Engineered In-House
Demand load calculations, single-lines, load management, and permit-ready documents from our own in-house electrical engineering team — the same group that designs our power distribution work.
Electrical engineering →Tucson, Arizona
Commercial EV Charging Installation in Tucson
Level 2 and DC fast charging for workplaces, fleets, retail, and multifamily — engineered in-house, trenched and wired by our own crews, with the TEP coordination handled. Request a bid →
Commercial EV Infrastructure
EV charging is site infrastructure — we build all of it
On a commercial property, EV charging isn’t an appliance install — it’s a load calculation, a possible service change, a utility application, and a trench across the parking lot before the chargers ever arrive. Arizona Electrical Solutions is a Tucson-based commercial design-build contractor: our engineers design the system, our own CR-11 electrical crews build and energize it, and our owned Cat® fleet digs it — one team, one contract, one schedule.
The chargers are usually the cheapest part of the project — the value is won or lost in the capacity study, the utility coordination, and the dirt.
Installed by Our Electricians
Panels, feeders, charging circuits, and the chargers themselves, installed and energized by the same firm that drew the design.
Solar, storage & EV charging →Trenched With Our Own Fleet
Saw-cutting, trenching, conduit, backfill, and restoration out to the parking stalls — self-performed with our owned Cat® equipment and certified operators.
Underground & heavy equipment →Level 2 vs. DC Fast
Choosing the right charging level for the site
The right answer depends on how long vehicles sit — and how much power the site can spare.
Level 2 Charging
Level 2 chargers run on 208 or 240 volts and add meaningful range over hours — which is how most commercial parking behaves: employees park for a shift, residents overnight, guests until morning. For workplaces, multifamily, hotels, and retail, Level 2 delivers the charging drivers actually use at a fraction of the electrical demand — often on capacity the building already has.
DC Fast Charging
DC fast chargers deliver a much faster charge at far higher power — the right tool for fleets on a turnaround and for retail or corridor sites competing on speed. It routinely triggers new switchgear, a dedicated transformer, or an upgraded utility service, so the capacity and utility questions come first.
Where It Applies
Sites we build charging for
Most Tucson sites land on Level 2, sometimes with a few DC fast positions. We design and install both, for:
- Workplaces adding employee charging
- Fleet yards electrifying on a schedule
- Retail, restaurant, and hospitality parking
- Multifamily and mixed-use development
- Municipal and public facilities
The Capacity Question
Does your service have the capacity? Find out first.
Every project should start with the same question: what can the existing panel and service actually support? We run the demand load calculation against the real system — not a rule of thumb — before anyone orders chargers.
Load management is often the difference between a panel circuit and a utility service upgrade: managed charging shares the available amperage, so a site can add positions without overbuilding the service. When an upgrade is the right answer, our engineers design the new service and distribution and our crews build it — the same in-house engineering team that sized the load draws the single-line the utility sees.
- Demand load calculations against the actual panel and service
- Load management design that avoids costly service upsizing
- Service and distribution upgrades, designed and self-performed
- Single-line diagrams and permit-ready construction documents
Utility Coordination
TEP coordination for new and upgraded service
When charging pushes past what the existing service can carry, the project runs through the serving utility. We prepare and carry the application with Tucson Electric Power — or Trico Electric Cooperative in the areas it serves — design the service entrance and metering to the utility’s specification, and settle transformer and point-of-connection details before construction.
Under TEP’s service rules, the customer’s contractor typically provides the trenching, conduit, backfill, and restoration while TEP furnishes and owns the service cable — exactly the scope we self-perform. We work with these requirements daily and maintain a TEP standards reference hub our crews and other contractors use.
Make-Ready & Phasing
Make-ready infrastructure and phased build-outs
The most expensive distance in commercial EV charging is usually the run between the electrical room and the parking stall: saw-cutting, trenching, pull boxes, backfill, and restoration — and paying for it twice is the expensive mistake.
Build the pathways once
A make-ready design installs the panel capacity, conduit, and pull boxes for the full build-out while energizing only the chargers you need today — when demand grows, the next row is an electrical task, not more pavement work. Because our operators and electricians run on one coordinated underground schedule, the trench is open when the conduit crew is ready and restored before the lot reopens.
Incentives, confirmed at design time
Federal and utility incentive programs for commercial EV infrastructure change frequently — programs open, close, and revise their terms. Rather than build your budget around a program that may have moved, we confirm what is currently available during design and factor it into the recommendation.
FAQ
Commercial EV charging in Tucson, answered
Do we need a utility service upgrade to add EV chargers?
Not always. Many Tucson sites can add Level 2 charging on existing capacity, and load management lets more chargers share the available amperage on the same service. We start with a demand load calculation against the actual panel and service; if an upgrade is genuinely needed — as DC fast charging often triggers — we design it and coordinate the new service with TEP or Trico ourselves.
What is the difference between Level 2 and DC fast charging for a commercial site?
Level 2 chargers run on 208 or 240 volts and add meaningful range over hours — a fit for workplaces, multifamily, hotels, and retail where vehicles dwell. DC fast chargers charge much faster for fleets and quick-turnaround sites, but at far higher power — often enough to require new switchgear or an upgraded utility service. Most commercial sites land on Level 2, sometimes with a few DC fast positions.
How much does commercial EV charging installation cost in Tucson?
It depends on the site more than the charger. The main cost drivers are available electrical capacity, the distance from the electrical room to the stalls, whether the route runs through landscape or cut asphalt, charger count and power level, and whether the utility service needs an upgrade. Because we self-perform the engineering, the electrical, and the trenching, we price the whole scope in one bid — send us a site plan.
Who handles the trenching and conduit out to the parking area?
We do, with our own crews and owned Cat equipment. Under TEP's service rules the customer's contractor typically provides the trenching, conduit, backfill, and surface restoration — scope we self-perform daily, on one schedule with our electricians.
Are there incentives for commercial EV charging infrastructure in Tucson?
Federal and utility incentive programs for commercial EV infrastructure change frequently — programs open, close, and revise their terms. We confirm what is currently available during design and factor it into the recommendation.
Can we install some chargers now and add more later?
Yes — a phased build-out is usually the smart way to do it. A make-ready design installs the capacity, conduit, and pull boxes for the full build-out while energizing only what you need today, so adding chargers later is an electrical task instead of another round of trenching.
Planning EV charging for a commercial property?
Send us the site plan or just the goal — we’ll check the service capacity and the utility path before anyone orders chargers.
Request a Bid Call (520) 308-6235