A turnkey EV charging installation bundles everything between the signed contract and a working, handed-over station under one contractor: survey and design, permit filing, electrical and bay works, the chargers themselves, network setup, commissioning, and the handover document pack. “Turnkey” has no standard definition, though — two quotes can bundle different scopes under the same word, so the contract’s includes and excludes list is what you are actually buying.
Key Takeaways
- “Turnkey” is a scope claim, not a standard: the includes/excludes list in the contract is the product.
- Expect survey, design, permits, works, hardware, network setup, commissioning and a handover pack inside.
- Utility upgrades, major civils, running costs and future hardware usually sit outside — confirm each in writing.
- Hardware belongs on a named schedule; the manufacturer supplies models, the contractor delivers the rest.
What a Turnkey Package Normally Includes
| Scope line | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Survey and design | Survey record, bay layout, and a load summary sizing the supply at 125% of charger current (the NEC continuous-load rule) before anything is ordered |
| Permits and approvals | The contractor prepares and files the permit pack as contractor of record; the authority still decides, on its own clock |
| Electrical works | Supply runs, distribution work and protection devices, installed and tested by licensed electricians to the signed design |
| Bay works | Mounting, bollards or wheel stops where specified, bay markings and signage in scope |
| Hardware supply | The chargers named on a hardware schedule — model, variant and count fixed in writing |
| Network and access setup | Platform account created in the owner’s name, access method (RFID, app) configured, tariffs set as the owner instructs |
| Commissioning | Every unit exercised, settings recorded as left, a witnessed charge — the step our standard installation guide covers at unit level |
| Handover | The document pack — certificates, test records, as-built drawings, manuals, warranty papers, asset register — plus user training |
What Is Usually Outside the Price
The exclusions matter as much as the inclusions. On most offers, expect these outside the headline figure — confirm each in writing before you sign:
- Utility service upgrades. If the load summary says the supply is short, the upgrade is the utility’s work on the utility’s terms, normally quoted separately.
- Major civil works beyond the bays. Resurfacing, drainage and structural work sit outside a standard scope; trench runs in the design are inside, rebuilding the car park is not.
- Running the station afterwards. Maintenance contracts, platform subscriptions after any included period, and the electricity supply contract are operating costs.
- Future hardware. A good scope prepares for expansion — capacity, ducting, prepared bays — but later chargers are a later purchase.
Questions to Ask Before You Sign
- Is every charger named by model and variant on the hardware schedule?
- If load confirmation fails, is the redesign inside the fixed price or an extra?
- Who is contractor of record for the permit, and who answers the authority’s questions?
- How long does network setup support run, and what does the platform cost after that?
- What is in the handover pack, and is it checked item by item on the day?
Our commercial installation cost guide breaks down where the money goes, and the permits and approvals guide maps the approvals a turnkey contractor works within.
The Hardware Line Inside the Scope
Hardware is one line of the scope, read as a schedule, not a headline. A dual-connector station such as the EV-AC03201T (two Type 2 connectors, up to 43 kW shared, OCPP 1.6J, RFID, IP54) covers two bays per unit; its touchscreen is the driver interface, not a payment terminal. Wallboxes such as the EV-ACT3204PE (22 kW three-phase, tethered Type 2 cable, RFID and app, IP66, CE) fit structured parking. EVDANCE is the manufacturer behind the hardware — a Shenzhen maker founded in 2011, exporting to 30+ countries with a 3-year standard warranty — not a turnkey contractor: its models appear in the schedule, and the contractor delivers the rest of the scope. The full range is on our commercial EV charging page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is turnkey more expensive than hiring the trades separately?
It packages the coordination into one margin, and in exchange one contractor carries the sequence risk — permits, capacity, hardware timing. Whether that is worth it depends on whether you have the staff time to manage several trades and the gaps between their scopes.
Does turnkey always include the chargers themselves?
Usually, but not by definition. Some scopes are install-only against owner-supplied hardware. The schedule settles it: named models with counts and variants means supply is in; “install owner’s units” means it is not.
Who is responsible if the installation fails inspection?
The contractor of record, under the contract’s terms — which is why the scope should name who files the permit and who corrects failed work. Read that clause before signing.
Related Reading
- How Much Does It Cost to Install a Commercial EV Charging Station?
- How to Get an EV Charging Station License: Permits and Approvals
- How to Open an EV Charging Station: Step by Step
- Commercial EV Charger Maintenance Checklist
