If you’ve recently bought an electric vehicle (or you’re planning to), one of your first questions is probably about your electrical panel. Can it handle an EV charger? Do you need a full panel upgrade? And what does any of this actually cost?
In the Medford, Ashland, and Central Point area, these questions are coming up constantly. Murphy Electric, a licensed electrical contractor based in Central Point, gets more calls about EV charger installations and panel upgrades than almost any other residential service right now. Here’s what owner Brian Murphy wants Southern Oregon homeowners to know before they spend a dollar.
Why EV Chargers and Panel Upgrades Often Go Together, But Not Always
Most New homes have a 200-amp electrical panel. Many older homes have 100-125Amp. For decades, that was more than enough. But today’s homes are stacking load: heat pumps, saunas, hot tubs, and increasingly, EV chargers.
A Level 2 EV charger (the kind that installs in your garage for overnight charging) can draw a significant load up to 48 amps continuous. That’s a significant slice of a panel’s capacity, especially in an older home where the panel is already working hard to handle appliances that didn’t exist when the house was built.
“EVs tend to get people more worried about whether their panel can handle it,” Brian says. “With gas prices the way they are, we’re getting more calls on those.”
The Real Question: Do You Actually Need a 400-Amp Upgrade or an Upgrade at All?
Here’s where a lot of homeowners get steered wrong, and where a bad recommendation can cost thousands unnecessarily.
When people hear “panel upgrade,” they often assume they need to jump to 400-amp service. But that’s not always the right call.
A 400-amp service requires the power company to get involved. They may need to upgrade the transformer at the street and replace the service line from the street to your home: a multi-party, multi-permit project. In some situations, like adding a pool, major outbuildings, and an EV charger all at once, it genuinely makes sense. But for most residential EV charger situations, there are smarter, faster, cheaper paths.
Murphy Electric recently did exactly this kind of upgrade: a homeowner adding a pool with electric heat pump heater, an EV charger, and future outbuildings. That one made sense for 400 amps.
The Smart Panel Approach
Murphy Electric is a certified Span Panel installer. The Span Panel replaces your traditional breaker box with an intelligent system you control and set parameters from your phone. Its most practical feature for EV owners? Smart load shedding, automatically throttling EV charging when paired with span Spans EV level 2 Charger.
If you’re running the dryer, the oven, and the air conditioning at the same time your EV is charging, the Span Panel automatically dials down the EV charger’s draw so your panel isn’t overloaded. No tripped breakers. No intervention from you.
“They make a monitoring add-on that can shed the EV load,” Brian explains. “If you’re using everything at once, it’ll dial down the EV charger at that time.”
In plain terms: instead of upgrading to a 400-amp service and dealing with the power company, many Southern Oregon homeowners can install a modern 200-amp Span Panel that intelligently manages their loads, and add the Level 2 EV charger at the same time. Cleaner, faster, and often significantly less expensive.
Future-Proof Your Home While You’re At It
Here’s something worth considering while you’re already thinking about your electrical system: if you’re upgrading your panel for an EV charger now, set your home up for vehicle-to-grid (V2G) capability at the same time.
EVs are rapidly gaining the ability to power your home during an outage. Ford, GM, and others are actively rolling this out. But for it to work, your home’s electrical system needs to be properly configured in advance.
“If you do this right and you’re going to have an EV, you really want to have the ability to use it as backup for your house,” Brian says. “If you don’t set it up now, you’re just going to come back and redo all this later. So let’s do it now.”
When properly configured with the right equipment, the Span Smart Panel is designed for exactly this forward-looking installation. When V2G becomes standard for your vehicle, your home could already be ready.
Is Your Panel a Fire Risk? Signs It’s Time to Upgrade
Sometimes the EV charger conversation turns up something more urgent: a panel that was already overdue for replacement.
Older Medford and Ashland homes, particularly those built before the 1990s, may be running on 100-amp service or original fuse panels. Adding an EV charger on top of an already-stressed panel isn’t just impractical. It can be dangerous.
“We’ll have the emergency ones where it just stopped working, or they’re completely maxed out,” Brian says. “People have been adding stuff over the years and there’s no more room, some dangerous situations with old breakers or double-lugged breakers.”
The risks: fire hazard from overloaded or failing breakers, and extended power loss during a failure, including the ability to heat your home, run medical equipment, or keep food from spoiling.
“Your return on investment right there, if you lose all your food in a freezer and fridge, you’ve probably paid for the panel upgrade,” Brian notes.
If your home was built before the 1990s, it’s worth having a licensed electrician assess your panel before adding any significant new electrical load.
The Ideal Residential Client Murphy Electric Loves to Work With
Homeowners who are investing in their properties and want to gain control of their power have full insight and flexibility over loads, as well as future-proofing for EVs/Back up emergency power, etc.
Think Ashland and Jacksonville homeowners with character homes who want to bring everything up to current standards. Think rural properties outside Medford adding EVs and outbuildings. Think anyone who’s been told they need a full 400-amp upgrade and wants a second opinion before committing.
“Those are typically people that are kind of investing in their property and just bringing it modern again,” Brian says. “You’re getting a lot of benefit and a lot of value at that point.”
Murphy Electric serves these homeowners throughout the Rogue Valley: Medford, Central Point, Grants Pass, Ashland, Jacksonville, Eagle Point, White City, and surrounding communities, and will travel to Roseburg, Klamath Falls, and beyond for the right project.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a panel upgrade to add an EV charger in Medford?
Not necessarily. It depends on your panel’s current capacity and existing load. A 200-amp panel can often support a Level 2 EV charger, especially with smart load management technology like a Span Panel. Murphy Electric will assess your home before recommending anything.
What is a Level 2 EV charger and how much power does it use?
A Level 2 charger runs on 240V (like a clothes dryer) and typically draws up to 48 amps. It charges most electric vehicles overnight from near-empty. It’s far faster than a standard wall outlet (Level 1) and is the practical choice for daily home charging.
What does a 400-amp panel upgrade involve in Southern Oregon?
It requires the utility (typically Pacific Power) to assess and possibly upgrade the transformer at the street and the service line from the street to your home. It’s a larger project involving multiple parties, permits, and coordination. Murphy Electric handles these upgrades but will tell you honestly whether you actually need it or whether a smart 200-amp Span Panel is the better solution.
What is a Span Smart Panel and how does it help with EV chargers?
The Span Panel replaces your breaker box with an app-controlled system. For EV charger owners, the key feature is smart load shedding. When properly configured, it can automatically reduce the EV charger’s draw when other high-demand appliances are running, preventing overloads without you doing anything manually.
Does Murphy Electric serve Ashland and Jacksonville?
Yes. Murphy Electric serves the entire Rogue Valley including Medford, Central Point, Grants Pass, Ashland, Jacksonville, Eagle Point, White City, and beyond. For the right project, they work in Roseburg, Klamath Falls, and along the coast toward Cave Junction.
Get the Right Assessment Before You Spend a Dollar
Adding an EV charger shouldn’t require guesswork, and it definitely shouldn’t require a $15,000 service upgrade if a smarter solution exists.
Murphy Electric will evaluate your current panel, assess your load, and give you honest options: simple EV charger installation, a Span Panel replacement, or a full 400-amp service upgrade when it’s genuinely the right call. Based in Central Point and serving all of Southern Oregon, they’re the local licensed electricians who specialize in exactly this kind of forward-thinking work.
Contact Murphy Electric at murphymadeinc.com or call (541) 582-4186.