Model S for renters (a.k.a. non-homeowners) / Renting creating hurdle for EV adoption

[drbradfo]

Thanks for suggestions! I actually get there in a week and will be staying in Goose Hollow in order to be closer to the Intel campuses. Fortunately I signed only a 6 month lease so I should be OK until I have to accept delivery of the Model S.

Goose Hollow is pretty good location. Welcome to Oregon (and Intel). Remember to update your pin on the map! WashingtonSquare Mall should have a Tesla store open soon.

[DuncanWatson]

There are apartments near me in Seattle that have L2 chargers already. This particular apt complex also has solar panels on the roof.

My old place in Beaverton, OR had free parking in assigned carports and rental garages. I rented one of the garages and probably could get the management company to install an L2 charger in it but they loved me as I had been a model resident for 5 years.

In the end it will add value to install chargers at various carports or garages in an apt complex. It is something that they will have to deal with regardless. The issues are:

• installation cost
• how to bill the electricity to the user
• how to prevent unauthorized use

My suspicion is that large complexes will look to chargepoint or blink to solve this infrastructure issue and then issue cards to those services for residents.

[gg_got_a_tesla]

States like California have laws that do not allow Condo associations to deny EVSEs (or solar).

Right on. I had to read the riot...er... California Solar Rights Act to my HOA to get my Solar PV system in place (they 'felt' that my home would look "too different" from the rest of the community!). Didn't know there was an EVSE rights act as well.

[Odenator]

If you are at the Hillsboro campus, then a Goose Hollow to Hillsboro round-trip commute should be about 30 miles. If Intel has places to charge on campus, then no problem. However, if not, then the 300 mile Model S should allow you to charge only on weekends if your rental place lacks charging options. Like drbradfo said, Wash Square should be opening soon and hopefully they'll have chargers there. I can think of worse ways to spend a couple of hours than at the mall.

[bonnie1194]

I don't think any of the Hillsboro campus (Ronler Acres, Hawthorn Farms, or Jones Farm) have J1772. I seem to remember only the old Avcon paddle. But maybe that has changed. And welcome to Intel employees - I left Intel just over a year ago to launch the new Intel-GE spinoff. But I'm in Portland on a regular basis - and am planning on bringing my Roadster up sometime soon.

[onlinespending]

I don't think any of the Hillsboro campus (Ronler Acres, Hawthorn Farms, or Jones Farm) have J1772. I seem to remember only the old Avcon paddle. But maybe that has changed. And welcome to Intel employees - I left Intel just over a year ago to launch the new Intel-GE spinoff. But I'm in Portland on a regular basis - and am planning on bringing my Roadster up sometime soon.

Thanks for the warm welcome! Wherever I am at when I accept delivery of the Model S, I'll need to sort out the rental thing. Wanting to own an EV certainly puts restrictions on the type of place you can rent. Or who knows, maybe the Model S will be the impetus for me to finally purchase a place!

Would still love to hear what other renters have done or plan to do to accommodate an electric car.

P.S. Would love to see that Roadster

[bonnie1194]

P.S. Would love to see that Roadster

Sometime this summer. I promised both our engineering team in Portland and former Intel colleagues that I'd bring it up. And since there is the Tesla Highway to provide me with 70amp HPC charging, it's an easy trip.

If you ever take the shuttle to the Folsom campus, let me know. I'm not that far away.

[strider]

My wife and I are renters for the exact same reasons you cite. We're able to live in a nice house for way less than the mortgage and property taxes (and when something breaks we just call the landlord).

The place we were living when we got the Roadster had a NEMA 6-20 in the garage already for an air compressor the owner had when he lived there. So I was able to charge at 220V 16A which was fine for my short commute. The new place we moved into I asked the landlord if I could run a 6-30 (house only had a 100A panel and it's old - a 14-50 would have required a new panel) and he said it was fine. So my Dad and I ran 2 6-30's into the rafters for the Roadster and Model S. It should only cost a few hundred bucks to have a circuit run and I can't imagine a landlord not letting you improve their place - they could advertise that it's "EV-Ready" when you move out.

I haven't spent any time in Portland but it's common down here (SF Bay Area) for houses to have the washer and dryer in the garage so you'll likely have a NEMA 10-30 for the dryer that you can use if you don't want to run a circuit.

[artsci]

Yes, I do own it. No issues with the homeowner's association. In fact, when the car is plugged it attracts much very good attention from neighbors, and these become an opportunity for me to explain the great virtues of electric cars. Normally the homeowner's association is a PIA about these kinds of things, but I think they decided that it's a good idea to not to fight this kind of improvement. Actually, as electric cars become far more popular I think having done this will add to the resale value of the house.

Presumably you own this townhouse. And there was no issue with the homeowners' association complaining about that install?

[dsm363]

I'm leasing my house as well. Had 2 NEMA 14-50s installed in the garage so it's EV ready as well.