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Has anyone had difficulties charging up at an apartment complex or condo? What solutions does everyone use?
Welcome! Great to see a first-time-poster. The solutions are quite a few. Some people are still within logical driving distance to a supercharger and charge there. Others have petitioned the cond/apartment owners and have gotten permission to install a 220v plug. Some have even gotten the condo/apartment owners to pay for it themselves. Others use the PlugShare - EV Charging Station Map - Find a place to charge your car! app to determine close charging locations. Some use local campgrounds. Some people are able to plug in at work or have gotten work locations to install plugs. The nice thing about Teslas is that they can plug into virtually ANY plug, so there are lots of options.
 
Thanks Chipper!

Seems like a major hassle to be honest, especially with Tesla cracking down on the superchargers as of late... have you used something like ChargePoint, blink, or Evercharge?
On property charging seems like its the way to go, kinda of like your phone you just need to plug it in every night
 
Thanks Chipper!

Seems like a major hassle to be honest, especially with Tesla cracking down on the superchargers as of late... have you used something like ChargePoint, blink, or Evercharge?
On property charging seems like its the way to go, kinda of like your phone you just need to plug it in every night
Yes, I have used ChargePoint, NRGevGo, and Blink...but not very often. I use a Nissan dealer every time I visit my daughter in Augusta, GA. But is not a hassle for me. Oh, and just to be clear, Tesla is not cracking down on folks who do not have the ability to charge at home. Obviously on-site is the least hassle, but I would be willing to go through quite a bit of hassle just to have and drive this vehicle.
 
nagless, welcome to the forum.

In my opinion the ability to charge conveniently while living in a condo/apartment is the big open open issue to solve if we want an EV revolution. I live in a condo building and I wanted the car so much that I was willing to jump through hoops. I bought it last October and asked Tesla if I can use the local Supercharger while sorting out the charging situation with my condo board. They were A-Ok with it. My condo board was very negative about installing a level 2 charger in my building, they're a bunch of old-fashioned fuddy-duddies. Fortunately for me, the apartment building next door, much more forward thinking, installed a level 2 charger for their one tenant who has a Model S and made an agreement with me where I can use their charger on an unlimited basis for about 30 bucks a month.

Everyone unfortunately has to find their own solution. Good luck.
 
What is the cost for a condo/apartment building to install a charging station? We have a vacation condo we are at 2-3 months out of the year, and plan to initiate this discussion with them over the next few months. I don't imagine they will go for putting a 220v plug (even if I pay for the install) without any way of charging for the electric used. Do those companies that charge for the electric cover the cost of the install?
 
In my opinion the ability to charge conveniently while living in a condo/apartment is the big open open issue to solve if we want an EV revolution. I live in a condo building and I wanted the car so much that I was willing to jump through hoops. I bought it last October and asked Tesla if I can use the local Supercharger while sorting out the charging situation with my condo board. They were A-Ok with it. My condo board was very negative about installing a level 2 charger in my building, they're a bunch of old-fashioned fuddy-duddies. Fortunately for me, the apartment building next door, much more forward thinking, installed a level 2 charger for their one tenant who has a Model S and made an agreement with me where I can use their charger on an unlimited basis for about 30 bucks a month.

Yeah the HOA and tenant boards are the real issue, I know evercharge (EverCharge) works with the HOA and tenant board so I dont have to, the others that I have looked into (ChargePoint, NRG, Blink) are not very specific on what, if anything, they actually do. Plus evercharge gives each driver their own station rather than having to share with everyone.
 
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AuKirk -> Depending on the building the install can get very costly, buildings only have a finite amount of power available so depending on demand they might not be able to find a good solution without paying for extremely expensive infrastructure upgrades ($20,000+), what they is need is a smart EV charging solution with power management install costs are relatively cheap and due to the fact that EV chargers up property value they are more inclined to pay for any install. You will have to look around to see what companies offer this type of solution
 
What is the cost for a condo/apartment building to install a charging station? We have a vacation condo we are at 2-3 months out of the year, and plan to initiate this discussion with them over the next few months. I don't imagine they will go for putting a 220v plug (even if I pay for the install) without any way of charging for the electric used. Do those companies that charge for the electric cover the cost of the install?

Here in Chicago the apartment building that has the charger I use paid about 2.5k in total for a level 2 charger (parts and labor), the charger is from a company called Eaton. They installed it as a courtesy to their tenants and therefore decided not to charge them for the electricity they use. Because I am not a tenant of the building, I did a calculation based on price per kwh here in Chicago (9 cents) and how many kwh I use each day based on my driving, and came up with an average monthly total of $30, which I offered to pay them, and they accepted.
 
Best bet is to ask the building management to install a charger. I believe there are still tax credits for businesses installing EV chargers.

I agree with MichFin 100%

About 18 months ago close to my apartment building (which had a garage with chargers) was a new building being built new. Then I (and another friend who wanted to move) started calling and emailing them with interest in moving. From the very first meeting we had with the builder/developer, I made it clear chargers were needed and "sold" them on the benefits of EV charging and how they can use it a selling point of this new building.

Nagleess, even though YOU need the charger, you need to sell the building management on the benefits to them and also to future proof the building now.
 
In my opinion the ability to charge conveniently while living in a condo/apartment is the big open issue to solve if we want an EV revolution.

Completely agree.

I was lucky enough to move to an apartment complex that already had a ChargePoint station in place. It enabled me to buy the Model S, and now a second person in the building has one. I've spoken to a third person just recently that was considering one, and their primary concern was charging. Even with the charger in place, I was quite concerned about buying the car without a place to leave it plugged in for extended periods. I don't do much driving during the week, and it's been a non-issue for me, at least so far.
 
Not exactly. If they wanted to, they could slow your charging down to Level 2 or lower if they wanted since they already authorize via VIN. Still 'free charging for life' albeit at a much slower pace.
I don't think they will do that. I think the first thing they would do is give lower priority at a shared stall. This is the way with the least impact to others.
 
I don't think they will do that. I think the first thing they would do is give lower priority at a shared stall. This is the way with the least impact to others.

Sure, I agree, they could phase in such an approach and increase it if they determine that abuse continues. I think my approach is a last resort after many other steps are taken. I just disagree that there is 'no recourse' for Tesla--there certainly is. IF they do something is another story.