Mount Eliza is a suburb of large houses on leafy blocks, and for EV charger installation Mount Eliza homes the block matters more than the brand of charger. In the 2021 Census, nine occupied dwellings in ten (91.9%) were separate houses, 57.7% had four or more bedrooms and 27.9% of households had three or more vehicles. The average was 2.3 vehicles per dwelling, compared with 1.6 in Mentone and 1.7 in Cheltenham. Put simply, cable runs can be long, and plenty of homes could end up with two EVs.
Our nearest premises is in Beaumaris at 125 Charman Rd, about 24 km from the centre of Mount Eliza in a straight line. That is closer than our Portsea premises at the tip of the Peninsula, so Mount Eliza work is planned from Beaumaris. Whether the charger comes from us or from your car dealer, the installation is done by our own A-grade electricians.
EV charger installation Mount Eliza: distance is the design problem
On a large block the switchboard is usually on the house, while the cars may sit in a garage or carport some distance away, sometimes at the end of a curving gravel or exposed-aggregate driveway. The length of that run decides the cable size, the route and a fair share of the cost. For a 32 A single-phase charger on a domestic run, six square millimetre cable is the usual choice, but across a long block the conductor may need to step up a size so the voltage at the garage end stays within limits. That is why the route gets measured on site before we quote.
The cable can take one of three paths, and on bigger blocks we often combine them:
- Through the house, via the roof space or underfloor, when the garage is attached or close.
- Along structures, in conduit fixed to walls, fences or a covered walkway.
- Underground, in conduit laid in a trench to a detached garage, studio or a post near where the cars park.
Trenching is where Mount Eliza jobs differ from the inner suburbs. Lawns are easy. Established garden beds, tree roots and decorative driveways are not, and we plan the line to avoid all three where we can.
At the garage end we usually prefer an inside wall: the charger stays dry, the plug reaches the car without the lead snaking across the floor, and the unit is out of sight from the street. For a carport or an open parking pad, a weather-rated charger on a post or wall works well, with the cable entry sealed against the leaf litter and moisture that come with a treed block.
Planning for the second and third EV
With so many multi-car households, the second charger is worth planning on day one. The Shire’s car parking strategy for the Mount Eliza township activity centre notes “a strong reliance on car travel”, and the Census figures above show the same thing at home. A single-phase supply can usually run one 7 kW charger comfortably; two at once may exceed what the supply and switchboard can carry, which is where load management comes in. A load-sharing set-up splits the available current between the cars, so both can charge overnight without overloading the house.
| Set-up | Supply | Best suited to |
|---|---|---|
| One 7 kW charger | Single-phase | One EV with normal daily driving |
| Two chargers with load sharing | Single-phase if capacity allows, or three-phase | Two EVs charging overnight |
| 11 kW charger | Three-phase | Cars whose onboard charger accepts 11 kW |
| 22 kW charger | Three-phase | Only cars that can take 22 kW on AC |
United Energy’s guidance is that 22 kW home chargers typically need three-phase power, and a home that needs 170 amps or more is normally handled as a negotiated connection. Our take: a 22 kW unit is rarely the best spend in a Mount Eliza garage, because a car only charges as fast as its onboard charger allows; the Polestar 2, for example, takes 11 kW on AC. Well-planned load sharing, or an 11 kW three-phase set-up when the cars can use it, usually serves a two-EV household better. Our three-phase power upgrades for EV charging page explains when the upgrade is worth it.
Trees, the escarpment and the Vegetation Protection Overlay
Planning permits are rarely an issue for the charger: clause 62.02-2 lists an electric vehicle charging station among works that need no buildings-and-works permit, unless some other control asks for one specifically. The trees around it are another matter. Schedule 1 to the Vegetation Protection Overlay in the Mornington Peninsula Planning Scheme covers township areas where “substantial vegetation cover, rather than built form, is the dominant visual and environmental feature”, and it names the Mt Eliza escarpment. Under that township vegetation schedule, a permit is required to remove, destroy or lop any vegetation, subject to listed exemptions.
A Design and Development Overlay for the Mount Eliza Woodland Area makes the same point about character. So we plan trench lines around trees and their root zones rather than through them, use existing paths and driveway edges where possible, and talk to you before any digging near a significant tree. If a route would genuinely require removing or lopping vegetation, we say so at the quote stage so the permit question is settled first.
The Ranelagh Estate: heritage that starts at the nature strip
The Ranelagh Estate was designed in 1924 by Walter Burley Griffin with Marion Mahony Griffin and surveyor Saxil Tuxen, and it was added to the Victorian Heritage Register in May 2005. The Shire’s material for residents makes a distinction that matters for chargers: the registration covers the road reserves and public open spaces, not private residential properties. Any works on the nature strips there need a heritage permit from Heritage Victoria as well as any Shire approval required, and parking on the nature strip is not permitted.
In practice, a charger installed on the house side of the boundary is unaffected by the estate’s registration, while anything that would disturb a nature strip, such as new trenching to the kerb, is a different process. Some houses in the estate also have their own Heritage Overlay listing, and for those a planning permit is needed if the charger can be seen from a public park or from any street other than a lane. The Shire’s Ranelagh Estate page has the detail and links its information flyer, which also notes the rare alternating avenue of Monterey cypress and tuart along Wimbledon Avenue.
Frankston South zone substation and the United Energy process
Mount Eliza is on United Energy’s network. Its December 2025 distribution annual planning report says the Frankston South zone substation, fed from the Tyabb terminal station, supplies Baxter, Frankston, Frankston South, Mount Eliza and Somerville. You do not need to know that to get a charger, but it is a reminder that larger supply upgrades go through United Energy’s own assessment.
Registration is part of the job: United Energy wants every wall charger installed by a registered electrical contractor and logged in myEnergy, and we lodge that for you. Where a home needs more capacity, including a move from single-phase to three-phase, we prepare and submit the application before any equipment is ordered. Testing follows the six mandatory checks Energy Safe Victoria sets for electrical installation work, and the Certificate of Electrical Safety you receive comes from DUKE EV, REC 35838.
For a change from single-phase to three-phase, the Victorian Service and Installation Rules set out the usual sequence. We confirm the supply needed and apply to United Energy, the conditions are agreed, your retailer’s metering provider fits the new meter, and United Energy connects once it has the Certificate of Electrical Safety. Any visit that needs the network’s own crew should be booked early, so we lodge that application first and fit the charger work around it.
Roof space, batteries and the car
Larger roofs make Mount Eliza a natural fit for charging from the sun. A smart charger can be set to follow solar generation, so a car parked at home during the day fills up on power that would otherwise be exported. Solar Victoria points out the trade-off: solar used by the car is not available in the evening, which is where a home battery can store daytime generation for overnight charging. Households weighing that up can look at federal support through the Cheaper Home Batteries Program, available since 1 July 2025.
If you already have panels, we can set the charger to work with them; if you are planning a system, it pays to design both together. For the detail, see solar EV charger installation for panel-linked set-ups and home EV charger installation for the chargers themselves. Where the switchboard needs work first, switchboard upgrades for EV charging are quoted alongside.
Frequently asked questions on larger Mount Eliza properties
Can you run the cable underground to a detached garage?
Yes. We lay the cable in conduit in a trench, sized for the distance, and plan the route around trees, garden beds and decorative driveways. The length and surface of that trench are among the biggest cost drivers on a Mount Eliza job.
Does the Vegetation Protection Overlay affect a charger install?
Only where the work would mean removing, destroying or lopping vegetation it protects. The charger itself falls under the clause 62.02-2 exemption, so in most gardens the overlay simply shapes the trench route, and we design that route to keep clear of protected vegetation.
Should a two-EV home go straight to 22 kW chargers?
Rarely. Three-phase supply is a must for a 22 kW unit, and the extra power is wasted unless the car’s onboard charger accepts 22 kW on AC; the Polestar 2, for instance, takes 11 kW. An 11 kW unit or load-shared 7 kW chargers usually suit a two-EV garage better.
Does the Ranelagh Estate heritage listing cover my driveway?
The registration covers road reserves and public open spaces, not private residential properties, so work on your side of the boundary is unaffected by it. Works on the nature strip need a Heritage Victoria permit.
Why is Mount Eliza served from Beaumaris rather than Portsea?
Distance. Our Beaumaris premises is about 24 km from the centre of Mount Eliza in a straight line, while Portsea is about 36 km away.
Long driveways, two cars and big trees all have workable answers; they just need a proper look before anyone quotes. The quickest start is a call to 1300 003 853 (7am to 7pm, Monday to Saturday); our contact page works just as well if you would rather write first. You can also read about our Beaumaris premises, the base we work from for Mount Eliza.