General Electric Says Its Home EV Charger Will Cost Between $1,000 and $1,500

General Electric Says Its Home EV Charger Will Cost Between $1,000 and $1,500

By Scott Doggett July 16, 2010

When General Electric announced earlier this week that it would manufacture  level 2 electric-vehicle chargers for commercial and home use, the company was fairly short on specifics.

Specifically, Green Car Advisor wanted to know how it would compare with its presumptive top short-term competitor, the level 2 (208-240 volt) chargers produced by Coulomb Technologies.

It took a couple of days for GE to get back to us, but we're delighted to report today that the company did so moments ago - and did so with a few positive surprises.

First off, price: "The commercial model will cost between $3,000-7,000 depending on order specifications. The residential unit will cost between $1,000-1,500," wrote GE spokeswoman Megan Parker in an email.

A Coulomb spokeswoman told us earlier this week that their comparable chargers sell for "less than $5,000," but left it at that. Like GE, Coulomb's charger costs vary with installation, so getting head-to-head price comparisons are tricky.

Parker disclosed that the residential unit will be unveiled this fall and available in limited numbers during the fourth quarter of this year, which is when Nissan will begin selling it Leaf EV (and Chevy its Volt EREV)  in the U.S. Broad distribution of the chargers will begin during the second quarter of next year, she said.

Don't forget: The Department of Energy said last month that it will pay for home chargers for early buyers of the Leaf and Chevrolet Volt extended range plug-in hybrid. Specifically, DOE will provide free home chargers for the first 5,700 U.S. Leaf buyers and 4,400 chargers for the initial Volt buyers.

Scott Doggett:  is an AutoObserver.com Associate Editor.