No Garage / No driveway.... Charging?

[thyname]

I am sure there are other people in my situation who have or are considering buying EVs: no single family home, no private garage, no private driveway. Basically apartment or condo living multifamily housing. In my case, townhouse with community parking lot (assigned / numberd / reserving parking spaces), with the parking lot separated by the actual townhouses by community / shared front yards.

What is the solution for charging? I understand the association installing community / shared chargin station, but that is not happening with mine. So I was talking about private & individual charging station in own numbered parking space.

I have seen some solution in the internet (see pictures), but never one in person. I imagine it will cost a lot of money, but, has anyone here done something similar? If so, can you share your experiences?

 

[SalisburySam]

Er, mobile charging unit with an extension cord draped out the front window? All sorts of code issues possibly but hey?

 

[zoomer0056]

I am sure there are other people in my situation who have or are considering buying EVs: no single family home, no private garage, no private driveway. Basically apartment or condo living multifamily housing. In my case, townhouse with community parking lot (assigned / numberd / reserving parking spaces), with the parking lot separated by the actual townhouses by community / shared front yards.

What is the solution for charging? I understand the association installing community / shared chargin station, but that is not happening with mine. So I was talking about private & individual charging station in own numbered parking space.

I have seen some solution in the internet (see pictures), but never one in person. I imagine it will cost a lot of money, but, has anyone here done something similar? If so, can you share your experiences?

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If you're renting, maybe it's time to move. If you own, is there a home owners association that needs to accommodate for modern times?

Edit: I reread the post and see this is a rental situation. Possibly talk to the lord of the land about plans for adding shared community EV charging. The most direct solution would be to find public charging near you.

 

[E90alex]

You will have to rely on surcharging.

Not realistic to front the cost to install a charger (if your property management company will let you) when it’s just an apartment rental. If it was a condo or town house you owned then possibly, but definitely not worth it for an apartment.

Personally I would not own an EV without the ability to charge at home. That’s one of the major advantages. Otherwise relying on public charging is way too cumbersome unless you just happen to have a supercharger near places you already frequent.

 

[thyname]

Edit: I reread the post and see this is a rental situation

It is not a "rental situation". I own the townhouse. It is just that parking situation is tough, parking lot for all residents of the townhouse cluster, numbered.

 

[fholbert]

It is not a "rental situation". I own the townhouse. It is just that parking situation is tough, parking lot for all residents of the townhouse cluster, numbered.

Assuming you install a charger in a public parking area can you limit who uses the charger? Is it limited by VIN?

 

[zoomer0056]

It is not a "rental situation". I own the townhouse. It is just that parking situation is tough, parking lot for all residents of the townhouse cluster, numbered.

In that case, besides public charging, I think your pictures are a good solution. You could talk to a licensed contractor. They'll know about permits and other things. Hopefully someone at TMC with direct experience can help out for success.

 

[thyname]

Assuming you install a charger in a public parking area can you limit who uses the charger? Is it limited by VIN?

It will be in a numbered area (my reserved parking spot). In front of my townhouse. Yes, I believe one can limit the charging to only specific vehicles by VIN.

 

[E90alex]

It is not a "rental situation". I own the townhouse. It is just that parking situation is tough, parking lot for all residents of the townhouse cluster, numbered.

In that case then something like what you pictured could be a possibility.

You would have to work that out with your HOA as to what your options are. Cost would greatly vary depending on the amount of work needed and distance to your own electrical panel/meter.

 

[E90alex]

In that case, besides public charging, I think your pictures are a good solution. You could talk to a licensed contractor. They'll know about permits and other things. Hopefully someone at TMC with direct experience can help out for success.

Tesla wall connector can be limited by VIN.

 

[karkrazy]

Ballpark… how far away is your electrical meter? 100 ft?

In two of the pics you shared, it looks like electric meters setup 20-30 ft behind. If you’re that close, I think it’s realistic. The trenching is going to cost a fortune… plus the hassle of working with the HOA to install/work on community property. You need to get a licensed electrician to give an estimate.

Edit: the Internet stranger’s SWAG is about $10-15k total, incl the wall connector and pedestal. Total SWAG…

 

[phxazcraig]

OK, private parking space, private charger, outside. The Tesla charger is built for it, as are others. It's just a matter of getting power to the parking area. And maybe those bollards. That's going to involve digging & conduits (probably), permits (definitely), plus the cost of the hardware. In Phoenix, it cost me $1300 to have my $500 wall charger mounted inside my garage. Hard to say what it would cost to get something like that done, but it should be a matter of time and money in the end. (That is, possible. Maybe $5000 or $10000, but doable at some price.)

 

[jjrandorin]

Er, mobile charging unit with an extension cord draped out the front window? All sorts of code issues possibly but hey?

There is ZERO chance that would fly for more than 4-5 days, and also a liability issue if anyone trips over it (even "accidentally on purpose" in our sue happy country).

It will be in a numbered area (my reserved parking spot). In front of my townhouse. Yes, I believe one can limit the charging to only specific vehicles by VIN.

You will need to contact at least a couple of electricians to see what it would cost to do something like that (probably several thousand dollars) then think about how much supercharging that would buy (which would be the break even point).

I am firmly in the camp of "not every car is perfect for every situation" so in your situation I would likely not have considered an EV. I dont care about the environmental (or not) aspect of it, or at least it was fairly low on the list of considerations for me.

If its only a couple grand I might consider it, but I think it would probably be a lot more than that.

 

[thyname]

OP here. Thanks so much everyone for chiming in. A few points to clarify:

1) I Iive in a densely populated suburban area with two Superchargers within three miles to where I live. One of them in my way to work, no detours whatsoever

2) I have free Level 2 chargers at parking garage at work. Six stalls for the building, first come first serve, not an issue for me as I am always very early to work

3) This is more for independence/ freedom reasons, call it whatever. Not having to rely on a particular job, or public charging network. I hope you understand

4) Both me and my wife now have EVs. Zero ICE cars. We both believe we will never go back to ICE, unless of course something terrible happens such as natural disasters, fascist governments taking over banning EVs, and similar

5) I contacted all of the electricians in Tesla website for my zip code. Only one so far is willing to entertain the conversation. I know it’s gone cost me thousands, but still much cheaper than buying a new house

 

[jjrandorin]

5) I contact all of the electricians in Tesla website. Only one so far is willing to entertain the conversation. I know it’s gone cost me thousands, but still much cheaper than buying a new house

Fair enough, I didnt know you already had the car(s), so this isnt a shopping decision (and you already have charging available in multiple places). I totally get the convenience / independence part of this though, I am definitely of the same mindset as far as it pertains to something like this.

In any case, You dont need to stick to only electricians that Tesla has on their website. In fact, I would say that you might be better off at checking in with the HOA to see if they have contracted services with an electrician (who would presumably know the building setup, etc).

Tesla gen 3 wall connectors support up to a 60amp circuit, but they also support much lower rates.

In any case, If I was in your shoes, I might approach someone in the HOA to talk to them about talking to whatever electrician they use possibly offering this type of install as an option (Homeowner paid). It could be pitched to the HOA as:

========================
" Have you considered partnering with our local electrician / going out to bid for a company who would be willing to work with us to put homeowner paid charging stations in their parking spaces, like these ( share pictures you have above).

The benefit to the HOA is knowledge that all applicable HOA rules and policies would be followed, and the installs would be properly permitted, safe, to code, etc.

The benefit to the Homeowner is a point of contact for EV charging to know it will be "done right" with our HOA rules, codes, and a company that is familiar with our electrical setup and how much service each unit typically has, etc. The homeowner also benefits if they sell their unit, being able to advertise it with EV charging. As EVs become more prevalent, this may help increase the entire community values.

The benefit to the Electrician chosen is a connection / continued connection to our community for impactful (and likely profitable) work, as it pertains to lead generation. The only downside activity is choosing the electrician and ensuring they will abide by the HOA rules / policies and are familiar with local building codes.

========================

No idea if something like this would help kick start the HOA into helping choose an electrician, but as long as you are not going at it like " And the HOA needs to pay for it" or anything like that, they may be much more amenable.

 

[thyname]

Fair enough, I didnt know you already had the car(s), so this isnt a shopping decision (and you already have charging available in multiple places). I totally get the convenience / independence part of this though, I am definitely of the same mindset as far as it pertains to something like this.

In any case, You dont need to stick to only electricians that Tesla has on their website. In fact, I would say that you might be better off at checking in with the HOA to see if they have contracted services with an electrician (who would presumably know the building setup, etc).

Tesla gen 3 wall connectors support up to a 60amp circuit, but they also support much lower rates.

In any case, If I was in your shoes, I might approach someone in the HOA to talk to them about talking to whatever electrician they use possibly offering this type of install as an option (Homeowner paid). It could be pitched to the HOA as:

========================
" Have you considered partnering with our local electrician / going out to bid for a company who would be willing to work with us to put homeowner paid charging stations in their parking spaces, like these ( share pictures you have above).

The benefit to the HOA is knowledge that all applicable HOA rules and policies would be followed, and the installs would be properly permitted, safe, to code, etc.

The benefit to the Homeowner is a point of contact for EV charging to know it will be "done right" with our HOA rules, codes, and a company that is familiar with our electrical setup and how much service each unit typically has, etc. The homeowner also benefits if they sell their unit, being able to advertise it with EV charging. As EVs become more prevalent, this may help increase the entire community values.

The benefit to the Electrician chosen is a connection / continued connection to our community for impactful (and likely profitable) work, as it pertains to lead generation. The only downside activity is choosing the electrician and ensuring they will abide by the HOA rules / policies and are familiar with local building codes.

========================

No idea if something like this would help kick start the HOA into helping choose an electrician, but as long as you are not going at it like " And the HOA needs to pay for it" or anything like that, they may be much more amenable.

Some very good ideas here on HOA engagement. I have tried with them for the past three months. Trying to make an argument for community collective charging installation. Just their typical BS, facilities committee meeting, the house attorney involvement, etc. etc. I know it won’t get anywhere. I sense they are way more open to me paying for my own charger on my own dime, my own electricity delivery and my own parking spaces (we have to assigned / numbered parking spaces). I asked about electricians too: nothing

 

[karkrazy]

Then try Yelp for electricians. We had pretty good luck finding experienced, licensed electricians that were great to work with. Most would probably be turned off by the amount of effort needed, but no harm calling around

 

[jjrandorin]

Some very good ideas here on HOA engagement. I have tried with them for the past three months. Trying to make an argument for community collective charging installation. Just their typical BS, facilities committee meeting, the house attorney involvement, etc. etc. I know it won’t get anywhere. I sense they are way more open to me paying for my own charger on my own dime, my own electricity delivery and my own parking spaces (we have to assigned / numbered parking spaces). I asked about electricians too: nothing

Right, I get that, but I was suggesting Homeowner paid ("on your own dime in your own spaces") as you said. Suggesting HOA paid would be a multi year process of them trying to say "no" in a million ways". "I just want to see if you work with an electrician currently so I get a quote for my parking space installation from someone who knows our community", is a different ask.

 

[thyname]

For sure, very good ideas you have. I will definitely follow through with the HOA. Today. Will use most of your language.

The purpose of this post was to see if someone here was in similar situation and share their experiences, and whether they were successful (or not), and how. And the cost. I am sure if they did, I could learn something that could help me.

 

[SalisburySam]

You might also wish to verify if your complex is three-phase electrical service as is most commercial operations vs one- (actually two-) phase as is most residential units in the US. The difference may determine whether you look for an electrician who works primarily on one or the other. We have apartments and condos nearby us on both types of current so it does vary.