Etobicoke · Toronto Hydro service area
Home EV charger installation in Etobicoke
Most Etobicoke houses have off-street parking, which makes home charging practical. The work is in the details: the distance from panel to parking, and whether the service has room for a 240-volt circuit.
Where Etobicoke parks
Driveways, rear garages and towers
Compared with the old city, Etobicoke was built around the car. Most houses have a driveway, and many have a garage. That's the hard part of home charging solved before we arrive. What's left depends on which part of the borough you live in.
In the Kingsway and Islington Village, garages often stand at the end of a long driveway behind the house. They were built for smaller cars and may have no power at all. The circuit has to cross the yard to reach them.
The post-war bungalows of Alderwood, Long Branch and Mimico usually have a driveway beside the house. A charger on the side wall, close to where the car stops, is often the simplest answer. In Markland Wood and Thistletown, houses from the 1960s more often have an attached garage. The run depends on where the basement panel sits relative to it.
Then there are the towers of Humber Bay Shores and the Mimico waterfront. There, charging is a building decision first and an electrical job second.
The install
How each setup is wired
| Setup | Circuit route | What to plan for |
|---|---|---|
| Detached rear garage | Underground from the house to the garage | Trench route across the yard, garden restoration, a possible garage sub-panel |
| Driveway beside a bungalow | Out through the basement wall to an exterior charger | Weather-rated charger, cable holder, a spot clear of snow piles |
| Attached garage | Through the basement ceiling into the garage | Run length if the panel is at the far end of the house |
| Condo parking level | From the building's electrical room to the stall | Board approval, metering and billing, common elements |
Your service
Will the panel carry it?
A Level 2 charger draws a large, steady load for hours at a time. Before recommending anything, we add up what your house already uses. In Etobicoke that check gives very different answers from one street to the next.
60 amps or fuses
Common in unrenovated lakeshore bungalows. The service needs upgrading first.
100 amps, gas heat
Often workable after a load calculation, sometimes with a load management device.
100 amps, newly finished basement
Little headroom left. A service upgrade is often the better long-term answer.
200 amps with spare spaces
Usually straightforward, unless a heat pump or pool is also planned.
If you need the service upgraded, we can do both in one project. See panel upgrades in Etobicoke. For background on charger types and speeds, see our EV chargers page.
Two-car households
When both cars go electric
More Etobicoke households now plan for two electric cars. Two chargers on separate full-size circuits can be more than a busy service will carry. Chargers that share one circuit and split power between the cars are often the practical answer. Both cars still fill overnight on most commutes, just a little more slowly when both are plugged in. We'll explain the trade-off for your driving before you buy.
Questions
EV chargers in Etobicoke: questions
Our Kingsway garage is detached, at the back of the lot. Can it still get a charger?
Usually. We run a circuit from the house panel to the garage, most often underground across the yard, and mount the charger inside. If the garage also needs lights and outlets, a small sub-panel there can feed all of it.
Can I get a charger in my Humber Bay Shores condo parking spot?
It depends on the building. The board and property manager decide, based on the building's spare capacity and how your usage will be measured. We can assess the electrical room and the route to your spot and give management a proposal to consider.
We have a bungalow in New Toronto with gas heat and 100 amps. Is a charger possible?
Often, yes. Gas heat leaves more capacity free than electric heat would. A load calculation shows whether a dedicated circuit fits or a load management device is needed. Sometimes the service should go to 200 amps first.
Do I need a panel upgrade for an EV charger?
Not always. A Level 2 charger needs its own 240-volt circuit, usually 40 to 60 amps. We do a load calculation on your home first. If your panel has room, we install the charger on its own circuit. If it doesn't, the options are a panel or service upgrade, or in some homes a load management device that lets the charger share capacity. We'll tell you which applies.
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