Apartment dweller - is electric car a practical choice?

[chot2022]

I am living in an apartment in Irvine,CA.

When I bought by Tesla model 3 awd, 3 months back I was kind of anxious about charging. But since apartment had a total of 10 6KW chargepoint stations (2 per floor in the parking garage), I was thinking this might work out somehow - but I had my doubts.

- Charging infrastructure: A while back 2 of the chargepoint stations stopped working - and have not been fixed for months. The apartment people responded that they cannot get a hold of chargepoint/ they are not responsive. They are thinking of changing providers. Since then 2 more of the stations stopped working - and I am not feeling like these are going to get fixed any time soon (i.e., months/years). Also I have looked for a 6kW public station - but have not been able to locate one at a convenient location yet.

- Number of EVs: Also, I am seeing a lot more Teslas in this apartment and the count seems to be growing (must be in the 60s for a 5 floor apartment complex).

- Behavior pattern of folks who charge EVs: So, in recent days I am not finding available stations. Some folks put in their cars and do not remove them promptly - i.e., cars occupy the slots for hours (> 5 hrs) after being fully charged.

- Battery care: I have learnt that using the Supercharger too frequently will reduce capacity of the battery - so I don't want to do that also. There are multiple superchargers in this area.

- EV Range: I charge from 15-20% to 80% on most occasions. The range I am seeing for the car is not what I expected. The wh/mi is close to 300 on most city driving situations. I have to charge 2 times a week - I must be driving less than 40 miles per day. Tesla has the miles driven per day in the Safety Score app feature - but looks like that has been removed now. I am thinking of keeping track of the miles per charge to get a better understanding of this - just wished Tesla has some built in statistics. I wish there was more trasparency from Tesla on what kind of range to expect. They keep saying that range depends on multiple factors - but I am thinking there should be a band between best case scenario and worst case scenario - and this should communicated directly by Tesla (not via YouTube channels). The overtly optimistic range values are not useful. I even tried the chill mode - but it was not practical and did not improve the range much.

Given that above issues - I think Tesla owners need to have access to a daily 6kW charger every day - otherwise this ownership is not really practical.

What does the community think?

Also, do apartment folks use public 6kW stations and if so how does that work out? Does any one know of options in Irvine area?

 

[jjrandorin]

Other people own these cars without home charging, but I dont have the patience for it, myself. So, the answer to your thread title for me is "no, even though people do it".

 

[chot2022]

Other people own these cars without home charging, but I dont have the patience for it, myself. So, the answer to your thread title for me is "no, even though people do it".

Yep - I bought the car primarily to reduce my long term vehicle costs. It is kind of ironic, that people who are price sensitive would find it difficult to take advantage of cost saving capabilities of an electric car.

 

[jackmott]

Apartments create a couple of challenges for EV owning. One, no dedicated charger or lack of charger entirely at the apartment can be a huge hassle. Also, you probably are parking your car in the sun, or at best in a covered outdoor spot, where it gets exposed to heat/cold. Heat is bad for the battery, and any extreme temperature hurts range. You start in the winter with a cold car that must be warmed up, or a hot car that must be cooled down. Probably why your range is bad, short trips are inefficient in the summer with all the AC and cooling overhead when you start and stop.

Gotta aim for an apartment with solid charging setup and ideally covered parking so your car isn't quite so hot all the time.

 

[KJD]

I am living in an apartment in Irvine,CA.

When I bought by Tesla model 3 awd, 3 months back I was kind of anxious about charging. But since apartment had a total of 10 6KW chargepoint stations (2 per floor in the parking garage), I was thinking this might work out somehow - but I had my doubts.

- Charging infrastructure: A while back 2 of the chargepoint stations stopped working - and have not been fixed for months. The apartment people responded that they cannot get a hold of chargepoint/ they are not responsive. They are thinking of changing providers.

Tesla has a new program that if you install 6 or more Wall Connectors they will handle the billing for the property owners. See this link for details.

Commercial Charging | Tesla

 

[chot2022]

Tesla had a new program that if you install 6 or more Wall Connectors they will handle the billing for the property owners. See this link for details.

Commercial Charging | Tesla

Yes I have heard about this. I think I will pass this on to the Apertment folks. Thanks for the link! Do you know the rate /kwh tesla charges? What about non tesla connectors - I think the apartment has to take care of those folks also. I use a J1772 adapter for the charpoint stations.

 

[KJD]

Yes I have heard about this. I think I will pass this on to the Apertment folks. Thanks for the link! Ours is a multi story parking garage - not sure that has any implications. Do you know the rate /kwh tesla charges? What about non tesla's - I think the apartment has to take care of those folks also.

According to the description on the page in the link it sounds like a good deal. Might be worth sending Tesla an email and asking for more detail.

Property managers will soon be able to set the price of charging sessions while Tesla handles payments automatically and securely – with no monthly fees.

 

[FLRifleman]

In order for an EV to make sense, you need to be able to charge at home in your own spot/garage each night. You also need to put on a lot of miles to off-set the battery replacement cost, as the calendar lifespan is ~10 years. If you are interested in the environmental impact side, you'll also need to drive a lot of miles annually to off-set the battery production impact. Otherwise a normal hybrid or gas car is actually the best choice.
If both factors are not there (high annual mileage and charging at home on your meter), then an EV isn't the right choice for you. I put on 25-30k miles annually, and I charge overnight at home, so it works out well for me. However I recognize for many it doesn't.

 

[yesimon]

Without home charging it's only really convenient for those with work charging, people who work from home or commute <10 miles, or easy access to superchargers. LFP battery chemistry (Model 3 RWD and likely future Model Y RWD) also are not negatively affected by supercharging.

The landscape for EVs is still rapidly changing. More and more EVs are on the road but the charging infrastructure is also being built out rapidly. Nobody can predict what the dynamics of the landscape will look like in 5 or 10 years, but it's clear that EVs are going to be the future. If you're the kind of person who holds on to cars for the long haul this is something to remember.

If you are interested in the environmental impact side, you'll also need to drive a lot of miles annually to off-set the battery production impact. Otherwise a normal hybrid or gas car is actually the best choice.

The environmental impact side is actually leans heavily towards EVs - the crossover point is at only ~15k miles driven. A hybrid has double the mpg so make that 30k miles for a hybrid. In the long run EV batteries will likely be recycled for another future reduction in CO2 footprint.

 

[ThomasD]

Just need to come up with more environmentally friendly ways to Mine for the Lithium, Cobalt and other precious metals needed for the Batteries.

 

[chot2022]

Just need to come up with more environmentally friendly ways to Mine for the Lithium, Cobalt and other precious metals needed for the Batteries.

Imo if the mining companies consider protecting the environment as an important consideration, this should be possible. From benefits standpoint every creature and human rich or poor can only benefit from a better environment.

 

[blackT3$!@]

I think Tesla owners need to have access to a daily 6kW charger every day - otherwise this ownership is not really practical.

What does the community think?

I would not recommend a Tesla vehicle purchase unless you have access to covered parking and a dedicated wall outlet, preferably level 2 charging. Maybe available workplace charging, but only if you don't plan on changing jobs. Supercharging multiple times a week is a possibility, but the cost has more than doubled in most areas. The true joy of ownership is never having to stop for gas and having a refueled ev ready every morning to make the 105mi round trip to/from work.

 

[davewill]

Have you tried submitting a complaint directly to Chargepoint yourself? It may do no good, but I don't always trust property management to take care of these things if they are not directly impacted. It may also be worthwhile to find out if there's some sort of tenant rights organization that can help. If you rented there with the expectation that you would have on-site charging, it may be possible to hold them responsible to keep it in good repair. It should be like any other amenity like a laundry room or pool, they advertised it, so they need to maintain it and keep it available.

 

[RayK]

I would not recommend a Tesla vehicle purchase unless you have access to covered parking and a dedicated wall outlet, preferably level 2 charging. Maybe available workplace charging, but only if you don't plan on changing jobs. Supercharging multiple times a week is a possibility, but the cost has more than doubled in most areas. The true joy of ownership is never having to stop for gas and having a refueled ev ready every morning to make the 105mi round trip to/from work.

4 years ago when I got my car, I would have agreed with this in my case. I had a 30 mile round trip to work and no charging setup at home (single-family house). There were several dozen L2 charging stations at work, which I plugged into every three to four days apart and a couple of DCFC that at first I couldn't use (CHAdeMO support wasn't active at the time). That was true up until just over three years ago when CHAdeMO support was activated for Model 3, I got a CHAdeMO adapter and then involuntarily retired shortly after. I ended up not driving as much due to no job and the two years of COVID. I now rely upon a nearby ChargePoint CHAdeMO station.

The cost there is $0.19kWh all day, much cheaper than the peak hours charge of $0.59 at the local Supercharger and still cheaper than what I can get at home (high 20s to low 50s, depending upon peak vs. non-peak and tier level). Of course I had to spend almost $500 for the CHAdeMO adapter but I've since put it to good use. I had mostly intended to use it during traveling but turns out it's my day-to-day method of charging.

I'm assuming (hoping?) that charging the battery at a maximum of 45kW isn't as bad as 72kW (Urban Supercharger near my home) or for sure at 250kW. Yes, I spend about an hour or so sitting in my car but that's why there's Media access built into the car, yes? Full range estimate currently is 297 to 300 miles on a four year old LR RWD with 25.4K miles on it, the last three almost 100% charged using DC. Certainly, I'm an outlier. If I didn't have the CHAdeMO, or if it ever br... nope, not going to say it and jinx myself... I would finally get around to installing the boxed Wall Connector sitting in my garage and do my charging during off-peak hours.

@chot2022 Go to plugshare.com and plug in your address (or just Irvine, CA). Select plug filters ("n" Plugs button under the Search box) where you can specify your car and the types of charging plugs to display. See if any of those places will work for you.

 

[Zcd1]

Have you tried submitting a complaint directly to Chargepoint yourself? It may do no good, but I don't always trust property management to take care of these things if they are not directly impacted. It may also be worthwhile to find out if there's some sort of tenant rights organization that can help. If you rented there with the expectation that you would have on-site charging, it may be possible to hold them responsible to keep it in good repair. It should be like any other amenity like a laundry room or pool, they advertised it, so they need to maintain it and keep it available.

FWIW, my daughter's apartment complex also has ChargePoint chargers. She set up an account so she could use them to charge her Model 3 but had so much trouble with activation and billing that she gave up. Neither the complex management nor ChargePoint itself were much help, from what she told me.

 

[chot2022]

Have you tried submitting a complaint directly to Chargepoint yourself? It may do no good, but I don't always trust property management to take care of these things if they are not directly impacted. It may also be worthwhile to find out if there's some sort of tenant rights organization that can help. If you rented there with the expectation that you would have on-site charging, it may be possible to hold them responsible to keep it in good repair. It should be like any other amenity like a laundry room or pool, they advertised it, so they need to maintain it and keep it available.

Not yet but I will contact them directly. I was finding it difficult to find a way to contact chargepoint. Could not see it on their website - but found a number recently.

 

[chot2022]

4 years ago when I got my car, I would have agreed with this in my case. I had a 30 mile round trip to work and no charging setup at home (single-family house). There were several dozen L2 charging stations at work, which I plugged into every three to four days apart and a couple of DCFC that at first I couldn't use (CHAdeMO support wasn't active at the time). That was true up until just over three years ago when CHAdeMO support was activated for Model 3, I got a CHAdeMO adapter and then involuntarily retired shortly after. I ended up not driving as much due to no job and the two years of COVID. I now rely upon a nearby ChargePoint CHAdeMO station.

The cost there is $0.19kWh all day, much cheaper than the peak hours charge of $0.59 at the local Supercharger and still cheaper than what I can get at home (high 20s to low 50s, depending upon peak vs. non-peak and tier level). Of course I had to spend almost $500 for the CHAdeMO adapter but I've since put it to good use. I had mostly intended to use it during traveling but turns out it's my day-to-day method of charging.

I'm assuming (hoping?) that charging the battery at a maximum of 45kW isn't as bad as 72kW (Urban Supercharger near my home) or for sure at 250kW. Yes, I spend about an hour or so sitting in my car but that's why there's Media access built into the car, yes? Full range estimate currently is 297 to 300 miles on a four year old LR RWD with 25.4K miles on it, the last three almost 100% charged using DC. Certainly, I'm an outlier. If I didn't have the CHAdeMO, or if it ever br... nope, not going to say it and jinx myself... I would finally get around to installing the boxed Wall Connector sitting in my garage and do my charging during off-peak hours.

@chot2022 Go to plugshare.com and plug in your address (or just Irvine, CA). Select plug filters ("n" Plugs button under the Search box) where you can specify your car and the types of charging plugs to display. See if any of those places will work for you.

Very interesting and the CHAdeMO adapter. Wondering how much the 45kW charge affected the battery capacity.

I have been checking out PlugShare - I am a bit unsure which ones are for public use vs private use. Wish they would clearly tag those.

 

[blackT3$!@]

I am a bit unsure which ones are for public use vs private use

Its public until the owner tells you it isn't. Many hotels have "public" level 2 chargers, but only allow registered guests to use them. Some have physical controls that an employee has to remove to allow you to use the charger, some are enabled/disabled from inside the establishment.

 

[RayK]

You can assume that most EVSE located at hotel / motel are for customers only. You can also assume that ones associated with stores or shopping malls are probably free. Each listing will have detailed info about costs, availability and past history from people using the stations (just click on each icon).

 

[804son]

Given the current infrastructure for EV Charging. I would not own an EV unless I had a dedicated place to charge it.
If I was living in an apartment or condo complex and could not reliably get to a level 2 charger, then I would definitely just use a supercharger as needed. Not much other choice really.