ForgeAsset / Tools / Build cost
What a Supercharger site costs to build
The same CAPEX stack the 15-year model uses — hardware, installation, the site-specific utility upgrade, contingency, and the one-time sales tax — priced for any stall count across 51state tax profiles. Published cost ranges are national; this one carries each state's own rate and taxable base.
| Hardware — 8 × $62,500 | $500,000 |
| Install — 8 × $75,000 | $600,000 |
| Utility upgradesite-specific — quote required | $0 |
| Contingency (10%) | $110,000 |
| Sales tax — 9.38% of hardware | $46,875 |
| All-in project cost | $1,256,875 |
| Per stall | $157,109 |
| Down payment at 20% — what leaves the bank at close if financed | $242,000 |
Hardware and install carry the model's default per-stall figures. The utility upgrade defaults to zero because it is entirely site-specific — a transformer, service drop, or line extension can add anywhere from nothing to six figures, and it is the line a real contractor and utility quote settles. Sales-tax rate and base come from the state tax profile.
Build cost is one input. Payback, NPV, IRR, and a 15-year cash flow depend far more on the territory's filed tariff and the site's utilization.
Run a scenarioCommon site sizes
Four stall counts at the model defaults, with California's sales-tax treatment applied and no utility upgrade:
| Stalls | Hardware + install | After contingency | All-in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | $550,000 | $605,000 | $628,438 |
| 8 | $1,100,000 | $1,210,000 | $1,256,875 |
| 12 | $1,650,000 | $1,815,000 | $1,885,313 |
| 20 | $2,750,000 | $3,025,000 | $3,142,188 |
The state spread
An identical 8-stall scope of work costs $1,210,000 in Oregon and $1,326,050 in Washington — a difference of $116,050 decided by the tax code alone. Two rules produce it: the rate itself, and whether the state taxes separately stated installation labor in addition to hardware.
The full write-up works through each line, and the incentives checker records what currently offsets it by jurisdiction.
Build cost — questions
- What does a Tesla Supercharger cost to install per stall?
- The model carries $62,500 per stall for hardware and $75,000 per stall for installation, plus a 10% contingency on the subtotal. Install exceeds hardware on the default assumptions, and on sites where the electrical service is far from the parking field it can exceed it substantially. A site-specific utility upgrade sits on top and is quoted separately.
- Why does the same build cost more in some states?
- Sales tax. The rate applied to charging hardware runs from zero in states that file no sales tax to over ten percent, and states differ on whether separately stated installation labor is taxable as well. Across the 51 profiles, an identical 8-stall scope ranges from $1,210,000 in Oregon to $1,326,050 in Washington.
- Why is the utility upgrade zero by default?
- Because it is the least generalizable line in the stack. Bringing adequate capacity to a property can mean nothing at all if the service is already adequate, or a transformer, service drop, or line extension costing six figures if it is not. The model keeps it as its own input so a real utility quote can replace an assumption rather than hide inside one.
- Is total project cost what a site owner pays at closing?
- Not if the project is financed. The model's default down payment is 20% of total project cost, with the balance amortizing over the loan term as a monthly operating cost. The tool shows both figures.
- Does build cost determine whether a site is profitable?
- It is one of several inputs, and usually not the decisive one. Across the filed tariff library the same reference site's all-in electricity cost varies by roughly a factor of eight between territories, a spread far larger than the range build costs move across. Utilization and the utility tariff move a result more than the capital budget does.
ForgeAsset is software, not investment, tax, or legal advice — outputs are model estimates from stated assumptions, not quotes or guarantees. Hardware pricing, labor rates, and tax rules change; verify current values against a contractor bid and primary tax sources before committing capital.