I've been looking at electric vehicles lately, but my apartment complex says we can't install private charging stations. I'd like to ask those who already own electric vehicles but don't have private charging stations: how do you usually solve your charging problems? Do you rely on public charging stations, or are there some methods I'm unaware of?
Looking for advice and experiences! 🙏
I wouldn't buy an EV if I couldn't charge at either home or work. A very real element of the EV experience for me is the convenience of just plugging in when you get to your destination and not having to hunt for a gas station etc.
I didn't expect this to be such a controversial take! TIL.
I havent had a home charger for a month now as I transition to a new home. I use a mix of public free chargers (usually L2) at businesses and L3 when i need the boost.
New EV owner this is what I do as well
My city has free L2 stations. The closest one of about 1.5 miles away from where I live. Not the most convenient but given we save about $4000 on gas and maintenance per year, my wife and I make it work.
i charge when I go to work or volunteer with the city too. I don't wait to 20%, just plug in when I know I'm there for 2+ hours on a level 2. Its worked out for 8 month now. I average 60-100 miles a week though.
I have public charging only for the time being. There are 4, level 2 chargers within 1/4 a mile from my house and 2, level 3 chargers a mile from my house. I spent about $60 total last month so for me it’s absolutely a workable solution.
Same—even using public charging, I’m spending much less than I did on gas per month.
If you drive less than 20 miles a day on average, level 1 charging off a standard outlet will work for most EVs. Top off every so often at public chargers for $5-10.
You can DC fast charge, but it is typically several times more expensive than your electricity at home. Do you have a normal 120v outlet nearby? If you can reach one from where you park, you may be able to gain ~40 miles of range over night, and perhaps top up on the weekend if you don’t drive as much. For “average US drivers” who drive around 40 miles a day, this Level 1 charging is plenty when not doing a bigger road trip. But if you have a 60 mile round trip commute, you may be able to squeeze by with a combo of Level 1 charging and a weekly fast charge to make up for a net -20 miles a day. Anything more than weekly fast charging, and it might make more sense to get a hybrid or PHEV, where gas can keep you operational. PHEV is nice because you can do moderate commute on battery alone.
40 miles? I get at least 80 miles overnight from my 110/15amp house outlet.
It would be a nightmare to own a PHEV without home charging. They should be charged every day to maximise the cost of having a dual fuel system. If you don’t charge it every day, you’re just lugging around a heavy battery that will just lead to poor petrol consumption. That’s not how they were designed to be run. The small battery is supposed to handle the average daily mileage (eg 40 miles for US drivers), so they need charging every day.
Anything more than weekly fast charging, and it might make more sense to get a hybrid or PHEV, where gas can keep you operational. PHEV is nice because you can do moderate commute on battery alone.
I would argue that if you don't have home charging you should definitely get a regular hybrid and not a PHEV.
PHEVs need to be charged even more regularly than BEVs since their battery is smaller. And if you can indeed charge them regularly, why not just get a BEV?
If you don't charge your PHEV then that electric battery is going to be dead weight - more energy efficient to just get a regular hybrid.
I do not have a charger at home yet (landlord hasn’t installed one), but charging while getting groceries or when I’m at work (public L2 charger nearby) hasn’t really been an issue. I could save quite a bit of money with a charger at home though. With the current fuel prices in Europe rn it’s still way cheaper than a traditional car.
Move to complex that does have EV charger.
Depends on where you live. I have public AC chargers on my street, something that is increasingly more common in Europe and the UK. Five minute walk once a week is barely an inconvenience. Otherwise I would likely charge while at the supermarket. All the big ones have rapid chargers (and some are reasonably priced or can be with a subscription).
Can you charge at work? Ill admit to only charging at home 2 days a week(165km commute) when im at shop 2, who only lets me use a Level 1 charger. Shop 1 lets me level 2 charge when im on shift
I've got a 55km commute, and my work has enough chargers that I'm usually not without access to one for more than a day. It helps that I'm swing shift so I can charge once day shift goes home
Fortunately I can charge at work. Either 50kw+ public chargers, which is few and far between around me, or Tesla on the big charges. The nice part about the annoying amount of apps you need is it tells you where and whats available so theres probably more chargers around you than you realize. Google maps also lists chargers if youre on the research part right now. Look up electric charhes like you would gas stations.
I use curbside L2 charging, and will occasionally steal a charge from friends and family that have an EVSE when I'm visiting.
I bought a new EV with much faster charging than older models, that helps a lot ( on 200Kw+ charging stations)
Personal charging station is a weird way to say electric outlet.
I live in San Diego and home charging wouldn't be appreciably cheaper. So I just charge whenever at off peak times.. My job also has some lvl2 chargers so that helps.
SDGE has a EV rate plan that is considerably cheaper rates on off-peak. You have to request to be on this plan though. It’s not automatic.
I don’t have a home charger, and I drive a lot. Whenever I’m somewhere with a Type 2 charger, whether it’s a shopping mall, the gym, the library, or another town, I plug in while I’m there. That way my battery usually stays between 50% and 80%, and I rarely have to spend any extra time charging. It’s easy, convenient, and just becomes part of my routine.
I normally leave my car in a public car park overnight on AC charging a couple of times a week. There are also lots of 5kW kerbside bollards near my place but they're usually blocked by non-EVs as residential parking is limited.
I do free public charging as often as I can, and I have a tesla membership for when I need to charge, the other companies are expanding but Tesla has the best overall charging network right now. Use apps like PlugShare to find chargers. I recently found a free L3 60kw charger about 10 miles from me, I need a full charge every 2-3 days and this has saved me so much $$$ it is worth the slightly longer charge time and the extra drive.
Really depends on how many miles you drive per day/week and the availability of chargers in your area. Pull up plugshare dot com and take a look at the chargers around you. There may be more than you expect.
I’m lucky, there’s a garage about a 5 minute walk from my place that has 4 L2 chargepoint chargers. Otherwise, we would do fast chargers. This is the big problem with EV adoption- lack of charging for apartment dwellers. It’s a bummer.
If you don't have access at work, then don't buy an EV.
Nonsense. As basically every other comment on this post has shown it is economical to have an EV even if you don’t have home charging.
What is their exact wording? If it is "install" then you might be able to plug in a simple L1 mobile charging into a standard outlet. These just plug in and don't require any electrical wiring or permit.
IF your unit has more or less direct access to your parking spot and is not too far away, you could try L1 (120V) charging overnight to regain about 50 miles of range on a 12-hour L1 session. This can be a problem if the cord must cross a sidewalk area creating a tripping hazard. If you can run an extension, find a heavier gauge extension cord such as 12-2 w/ground then plug in your charging cable. Then, roll it all back up in the morning. We have been using L1 in the garage for the last 2 years. We do have L3 DC chargers within 4 miles of our house if ever needed.
Beyond identifying how your local infrastructure will work for you, figuring out how to fit it into your schedule is the key. I live in a rural area so only had one L3 charger available and several L2 chargers around spots I would be parked for a few hours (seeing movies, eating dinner). So the strategy became “what do I do while charging?” The L3 charger I used is near a walking path, so I used the 30 minutes of charging as an opportunity to enjoy a walk. Sometimes I just sat in the car and scrolled Reddit like I’d do if I was sitting at home. Most often I would look for an L2 near where I’d be spending time, and sometimes where we went for dinner centred around which restaurant was near a charger.
There's a reasonably priced 11kW AC charger with no parking fee in an industrial area 10 minute walk away from my place. I usually leave my car there overnight once a week. For emergencies, there's a DC charger at Lidl next door.
Trickle charge from a regular wall outlet gets me enough for regular errands around town, then fast charger when I need to road trip.
Free city charger 2 blocks away. Level 2, 6kw an hour.
My apartment complex has four level 2 chargers that are only a few cents more per kWh than I’d pay if I had a house. The downside is we’re limited to four hours on them, and they’re shared—so if another car plugs in to the charger I’m on, the charge speed gets cut in half. That said, using them twice a week has kept me going pretty well. I also have a fast charger across the street, so I use that if I have to.
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My city owns a lot of public L2 chargers. I usually charge when I go to the grocery store, the doctors office, or when I go to the library. I either charge at my destination or stop at a charger along the way. It is very workable for me, and charging at city owned L2 chargers during off-peak hours is dirt cheap. I spend less than $15 a month on electric for my EV.
Best question: how many miles do you drive (week, month or year)? If it’s average to high (eg: 1000/month) then I really Wouldn’t recommend you get an EV. One of the biggest life changes and conveniences is being to charge at home - wake every morning to a “full tank”.
Don’t do it. Get a hybrid. My wife and I are very fortunate to have subsidized charging stations in our area from the utility company. If we had to L3 at the local Rivian charger it would cost as much as a gasser. We pay $0.17/kWh at a level 2 a short drive away. $0.32/kWh at a 45 kW L3 a bit further away. 45kW almost maxes out our ‘20 Chevy Bolt EV, but it can easily take an hour to charge 20-80%, worse in the cold. Mostly we plug in to the L2 when she’s otw home from work and I drive her back in the morning.
I rely solely on public charging. I live in an apartment and can't have a charger either. It works for me. I just charge when I'm out and about doing errands. It becomes part of the day. I live in California so it's still cheaper then gas even at public chargers. Get the EV. Just do it. It's worth it.
My work has reasonably priced private chargers.
I live in an apartment in a major metro area (Denver). I have the privilege of a business next to me offering very cheap off-peak L2 charging. If this wasn’t an option, the city offers numerous free L2 charging. It’s slower but it gives me a great reason to go to the places they’re at (gyms, libraries). If THAT wasn’t an option, various places allow for L1 charging, like my workplace in the garage. And, finally, if that wasn’t an option… L2 charging at certain business centers or strip malls are great. Just watch a movie or bring some work to do and hang out somewhere. I only L3(fast) as a last resort or if I’m putting in heavy mileage that day and NEED to put in more.
Public L2 charger down the block. Slightly more expensive than my home electricity, but onlyby a few c. Occasionally DC charging if required, maybe once a month.
Hi! I am a relatively new EV owner, and I do not have at home charging. I also live in a place that does not have the capacity to install or change our current infrastructure (nor do they want to). First off, I would start mapping out available electric chargers in your area. You can do this by downloading apps to your phone (like ABRP, charge hub etc.). This is how I plan for my charging days. Second, I would get a portable L1 charger as a back up, just in case you are somewhere long enough to do slow charging (mine sits in my frunk) and have an available outlet. I have been driving my car for a few months now, and I have managed just fine without at home charging. I still pay much less to charge my car than I would if I was lining up for gas. Sure, there is a perceived (I say that because this might be a reason, not my reason, but a reason for someone to not want an EV), time inconvenience if you have to sit at a charger. I usually do fast charging, so the most I am ever sitting at a charger is maybe 30-45 minutes. I just watch a downloaded show, read a book, take a nap, walk my dog etc. I work this into my schedule. If you can, try to charge in places where you can run errands, work etc. This currently isn't possible in my part of my city so I just sit in my car for a bit. A lot of people are going to tell you "but at home charging is cheaper!" Like A LOT. We all know. No need to repeat it. But in comparison, I am still paying less to charge than I am gas. And I can't miss what I don't have. Before anyone comes and starts the bean soup thing with me, if you want to and can make it work by all means. If you don't want to or can't, then I quote, "don't do it boo boo, don't do it." Anyway, I am enjoying my EV and I am not bothered by having to charge once every one to two weeks. If you do get an EV, enjoy it because YOU wanted it. Just takes a little bit more planning, good luck!
I’m in a somewhat unique situation where I can charge at work for free. And my gf lives downtown where I can charge for free in parking garages overnight (usually only $2-5 since the demand for garages is daytime they don’t charge 6p-6a) DC fast charging is expensive, but at least the rates where I am it is about dead even with filling up a suv of gas. And I’m never going back to gas - so it’s still technically financially ahead on maintenance) The biggest issue is time. DCFC can get annoying when you have to stop during the week to. But Walmarts are installing more chargers so you could always combine it with shopping
I drive an average of 20 miles a week since I live close to my work place. I'm lucky enough to access an L2 charger setup for 6 kwh at my work's parking garage. It's not an ideal solution, but it's better than nothing. I spent the first few months doing the math and experimenting with optimal charging patterns. The charger supplies power at 6 kwh. It costs $0.50 to activate the charger and $1 per hour for the first 2 hours of charging ($2.5 total), then it's $3 for hour 3 ($5.5 total), and $5 for hour 4 onward ($10.5+ total). But I min-maxed my charging rate by conducting an experiment. I unplugged my car right near the end of the second hour and plugged it back in. Turns out, it resets the charger pricing. Which means over a 4 hour time span, instead of paying ~$10.5 for 4 hours, I pay $5 if I reset the charger. Over an 8 hour workday, instead of paying ~$30.5 for 8 hours of charging, I pay $10 by going out every 2 hours and resetting the charger. Been doing this for over a year now.
If you can. Find a friend at work that will let you charge at their place. I would happily let a friend or neighbor charge at my house if it was once or twice a week. Cost is like 2 bucks to charge my car to 100% where I’m at.
Free charging at the office, at the library, and at some destination slow chargers is one solution.