Ask a homeowner how long an EV charger install takes and they'll think of the afternoon an electrician spends in their garage. Ask the installer and the answer is weeks, because the install day sits in the middle of a chain.
A typical residential job runs something like this: a site assessment to check the panel, the run and the mounting location; a quote; a permit application where your jurisdiction requires one; possibly a panel upgrade or a conversation with the utility; the install itself; then an inspection. Commercial and multi-unit jobs add more links: load studies, trenching, multiple chargers, network commissioning, sometimes a utility service change.
The scheduling problem is that each link depends on the one before it, and several of them run on someone else's calendar.
Who controls each date
Before you can schedule an EV job well, you need to know which dates you set and which ones you wait for. The details vary by jurisdiction and utility, so treat this as a framework and fill it in for your own area.
| Stage | Who sets the date | What it depends on | Scheduling character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Site assessment | You and the customer | Nothing | Short, flexible, easy to batch by area |
| Quote and approval | The customer | Assessment | Out of your hands |
| Permit | The permitting office, where required | Approved quote, application | Lead time varies; can't be rushed |
| Utility work | The utility, if needed | Load or service change | Often the longest wait |
| Install | You, within the customer's availability | Permit, materials, utility work | Long block; a crew of one or two |
| Inspection | The inspector, where required | Completed install | Window often set by the authority |
Mapping this out is a version of the field service workflow for a job with outside dependencies. The install is the stage you most control and the one most likely to be disrupted by the stages you don't. Install crews of one or two are a crew scheduling problem, where every idle day costs more than one person's time. A crew booked for Thursday's install is idle if the permit hasn't arrived. A crew that finishes on Tuesday is waiting for an inspection date they can't move.
Book the install when its prerequisites are real
The most common scheduling failure in EV work is booking the install date at the sale, before the prerequisites are in place, because the customer wants a date. Then the permit is late, the date moves, the crew's week has a hole in it, and the customer hears "we have to reschedule" twice.
A better habit:
- Give the customer an estimated install week at the sale, labelled as an estimate that depends on the permit and any utility work.
- Confirm the specific date only once the blocking items are done or have a firm date of their own.
- Keep a short list of install-ready jobs at all times, so when a slot opens (a cancellation, a job that went faster than expected), you can fill it with work that can actually happen.
That ready list is what keeps install crews busy. It's the capacity planning question in a sequenced business: not "how many jobs are sold?" but "how many are ready to install this week?"
Assessments are route work
Site assessments are short, flexible and scattered. They're also the top of your funnel, so the temptation is to book them wherever the customer wants, as fast as possible.
They schedule best like route work. Group assessments by area and day, so an estimator or technician does several in one loop rather than criss-crossing the territory for each. If a customer wants a specific time, check the drive from the previous assessment before confirming it; why arrival windows are so long explains what happens when that check is skipped. Where photos or a video call can replace a site visit for simpler installs, that removes the drive entirely; that's a business decision about accuracy, not a scheduling one.
A worked example: an inspection slips
This is an illustrative example. The numbers are made up to show the method; use your own job list and drive times.
A two-person crew had Monday's install finish early, expecting an inspection on Tuesday morning and a second install on Tuesday afternoon. The inspection is moved to Wednesday by the inspector's office. The crew needs to be on site for the inspection, and Tuesday morning is now open.
There's no single right answer here. But the useful options only exist if you know which jobs are actually ready, and how long it takes to reach each one from where the crew will be. A board that shows only open time would suggest Option 3 or Option 2. One that shows the drive points at Option 4, or at Option 3 only if the job fits.
Commercial jobs and crews you don't employ
Commercial and multi-unit installs often involve trenching, concrete, boring or utility-side work done by other companies. Each one is another dependency, and each has its own crew calendar.
If you schedule subcontracted crews, the subcontractor scheduling page covers how that works today. CrewLink's contractor network, where independent contractors publish their availability and get booked into gaps, is on the roadmap and not live yet.
EV installs share a lot with electrical contractor scheduling, since the same licensed electricians often do both. They also share the permit-then-install-then-inspect chain with solar installation, which has its own utility interconnection step.
How CrewLink handles EV charger installation scheduling
CrewLink builds live travel time into availability. When you book an assessment or an install, the slots it offers are ones a crew can physically reach, with travel computed from where they'll actually be (the previous job) rather than the shop. That's the check behind Option 4 above.
On the dispatch board, drive time sits next to each job instead of being folded into it, so a gap left by a moved inspection shows how much real time is there once you count the drive.
Be clear on what it doesn't do. CrewLink doesn't track permits, apply for them, follow utility applications, schedule inspections with an authority, manage materials or chargers in stock, quote or invoice. You still need to know which jobs are ready; CrewLink checks that the day you build from them is one your crews can drive. It's built for companies running 5 to 50 trucks, and a walkthrough uses your own territory and service times.
What to take away
- An EV charger install is a sequence of stages, and several of the dates belong to someone else.
- Give an estimated install week at the sale; confirm the date when permits and utility work are in place.
- Keep a list of install-ready jobs so open time gets filled with work that can actually start.
- Batch site assessments by area, like route work.
- When a gap opens, check the drive from where the crew will be before choosing what fills it.
Common questions
How do I schedule EV charger installations?
Map each job's stages and mark which dates you control. Batch site assessments by area, wait to confirm install dates until permits and any utility work are in place, and keep a list of install-ready jobs to fill openings. Check the drive from the previous job before confirming any slot.
How long does an EV charger install take to schedule from sale to finish?
It depends on the permit and utility lead times in your area, which you can measure from your own past jobs. Track the days between each stage for completed installs and use the typical figures to set customer expectations, rather than quoting a general number.
What should an EV charger installer do when an inspection is moved?
Look at the gap that opens, then at what can actually fill it: install-ready jobs and short, flexible work like assessments. Pick the option that fits once the drive from where the crew will be is counted, rather than the first job on the list.
Can EV charger installation scheduling software handle permits?
Some field service suites include permit or project tracking; check each product's own site. CrewLink doesn't. It handles the scheduling and dispatch side, checking that each booked slot is reachable given the drive.