), and it is judged on the rating printed on the charger’s nameplate, not on any software setting. Every 7 kW charger we install (Tesla, Ocular and Zappi alike) has a 32 amp nameplate, so winding one down to 20 amps does not comply. An Ergon management device in your meter box is required, Ergon supplies and fits it at no charge, and what you choose is the tariff the charger sits on:
- Full 7 kW on your normal tariff (Tariff 11 for most homes). Charge at full speed and use your solar as normal. On a handful of peak afternoons a year, Ergon can pause the charger for up to four hours. The pick for most solar homes.
- Full 7 kW on an economy tariff (Tariff 33). A cheaper rate, the same tariff family as off-peak hot water, with at least 16 hours of supply a day. Ergon charges a one-off fee (currently $199.24 including GST) to add the tariff, and the circuit will not see your solar. Right for cheap overnight grid charging in homes without solar.
Three-phase homes are the exception: a standard 32 amp three-phase charger sits under Ergon’s higher limit, so no device is needed at all. We confirm what your address supports when we assess the switchboard, and we lodge the Electrical Work Request (EWR) with Ergon as part of every install, so you never deal with any of it. A newer “dynamic” connection is coming, but it is not available on the Ergon network yet.
Take the guide with you
Everything on this page, plus charger comparisons and real charge-time numbers, in a printable guide. The flyers cover each charger in detail.
Most single-phase 7 kW installs take 5 to 6 hours on site. We conclear timing when we quote, so you know what to expect.
No. A 7 kW charger runs from the grid on its own. Solar adds value if you want to charge for free with surplus power, the Zappi and Ocular IQ both do this automatically. The Tesla Wall Connector charges from the grid only.
Yes, and we handle it. Every 7 kW charger needs an Ergon management device in your meter box. The limit is judged on the charger’s nameplate rating, so a software cap does not comply. Ergon supplies and fits the device at no charge, on your normal tariff (Tariff 11) or a cheaper economy tariff (Tariff 33), your choice. We lodge the Electrical Work Request as part of the job. You don’t lift a finger.
No, and be wary of anyone who offers to. Ergon assesses the limit on the rating printed on the charger’s nameplate, because a software setting can be changed after the electrician leaves. A 7 kW charger wound down to 20 amps is still non-compliant. The only chargers that avoid the device are built with a genuine 20 amp nameplate, locked at 4.6 kW for life, and none of the three we recommend is one of them.
The CT clamp wraps around the main supply cable inside your switchboard and lets the charger see how much power you are exporting to the grid. The Zappi and Ocular IQ use this to charge your car from solar surplus only, instead of pulling from the grid. It is a 30 minute job inside the switchboard at install.
Not on our installs. The solar-aware chargers (Zappi and Ocular) watch your whole house through a CT clamp and slow themselves down when the oven and air conditioning are working hard. The Tesla can do the same with its optional energy meter, and we run the data cabling for it as standard so it can be added any time. Where a home’s supply is tight, we also set the charger’s commissioned rate to suit, and tell you exactly what that means for charge times.
Often yes, we can fit a sub-board or recommend a switchboard upgrade if your main board is at capacity. We will tell you what is needed and quote the full job upfront, no surprises.
No. AS/NZS 3000 does not require a separate isolator at a home EV charger. The lockable safety switch (RCBO) in your switchboard is the isolation point the rules call for, and it is included in every install. Some installers fit an isolator beside the charger and charge for it. We will only suggest one where it genuinely helps, for example where the charger is a long way from the switchboard.
A lot faster than the plug-in cable that comes with the car. A typical daily commute of about 40 km needs roughly 50 minutes on a 7 kW charger, versus over three hours on the standard plug-in lead. A full charge from near-empty is about 11 hours at 7 kW, so the car is ready by morning.
Usually not, and most homes do not need it. The charger is rarely the limit, your car’s on-board charger sets the speed. Most EVs accept up to about 11 kW on three-phase, some budget models only 7 kW, and only a few take 22 kW. For nearly every Hervey Bay home, a 7 kW single-phase charger fills the car overnight with room to spare. We will tell you straight if three-phase is worth it for your car. Three-phase has one more perk in our area: a 32 amp three-phase charger does not need the Ergon management device.
No. Ergon supplies and owns the device and there is no charge from them to install it. The only cost on our side is the labour to wire it in, which we include in your quote upfront. One thing to know: if you choose the economy tariff (Tariff 33), Ergon charges a one-off fee, currently $199.24 including GST, billed through your electricity account. There is no fee on the normal-tariff option.
An Electrical Work Request, the form that tells Ergon about the new charger circuit and books in the network device. We lodge it through Ergon’s contractor portal as part of every install, once the wiring is ready. You never deal with Ergon yourself.
Get a quote
Call (07) 4183 7754 or send your details below. We will come out, look at your switchboard, your driveway, and your solar setup if you have one, and give you a fixed price.