How to Survive without a Home Charger (Apartment Living with an EV)

Charging at home is perhaps the most convenient part of owning an electric vehicle, but unfortunately, I can’t do that.

You see I’m currently renting an apartment, as I’ve done since graduating school, and there are no charging options available here. I did recently change complexes and did have the option to rent a garage, but unfortunately there aren’t even outlets in those garages to trickle charge my car.

If you’re watching this you may be in a similar living situation to myself, so I wanted to share my experience owning an EV without home charging, along with some options for you if you don't have the ability to charge at home.

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[SpawnPoiint]

This is really insightful mate. I've never thought about the complications or compromises of no home charger, but you've made it look pretty straight forward. Like anything Tesla/EV related, just takes planning.

[heliumhunterr]

I live in a mobile home neighborhood currently and could potentially plug a charger up on the outdoor outlet of my house in the future. I also have a supercharger about 1 mile from my house, I am forced to pass it every day no matter where I’m headed in town so I think I’m going to go for it! Thank you very much for this video, it made me a little more confident with my decision!

[MsTreker]

I live in a condo with assigned parking spots and I just ordered a Model Y. Fortunately, the city of Norfolk, VA has been proactive in installing EV chargers in almost every downtown parking garage near me. I am also trying to get charging stations installed for everyone’s use. Great video!

[GSBJackson]

Hey Alex. Great video. It is also worth mentioning that Super Charging is $0.28 per kW, where home charging is $0.117 kW (in Columbus w/ AEP). Public chargers vary in cost, some free, some not.

[lucycooley]

We just downsized from a house where we had 240 outlet. The condo was built in the 60s, and has a few very wimpy 110s in the garage. My bolt can charge off of it, but the Tesla refuses. The condo association said I could charge, but there are some residents who resent it. There are now two other electric cars in the complex, and we are formed a task to try to figure out what to do. The first thing we did was send out a survey and we learned that there are 15 other people who are thinking their next car will be EV! That really helped the condo board see the writing on the wall. At the moment we are thinking of either installing two pay as you go fast chargers, or giving everyone the option of their own meter with a nema 14-50 in their own designated parking space. I also researched a Beam solar car port for the outdoor parking lot, but we’re in a cloudy northern city, so that’s not a very viable solution.

[suavewolf]

A little late but this video was extremely helpful. Seeing all the new trucks coming out like the Ford f150 lightning and the GMC hummer has given me an itch for my next car to be an EV. I currently live in an apartment complex with my fiance that has no charging station or any stations near me or at my work. Idk if I'll still be living here in a couple of years or when I need a new car but this has really put things in perspective for me. Thanks a lot!

[kelvinleigh]

Idea: Charging device that you can plug in during the day in your home. At nights wheel it to the car in the parking lot, plug it in and charge the car. You will also need a way to lock it to the car so that someone does not walk away with it.

[jamese.gulyard]

I am a condo dweller it took some begging and pleading to get my outlet installed since I’m almost 200 ft from my parking spot. But after a year of working with them and $1400 later I finally have a place to charge. The funny thing is that the condo association has now put in chargers after I paid for mine

[isaackramer]

I just bought a m3 a couple months ago and have put on over 5k miles with no way to plug in at my apartment. Luckily there is a supercharger just 1 mile (4 min drive) away and a destination charger 2 miles (6 min drive) from me. Sometimes to get a free charge I drive to the nature preserve where the destination charger is located and ride my electric one wheel (they fit perfectly in the frunk) the two miles back home. I can leave it there for the night and have a full charge for free. Or I go to the grocery store and supercharger as I shop (maybe twice a week). I also bartend on Saturday nights and so every weekend I plug in downtown at the college for a slow charge as I work till 3 am. All in all pretty convenient even without home charging or charging at work. Still. I don’t think anyone who is the lazy type would revel in the ownership experience of a Tesla if they couldn’t charge in their garage.

[NGMonocrom]

How to survive without a home charger, it's very simple.... Don't buy an EV!
My best friend of 30 years is an an absolute EV fanatic. I told him I would not be buying one in the near future as I'm just about ready to replace my nearly 20 year-old ICE vehicle that has been very reliable over the years. When he asked why? I reminded him I live in a CO-OP apartment that has literally no room for a home-charger. Even he agreed that an EV at this point, with the completely insufficient number of outdoor charging stations in NYC where I live, would make EV ownership for me a terrible idea. By the way 8.5 Billion people. We have 7, 500 outdoor charging stations that NYC shares with two other cities located nearby in New Jersy. That is laughably insufficient.

[nukem]

Great tips for those who don't have the convenience of home charging. Definitely can still make it work if there are enough available chargers in the area though!

[gerardboulin]

Great video Alex! Im new to the EV world. I live in an apartment as well and before I bought my first EV which is a 2021 MY i did my research about my charging options and fortunately there is a Tesla supercharging station at 10 minutes distance from where I live. Another unexpected bonus for me was that I can charge at work as well with a level 2 charger which is wonderful. My only problem is with the energy loss that i get from sentry mode and during winter season. Thanks to your past videos iad the confidence to buy and EV while renting an apartment ! 😃

[Jackleonardbirt]

Also recommend asking your landlord or the person who owns the apartment complex. That’s what I did and I paid for the installation & also have a permanent parking spot ;)

[nancyellehearts]

I just ordered a Tesla a few days ago and not having a home charger was definitely one of the biggest concerns (I live in a condo on the second floor and there are no future plans for EV charger installation with my HOA). There is a supercharger about 10 min from where I live, so I plan on going there probably once a week to charge. Agree with the video -- doable, but not convenient. But my thing for buying an EV is to be environmentally friendly and not pay ridiculous $ for the ever increasing gas price. Hopefully there will be more options for charging in the future. Thank you for the video!

[bhnurse]

I've been thinking of buying an EV when I need a new car, but I thought it best not to until I buy a house and can install a charger. I live near a lot of charging stations thankfully so this was peace of mind. Thanks for sharing! :)

[gumerzambrano]

If I had a Model 3 I'd be able to charge at my apartment via extension cord 🤣 better than no charging

[Paul-GrnHil]

ChargePoint has a program for apartments and a sample letter for tenants to request your apartment owners to install shared chargers. All apartments should and hopefully eventually will have EV chargers.

[johnpoldo]

Charging at apartments is improving very rapidly. In Boston, many of the higher quality apartments have EV charging. About 2 years ago, my apartment building installed 8 ChargePoint chargers and now are adding 10 more. Cost to use the charger is only $20/mo. Don’t expect your apartment to provide electricity for free. They don’t provide free gas to ice vehicle owners.

[redjonnyboy]

Supercharging for daily driving gets really expensive!! It’s starting to irritate me since I don’t have a home charger

[lymanhall]

Most times there is no need to install a $1, 000 charger… a simple NEMA 14-50R receptacle (RV) outlet is all you need for level II charging.