San Jose, CA
EV CHARGER INSTALL ESTIMATING.

## EV Charger Estimating in San Jose, CA San Jose sits in the middle of the densest EV market in the country. Santa Clara County consistently ranks first or second in California for EV registrations per capita. That means steady residential and commercial charger work — and competitors who have figured out how to bid fast and cheap. If you are still quoting Level 2 and DC fast-charger jobs from a spreadsheet or gut feel, you are leaving money on the table and losing bids to contractors who are not necessarily better electricians. ### What makes EV charger estimating different here **Utility coordination adds real cost.** PG&E serves most of San Jose. Transformer upgrades for multi-unit or commercial EVSE installs require a PG&E service upgrade application — that process adds weeks and real cost that many bids miss. Your estimate needs a line item for utility coordination time, not just panel work. **Title 24 and CALGreen are not optional.** New construction and major remodels in San Jose must meet CALGreen Tier 1 or Tier 2 requirements, which include EV-ready or EVSE-installed parking provisions. The 2022 California Building Code (CBC) Section 4.106.4 requires specific raceway and outlet rough-ins. If you are bidding a new build or ADU, those code requirements change your conduit runs and may require a dedicated 60A circuit minimum. **Multi-unit dwelling (MUD) installs are their own category.** San Jose has a large condo and apartment stock, and California's Right-to-Charge law (Civil Code §1947.6) means tenants can request EVSE installs. MUD jobs involve load management hardware, submetering, and sometimes network-connected EVSE — each adds cost that a flat per-unit rate does not cover. **NEC 625 compliance is the baseline, not the ceiling.** NEC Article 625 governs EVSE installation nationally. California amends it through Title 24 Part 3. Your scope of work needs to reference both to hold up in a permit review at the San Jose Development Services Center. ### How Estimate.Pro builds your bid Walk the job with your phone. The AR measurement tool — powered by an on-device ONNX model — measures conduit runs, panel distances, and trench paths on supported devices. Camera or photo measurements are flagged as estimates so you know exactly what to verify in the field. After the walkthrough, the AI scope-of-work generator drafts line items specific to EV charger installs: panel capacity check, circuit breaker, conduit type and length, EVSE unit, permit allowance, and utility coordination. You edit, price against your saved material cost workspace, and send a professional bid — median time is 8 minutes from walkthrough to sendable estimate. For commercial and MUD jobs, you can add load management equipment, network activation fees, and inspection allowances as separate line items. Nothing is hidden in a margin. **Payments via Stripe Connect** are available on Pro+ plans. The platform fee is 0% on Pro and Elite — you keep what you bill. On the Free tier, the fee is 3%. ### Pricing that fits your crew size - **Free forever** — no credit card, no time limit. Good for solo operators testing the workflow. - **Pro — $39/seat/month** — full AI scope, AR measurement, saved cost workspace. - **Elite — $79/seat/month** — adds Stripe Connect, invoice exports, and advanced workflows. - **Crew — $399/month flat** — unlimited seats, built for multi-truck operations. ### San Jose-specific details to build into every bid The San Jose Development Services Center requires a building permit for EVSE installs that involve electrical panel work or new circuits. Typical residential EV charger permit fees in San Jose run $150–$350 depending on valuation. Commercial installs with load management or multiple units require a separate electrical plan check, which adds time and a plan check fee on top of the permit. If you are bidding a job in a historic district or near a HOA with architectural review, factor in a scope note about exterior conduit routing — inspectors and HOA boards both flag exposed conduit on building facades. Contractors who win repeat work in San Jose's commercial market — hotels, office parks, multi-tenant retail — build template bids for fleet charging bays. Estimate.Pro lets you save and duplicate those templates so each new bid starts from a proven baseline, not a blank page. Bid sharper. Quote faster. The work is there — the contractors who win it are the ones who get the estimate out first.