Three-phase charging
Do you need three-phase power for an EV charger?
Usually not: most Canberra homes charge overnight on a single-phase supply, and Capital Charge Co. installs single-phase and three-phase chargers across the ACT, Queanbeyan–Palerang and the Yass Valley. The ACT Government’s own guidance is that “most Canberra homes and many small businesses use a single-phase connection”.
Three-phase earns its place when the property already has it, when the car can genuinely accept more than 7 kW of AC, or when the supply is too tight to carry a charger alongside everything else. Upgrading the supply purely for speed is a network project, not a switchboard job.
How do I tell if my home already has three-phase?
Count wires and fuses at the meter box rather than guessing from the age of the house. Evoenergy sets the number of phases by nominal load: a load “not exceeding 100 Amps” is supplied as “1 phase and neutral (2 wire)”, and a load “exceeding 100 Amps” as “three-phases and neutral (4 wire)”. A three-phase service also carries a protection fuse per phase, so three fuse carriers where a neighbour has one is the usual giveaway.
The ACT Government puts the housing pattern plainly: “Whilst it is becoming more common for new homes to be built with a three-phase connection, many older homes have a single-phase 80-amp connection.”
Do not open the panel to check. Evoenergy warns that “asbestos was commonly used in the building industry prior to 1988 and if a premise was built before this time, then the electrical meter board and conduit supplying the service cable may contain asbestos”. Photograph the outside of the meter box instead and send it with your enquiry.
Source: Evoenergy, Service and Installation Rules V12 (2025), Table 3 and cl 1.9.1; ACT Government, “Electrical upgrades to support electrification”. Checked 18 September 2026.
What is the real difference between 7 kW and 22 kW at home?
Speed you may not use. The range figures below are Evoenergy’s own published band and carry its caveat “(varies per vehicle)” inside the quote; the efficiency assumption behind numbers like these is the Electric Vehicle Council’s, “driving an EV 100km will use about 17kWh of electricity”.
| 7 kW single-phase | 22 kW three-phase | |
|---|---|---|
| Supply it needs | One phase and neutral, 32 A | Three phases and neutral, 32 A per phase |
| Range added per hour | The bottom of Evoenergy’s Level 2 band, “Average 40-100km of range per hour charged (varies per vehicle)” | The top of that same band, and only if the car can take it |
| Overnight | Either way, Evoenergy says Level 2 units “require a dedicated electrical circuit” and that Level 2 “charges an EV to full capacity overnight” | |
| What has to change | Switchboard work inside the property, if anything | An Evoenergy application and a new service to the property |
Set that against how far Canberra drives. The ACT Government says “the average Canberra driver travels about 38 kilometres each day”, and that “a dedicated EV charger can provide 7 kW, enough to fully charge a standard EV in about 6–9 hours and allow for up to 500km of travel per day from an overnight charge”. For that pattern the extra 15 kW buys nothing you are awake for. Where 22 kW earns its keep is a car turned around mid-day, two EVs sharing one charger, or a work vehicle that comes home empty. The cost guide covers what moves the price of either job.
Source: Evoenergy, “Electric vehicles”, and Service and Installation Rules V12 (2025), cl 2.12.1; ACT Government, “Plugging into the future”; Electric Vehicle Council, “EV charging at home”. Checked 18 September 2026.
Can my car even accept 22 kW on AC?
Most cannot. The ceiling on AC charging is set by the charger built into the car, not by the unit on the wall. The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water states it directly: a Type 2 connection “can provide up to 22kW, however some EVs may only accept 11kW AC”. SolarQuotes puts the market position more bluntly, “most electric vehicles can only handle up to 11 kW of AC power”, and that is industry media rather than a regulator.
So we check the AC input figure in your vehicle’s own specification before quoting anything three-phase, because a 22 kW charger wired to an 11 kW car charges at 11 kW.
Source: Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, “Electric vehicle charging equipment”; SolarQuotes, “EV charging guide”, updated 25 August 2026. Checked 18 September 2026.
What does Evoenergy allow on single-phase?
Evoenergy’s rules allow a single-phase EV charger of up to 40 A in some cases, but the same rules carry a lower limit for loads that switch often, so we confirm the limit that applies to your site with Evoenergy before we quote.
The allowance is clause 2.12 of the Service and Installation Rules: “However, in a single-phase 230 Volt system, a single appliance not exceeding 40 Amps may be connected to a single phase, provided it belongs to one of the following categories:”
- Electric vehicle (EV) charger
- Instantaneous water heaters
- Electrical cooktop / oven
- In-slab floor heaters
An EV charger is named first on that list, and clause 2.12.1 sets the obligation that comes with it: “EV chargers are classified as continuous loads, meaning they operate for extended periods and must be properly sized to ensure safe and efficient performance.”
The honest complication. Table 9 of that same rulebook still shows 25 A as the acceptable single-phase limit for equipment switching up to four times an hour, and the Electric Vehicle Council’s 2024 installation guideline still states 25 A for the ACT. The two readings have not been reconciled in public, and a 32 A charger sits between them. So we ask Evoenergy what applies at your address and quote to that.
Evoenergy’s public EV page adds a recommendation above 7 kW: “Charging capacity greater than 7kW. We recommend you upgrade your electricity connection from single to three-phase power to accommodate this type of charger.” For a household that is a recommendation, not an approval gate. What you cannot do is sidestep the question with a second supply: Evoenergy “shall not approve dual supply for a standard non multi-premises residential block”, and where “capacity is required for EV at a single residential block, then upgrade of the supply cable through a project shall be required”.
Source: Evoenergy, Service and Installation Rules V12 (2025), cl 2.4, 2.12, 2.12.1 and Table 9; Evoenergy, “Electric vehicles”; Electric Vehicle Council, “EVSE Installation Guideline”, February 2024. Checked 18 September 2026.
What does an Evoenergy supply upgrade involve?
An application to the network, then work at the property. The route is Evoenergy’s basic design application, lodged “where: ▪ Additional load requires an existing service to be upgraded from single-phase to three-phase 16mm2 service”. It goes in online, “all application forms must be lodged online through https://www.evoenergy.com.au/connections”, and asks for the calculated maximum demand in amps per phase, which your electrician works out.
Then you wait for the design: “a typical timeframe for completion of a BCA by Evoenergy is up to 25 business days from the time of a complete application (including invoice payment)”. That lands before any visible work starts.
On site the units of work are a new service, usually a new or reworked meter panel and main switch, consumer mains sized to the new load with a minimum of 6 mm², and reprotection of the board. An older board adds a step: Evoenergy states that if it “detects any (minor / major) disturbance on asbestos containing panels / conduits, works will not be undertaken by Evoenergy until all asbestos has been removed or dealt with appropriately according to WorkSafe ACT”. If the upgrade is genuinely needed it can be financed, “if there is a requirement to upgrade to 3-phase power this can be included as part of your loan”, and the Sustainable Household Scheme page sets out the terms.
Source: Evoenergy, Service and Installation Rules V12 (2025), cl 1.9.1, 1.16.1 and 6.2; Evoenergy, “Basic design application”; ACT Government, “Plugging into the future”. Checked 18 September 2026.
When is dynamic load management the cheaper answer than upgrading the supply?
Whenever the problem is a busy dinner time rather than a car that needs more than 7 kW. Dynamic load management measures what the rest of the house is drawing and backs the charger off so the total stays inside what the supply can carry. The ACT Government describes the same mechanism for buildings: “a load management system ensures that EV chargers do not add to the building’s peak electricity load, but will instead utilise available electrical capacity during off-peak times such as overnight or during the middle of the day.” Compare the two jobs as units of work.
- Load management. One dedicated circuit, current transformers in the switchboard, the charger commissioned to a limit, a handover. Inside the property boundary, in a day.
- A supply upgrade. An application, a design, a new service cable, metering and switchboard work, on the network’s timetable.
Evoenergy’s rules anticipate the first path, allowing an existing installation’s rating to be reduced “to accommodate load limiting in accordance with AS/NZS 3000 requirements”. The honest limit is that load management shares capacity, it does not create it. The guide to choosing a charger covers which units document the feature.
Source: ACT Government, “EV charging in multi-unit buildings”; Evoenergy, Service and Installation Rules V12 (2025), Table 8. Checked 18 September 2026.
What about the NSW side, Queanbeyan, Googong and the Yass Valley?
Different network, firmer wording. Essential Energy says of Level 2 charging: “this will require a switch to 3-phase power and must be done by a licensed electrical contractor. You will need to update your current connection offer with Essential Energy, and this is done by your electrician submitting a new connection application with the new load (amps) for the premises.” For Level 1 it is explicit the other way: “you do not need to submit a connection application for Level 1 charging.”
One caveat we will not paper over: Essential Energy describes Level 2 as “between 8kW up to 22kW”, and its page does not say where a 7.4 kW single-phase charger sits against that statement. We ask for the specific property rather than assuming the ACT answer travels across the border, and the border is not the whole story either, because Evoenergy’s network “covers customers within the area known as the Australian Capital Territory and small adjacent areas in New South Wales”. The Queanbeyan, Jerrabomberra & Googong page covers what that means for a job over there.
Source: Essential Energy, “Charging an Electric Vehicle”; Evoenergy, Service and Installation Rules V12 (2025), cl 1.8. Checked 18 September 2026.
When is the cheapest time to charge in Canberra?
Possibly the middle of the day, which surprises most people. In its 2026-27 Schedule of Charges, effective 1 July 2026, Evoenergy’s new residential time-of-use network tariff 017 prices a “Solar Soak” window of “11am-3pm every day” below its own off-peak window of “9pm-7am, 9am-11am and 3pm-5pm”, with peak at “7am-9am and 5pm-9pm”.
Those are network charges, excluding GST, and only one component of a bill. What you pay is set by your retailer’s plan, and only some plans pass a daytime window through, so check your own before setting a schedule.
ACT off-peak is also not a separate circuit for a car: Evoenergy’s rules make only storage water heaters and thermal storage space heaters eligible, and add that “unless approved by Evoenergy, controlled load must not exceed 30 Amp single-phase”. Time-of-use is the relevant tariff family here, which is a reason a 7 kW charger running through a mild afternoon can beat a 22 kW charger running at 6 pm. The solar charging page covers the other way to use the middle of the day.
Source: Evoenergy, “Pricing and tariffs”, 2026-27 Schedule of Charges, effective 1 July 2026; Evoenergy, Service and Installation Rules V12 (2025), cl 5.17. Checked 18 September 2026.
Three-phase questions we get asked in Canberra
Do I need three-phase power for an EV charger?
Usually not. Most Canberra homes are single-phase, and the ACT Government says a 7 kW charger will fully charge a standard EV in about 6–9 hours. Evoenergy recommends three-phase above 7 kW, and its rules also allow a single-phase EV charger up to 40 A in some cases. We confirm the limit for your site.
How do I know whether I already have three-phase?
Count the wires and service fuses at the meter box. Evoenergy supplies one phase and a neutral, two wires, up to a nominal load of 100 amps, and three phases and a neutral above that. Do not open the panel yourself, particularly on a pre-1988 board.
How long does an Evoenergy three-phase upgrade take?
Evoenergy states that “a typical timeframe for completion of a BCA by Evoenergy is up to 25 business days from the time of a complete application (including invoice payment)”. That is the design step. The physical work, the metering and the switchboard work come after it.
Can I add a second supply for the car instead?
No, not on an ordinary house. Evoenergy “shall not approve dual supply for a standard non multi-premises residential block”, and where capacity is required for an EV there, “upgrade of the supply cable through a project shall be required”.
Can EV charging go on an off-peak controlled-load circuit in the ACT?
No. Evoenergy’s rules make only storage water heaters and thermal storage space heaters eligible for off-peak. Cheap-window charging here is a time-of-use retail plan plus a schedule in the charger.
Send photos of your meter box and switchboard with your quote request and we will tell you what supply you have. The installation page covers what happens next, and service areas lists everywhere we work.