EV charging is new enough in Nigeria that almost anyone with a multimeter can call themselves an EV installer, and there is no register of EV chargepoint installers to check them against. The hardware is not especially exotic, but the load is, and that is where inexperienced work shows up. These are the questions worth asking before you let anyone near your distribution board.
1. Will you assess my supply before quoting?
This is the question that separates serious EV installers in Abuja from the rest. A charger is a heavy continuous load. If nobody has looked at your incoming supply, your main breaker and your existing evening demand, the quote is a guess. The correct answer is that they will come and look, and that the visit costs you nothing.
2. Will it have its own circuit?
The only acceptable answer is yes: a dedicated circuit run from the board to the charger, with its own protective device. Anyone proposing to spur off an existing socket circuit is proposing something that will trip, overheat, or both.
3. What cable size are you running, and how far?
A good installer will give you both numbers without hesitating, because they calculated them. Long runs need larger cable to avoid voltage drop; undersized cable over distance produces a charger that works but charges slowly and runs warm.
4. What earthing arrangement are you using?
An outdoor charge point that a person touches while standing on wet ground deserves a proper answer to this question. You do not need to understand the detail. You need to hear that they have thought about it rather than watch them change the subject.
5. Which charger, and does it match my car?
They should ask for your exact model and check the connector and the onboard AC limit before recommending anything. If you are told a 22kW unit will charge your car three times faster without anyone asking what the car accepts, that is a sales pitch, not a specification.
6. Is the quote fixed?
A fixed quote after a site visit puts the risk where it belongs. Quotes that are open-ended, or that arrive without anyone visiting, tend to grow on the day, usually once the cable run turns out to be longer than assumed.
7. Will you test it with my car before you leave?
Commissioning is not optional. The unit should be energised, the car connected, and a real charging session started and stopped in front of you. An installer who packs up before the car has drawn a single amp has not finished the job.
8. What happens if it faults in six months?
Ask who you call, how quickly they respond, and whether they service units they did not install. Chargers live outdoors in heat, dust and rain. Something will eventually need attention, and you want that to be a phone call rather than a search. Other Abuja installers worth reading on this: EV Charger Abuja and Abuja Solar & Energy Company.
Warning signs
- A price quoted over the phone from a photograph.
- No interest in your distribution board.
- Vagueness about cable size or protection.
- Pressure to buy a bigger charger than your supply or car can use.
- No mention of testing or handover.
- No way to reach them after the invoice is paid.
How we work
We survey first, quote fixed, install on a dedicated protected circuit, test with your vehicle before we leave, and support what we fit. You can read more about that approach on our about page, see the kinds of jobs we handle on our installations page, and understand pricing in what determines the cost of EV charger installation in Abuja.
Want a straight answer to all eight questions? Call (+234) 706 727 6002, message us on WhatsApp, or book a free site assessment.
