Charging at a building Complex

[melindav]

UnitaryExecutive,
What chargers are in your building? How did they go about it? What was the cost?

My condo in Seattle is looking at doing the same, with each owner who wants one paying $1,000 initial cost to deliver the power to the building (minimum 10 owners and condo will match with another $10k), then about $2,500 per person to deliver the power to each parking spot and pay for the charging unit. After that, one only plays the city rate for electricity (about 10 cents/kWh). At least that's what I've been told... what questions should I be asking?

Thanks for your input everyone!

also remember, charging equipment/installation is currently exempt from WA sales tax

 

[gregd]

what questions should I be asking?

In addition to the suggestions already mentioned, I'd also ask how the charging cable will be secured. If you're paying for and counting on the charging, you want to know that someone in the stall next to yours won't "borrow" it, or run an extension cord to their slot, or vandalize the unit in some way. In addition to being more convenient, I believe the Tesla connector also locks to the car, unlike a J1772.

 

[ccutrer]

I believe the Tesla connector also locks to the car, unlike a J1772.

Where did you hear this? I've read the full manual for a wall connector, and don't recall anything like this.

And now I just realized you mean physically lock, as in you can't remove the connector from your Tesla when it is plugged in, not that it prevents another vehicle from being able to charge with your connector.

 

[gregd]

Where did you hear this? I've read the full manual for a wall connector, and don't recall anything like this.

And now I just realized you mean physically lock, as in you can't remove the connector from your Tesla when it is plugged in, not that it prevents another vehicle from being able to charge with your connector.

Right. What I would be concerned about if I were at an apartment complex, is two fold: One that someone would use my charger without my permission, and on my money (therefore suggesting that the cable have a physical lock on it), and two supporting the earlier suggestion to put a native Tesla connector on the end because it will lock to the car (preventing someone from disconnecting it during the night, leaving me without a full night's charge).

I believe I am correct in the later, that the native Tesla connector locks to the Models S and X, requiring access to the car to unlock it, right? I own a Roadster, which does not have this feature, and it's always a concern while charging the car in public.

It would be a cool feature to ID-lock a semi-public charging station (apartment complex parking lot, but for a single tenant). Have not heard of any of those yet. Probably not possible with the J1772 standard, but perhaps some of the others? I know that the SuperCharger handshake includes the VIN, though I have no idea how hard it would be to spoof.

 

[ccutrer]

Right. What I would be concerned about if I were at an apartment complex, is two fold: One that someone would use my charger without my permission, and on my money (therefore suggesting that the cable have a physical lock on it), and two supporting the earlier suggestion to put a native Tesla connector on the end because it will lock to the car (preventing someone from disconnecting it during the night, leaving me without a full night's charge).

I believe I am correct in the later, that the native Tesla connector locks to the Models S and X, requiring access to the car to unlock it, right? I own a Roadster, which does not have this feature, and it's always a concern while charging the car in public.

It would be a cool feature to ID-lock a semi-public charging station (apartment complex parking lot, but for a single tenant). Have not heard of any of those yet. Probably not possible with the J1772 standard, but perhaps some of the others? I know that the SuperCharger handshake includes the VIN, though I have no idea how hard it would be to spoof.

Correct. The car must be unlocked to remove the charging connector. Technically this applies to the J1772 adapter as well, but in practice the actual J1772 can be removed from the adapter, leaving just the adapter locked to the car (which I hear can be a pain to get out by itself, even when unlocked).

 

[SageBrush]

I'm still guessing

LOL

Pull out a globe and cross a border.

 

[UnitaryExecutive]

Correct. The car must be unlocked to remove the charging connector. Technically this applies to the J1772 adapter as well, but in practice the actual J1772 can be removed from the adapter, leaving just the adapter locked to the car (which I hear can be a pain to get out by itself, even when unlocked).

This happened to me a ton when I first got the car and one day googled and figured out I had to unlock it. It's been a breeze to remove as long as I make sure it's unlocked first.

 

[UnitaryExecutive]

UnitaryExecutive,
What chargers are in your building? How did they go about it? What was the cost?

My condo in Seattle is looking at doing the same, with each owner who wants one paying $1,000 initial cost to deliver the power to the building (minimum 10 owners and condo will match with another $10k), then about $2,500 per person to deliver the power to each parking spot and pay for the charging unit. After that, one only plays the city rate for electricity (about 10 cents/kWh). At least that's what I've been told... what questions should I be asking?

Thanks for your input everyone!

There are Bosch 30A chargers and also the official Tesla NEMA 14-50's. Our building subsidizes 10 per year - I think it didn't cost them anything, but I can check. We're renting a space from someone who took advantage of the subsidy last year and installed a Bosch charger.

If you're interested, I can find out more specifics.

 

[jbcarioca]

I bought my Tesla before I had charging available, and my condo management did not want to approve any either. I charged at outside options (no Superchargers within 100 miles when I bought mine). I also travel for a couple months at a time. I charged to 90% and let the vampire play while I was away, in two months I still had 30% or so. About five months after I bought my car I finally got charging in my condo.

I do not regret one day of my Tesla experience. Yes, it is a hassle before you have your own charging. (BTW, even level one, as simple 120v outlet, is better than nothing).

If your friend is filled with high anxiety my solution is not recommended. If said friend is a calm thoughtful person, no problem!

 

[GTIceman]

I am in a similar situation. I almost leased a P90DL a week ago but someone got to it before me. I am a M3 reservation holder but might buy a CPO prior to that date. My girlfriend and I have been touring communities and mentioning the charging to them, we are in Tampa, FL by the way, and many have said they will ask the management company about options. The front runner complex right now is brand new and is being built with 12 charging bays, generic of course, but that will solve our problem as I work from home and we can charge it once every two weeks if we want.

While I keep asking about this when touring, even my girlfriend asked about once before me, our city has enough options for public charging and a supercharger 15 min away. I keep peeking in the garages for even 120v that I can run a cord to ha.

 

[ModelNforNerd]

Electek posted this on Monday.

worth keeping an eye on.

Tesla is testing a new charging solution for people living in apartments

 

[GTIceman]

Electek posted this on Monday.

worth keeping an eye on.

Tesla is testing a new charging solution for people living in apartments

I saw that, testing in the UK right now. I think it might catch on if it was universal. That is why this complex is being built the way it is, because the stalls are universal. Some restaurants in town actually have Tesla designated spots.

 

[Booga]

I've posted in some other threads on this topic, but generally speaking, it's an absolute challenge right now for people in an apartment situation. Some of the most modern and newest places are offering charging locations, but not all, and it's typically reserved for the more expensive parts of town from what I've seen. The biggest issue is that you need to convince the owners that it'll make money either by improving occupancy and/or as a standalone service unrelated to their rental business. (This also requires billing capabilities to be clear) You also have to get the over the hurdle of this being just one more thing to manage and deal with. You can't install it yourself, because you will undoubtedly move if you are renting, and that means a lot of lost infrastructure investment that you made if you had to pay for it yourself.

I live in a condo that I own and sit on the board for. The board and property manager are supportive of what I want to do, but they want it to be done in a safe manner. The installation is going to end up being fairly expensive no matter how I look at it.

I'm considering a few options:
1) There is an EVGo charger 2-3 miles away. I would charge twice a week, likely once on the weekend and once during the week. I think 30-45 minutes is all I would usually need so I'll just bring my laptop, a book, or even go for a jog while it charges.
2) The city might install some chargers even closer and this would be the most ideal.
3) I could get my own installed. It'll come to $1-4k depending on what option/route we go with.

I will likely not go with option 3, because I don't intend on staying in the same place forever and don't yet believe home appraisals will give enough credit to this when I sell the place. This means I'll stick to options 1 and 2.

For the OP - my recommendation is make your apartment complex aware of what you'd like in writing (verbal is easy to lose track of no matter how much they support it) and be aware of the options that PlugShare.com lists as well. I think we'll see more options over time thanks to more electric car introductions (at work, near gyms, etc.) and that should help.