Charing experience in Dallas while living in an apartment?

[harry0723]

Good morning.
I have been debating whether to get a Tesla since I'm currently living in an apartment in Dallas and not planning to own a house till a few years down the road. My apartment has one charging stall so far I haven't really seen anybody using it.
What's the overall charging experience for all the owners that lives in apartments like?
Especially in Dallas, TX area.
Since the COVID outbreak, i'm working at home. But when everything opens back up, my expected commute time is around 30-45 minutes one way daily, about 15-20 miles one way. There are some charging stalls in work place, but not very many. So I'll probably have to end up going to charge at Super Charging Station weekly.
It's a big purchase for me and I really want to think it through before pulling the trigger.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Runt8]

Do you have any normal 15/20 amp outlets where you park? A lot of people don't realize you can charge from pretty much any electrical source; it doesn't have to be a special charging stall. I charged on a 15 amp outlet at an apartment for almost 2 years, it gave me enough juice to almost make up for my daily commute plus other trips around town. Having the ability to top off at home or work is essential for happy EV ownership (in my opinion). Going to a supercharger every once in a while is doable but relying on it as a primary means of charging would get old pretty fast.

 

[gavine]

Do you have any normal 15/20 amp outlets where you park? A lot of people don't realize you can charge from pretty much any electrical source; it doesn't have to be a special charging stall. I charged on a 15 amp outlet at an apartment for almost 2 years, it gave me enough juice to almost make up for my daily commute plus other trips around town. Having the ability to top off at home or work is essential for happy EV ownership (in my opinion). Going to a supercharger every once in a while is doable but relying on it as a primary means of charging would get old pretty fast.

I went from living in a home with an HPWC in my garage to an apartment with a public parking garage. The garage has three 120v outlets on each of the six levels. I have lived here a year and never had a problem. Commute is 50 miles round trip. The car charges at 4MPH so I can easily replenish the commute on the 120v outlet. Definitely doable, especially if you have 120v outlets in the garage. If you do run into minor inconveniences every once in a while, the greatness of the car makes it still worth it.

 

[jjrandorin]

Everyone is different... but I absolutely do not have the patience to own an EV without specific charging either at home, or at work. I am not saying it cant be done, I am saying you have to have a specific reason to do it. As much as I love my model 3 (so far the total package is the best car I have owned for general use), I would not own one if I lived in a place with no charging ports, and work did not have a dedicated charging situation.

 

[jjrandorin]

How could anyone possibly disagree with me saying "I know people do this, but its not for me"? @IUtriaNT you know what I want better than I do?

I clearly (very clearly) said "Everyone is different, but I do not have the patience..." so how can you possibly tell me I in fact do have the patience for this?

 

[byeLT4]

@jjrandorin you sound like my best friend. I just got my Tesla 2 weeks ago and he doesn't seem to understand that SC doesn't take long at all if you aren't 'topping it off'. He lives in an apartment and can't charge there and I guess assumes that he'll spend hours each week at the charging station.

@harry0723 I SC often because 120 currently (LOL I made a pun) at home doesn't do much, but it supercharges fast, sometimes too fast. By the time I catch up on the phone with messages, FB, etc the car is almost done. Granted it is still very new to me and maybe my feelings will change in time.

 

[jjrandorin]

@jjrandorin you sound like my best friend. I just got my Tesla 2 weeks ago and he doesn't seem to understand that SC doesn't take long at all if you aren't 'topping it off'. He lives in an apartment and can't charge there and I guess assumes that he'll spend hours each week at the charging station.

@harry0723 I SC often because 120 currently (LOL I made a pun) at home doesn't do much, but it supercharges fast, sometimes too fast. By the time I catch up on the phone with messages, FB, etc the car is almost done. Granted it is still very new to me and maybe my feelings will change in time.

Oh I understand "super charging doesnt take that long" if you are not topping off.... I also understand that I spend zero time at a supercharger currently, and plug in when I get home. I consider the fact that I do NOTHING special to "fuel up" one of the biggest benefits of owning this car.

As I said, FOR ME, I wouldnt not sign up for having to go to a supercharger every few days to charge up, because you definitely go there more often than you would have to go in an ICE vehicle to "fill up", and while its "not much time spent supercharging", FOR ME, "not much" is still more than I would want to spend, when the alternative is "none".

Everyone is different as I said. I am NOT "poo poo'ing" on people who do it, it absolutely can be done. Its just not "for me" and I think thats ok that some people are ok with it and some arent.

Yes, I know that people who drive ICE vehicles are used to "going somewhere to fill up", but as I mentioned, its a huge benefit to not have to do that in this car, for me.

 

[F14Scott]

How could anyone possibly disagree with me saying "I know people do this, but its not for me"? @IUtriaNT you know what I want better than I do?

I clearly (very clearly) said "Everyone is different, but I do not have the patience..." so how can you possibly tell me I in fact do have the patience for this?

Just stirrin' the pot.

 

[byeLT4]

Oh I understand ........ for me.

I hope my post didn't come off wrong, I was basically just agreeing that everyone is different, even between me and my friend. It's almost as if he typed your post LOL!

 

[harry0723]

Do you have any normal 15/20 amp outlets where you park? A lot of people don't realize you can charge from pretty much any electrical source; it doesn't have to be a special charging stall. I charged on a 15 amp outlet at an apartment for almost 2 years, it gave me enough juice to almost make up for my daily commute plus other trips around town. Having the ability to top off at home or work is essential for happy EV ownership (in my opinion). Going to a supercharger every once in a while is doable but relying on it as a primary means of charging would get old pretty fast.

Just checked today, didn't see any outlets in the parking garage.
However, I did saw a charge point charging station on the third floor of the garage. It charges $1 every 2hours with 6.6Kwh. Can this be a primary way of charging or would it be too costly after a while?

 

[harry0723]

How could anyone possibly disagree with me saying "I know people do this, but its not for me"? @IUtriaNT you know what I want better than I do?

I clearly (very clearly) said "Everyone is different, but I do not have the patience..." so how can you possibly tell me I in fact do have the patience for this?

I do feel the same way. It will gets old real quick trying to go to a super charging station every few days.

 

[Runt8]

Just checked today, didn't see any outlets in the parking garage.
However, I did saw a charge point charging station on the third floor of the garage. It charges $1 every 2hours with 6.6Kwh. Can this be a primary way of charging or would it be too costly after a while?

You will probably get roughly 25mi/hr using it (depends on the actual voltage to the unit, if it’s on a commercial 208V circuit you’ll be closer to 20 mi/hr). So it will cost you a buck a day to refill after your commute. The bigger issue for me would be the hassle of having to move the car after it was done charging to avoid idle fees. But if that’s not a deal breaker for you then I don’t see why you couldn’t use it as your primary charging method.

Edit - the above is assuming the charge point station is working properly. From what I’ve read maintenance isn’t their strong point. If you’re going to rely on it I would try to test it first. If you know someone with an EV (or I would guess you could fine someone willing to help you out on this forum or one of the Tesla Facebook groups) have them come try it out before you pull the trigger.

 

[SMAlset]

Good morning.
I have been debating whether to get a Tesla since I'm currently living in an apartment in Dallas and not planning to own a house till a few years down the road. My apartment has one charging stall so far I haven't really seen anybody using it.
What's the overall charging experience for all the owners that lives in apartments like?
Especially in Dallas, TX area.
Since the COVID outbreak, i'm working at home. But when everything opens back up, my expected commute time is around 30-45 minutes one way daily, about 15-20 miles one way. There are some charging stalls in work place, but not very many. So I'll probably have to end up going to charge at Super Charging Station weekly.
It's a big purchase for me and I really want to think it through before pulling the trigger.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!

If you take the plunge, don't forget if you order your car through someone's referral link (have to order through a special referral webpage provided), you will receive 1,000 super charger miles as well as the person giving you the referral. Happy to give you my referral if you don't already have a friend offering you one, just PM me here. The range miles are currently good for 6 months. I referred a friend who took delivery Christmas Eve and because people were stay at home mostly and not driving much Tesla extended the expiration date on ours. Not sure how they are still handing extensions due to stay in place. I will say if you aren't driving much now, the miles will last you for a decent amount of time. Definitely take advantage of your charging stall at your apt. or at work when convenient to do so.

I charge my Model 3 at home (except using up my remaining referral miles right now) but my husband bought his Model S back when he got free supercharging miles with the car so he solely uses the Superchargers when he needs to and also uses the Charge Points at work (although he's now WFH through maybe the end of the year, SFBay area). He doesn't mind the time charging. He either relaxes and catches up on email in the car, sometimes plays one of the car's games or walks to local shopping near the chargers until he needs to go back to his car. He's been doing this since 3/2017 and doesn't mind not charging at home. Have you checked out the Tesla Supercharger map yet to see what's located in your driving area? Plugshare.com if you aren't familiar with it can be filtered to look for nearby local L2 charging (found frequently at shopping centers). Come to think of it I just got my latest software update 2020.20.12, and Tesla has updated the software and their maps recently to let you directly look for nearby charging based on different levels of charging speed. They keep making it easier to find charging sources directly from inside your car.

I will add that both of us think our Teslas are the best cars we’ve owned and enjoy driving them. Look forward to being able to do a road trip or Tesla meet up in the future, been a while.

 

[harry0723]

You will probably get roughly 25mi/hr using it (depends on the actual voltage to the unit, if it’s on a commercial 208V circuit you’ll be closer to 20 mi/hr). So it will cost you a buck a day to refill after your commute. The bigger issue for me would be the hassle of having to move the car after it was done charging to avoid idle fees. But if that’s not a deal breaker for you then I don’t see why you couldn’t use it as your primary charging method.

Edit - the above is assuming the charge point station is working properly. From what I’ve read maintenance isn’t their strong point. If you’re going to rely on it I would try to test it first. If you know someone with an EV (or I would guess you could fine someone willing to help you out on this forum or one of the Tesla Facebook groups) have them come try it out before you pull the trigger.

The information I found on the website is: Level 2, J1772, 6.6 kW
It is definitely a good point having someone to try it first. There are 2 spots but always empty. I went over to check and the machine seems to be functional.
I was thinking about the idle time too. They didn't mention how much would cost just to idle the car after full charged. But If I could get 40-50 miles a day for $1, that should be enough.
My Jeep Wrangler is not the most fuel efficient car and really not comfortable talking a long road trips. That's why I'm thing about get a EV

 

[harry0723]

If you take the plunge, don't forget if you order your car through someone's referral link (have to order through a special referral webpage provided), you will receive 1,000 super charger miles as well as the person giving you the referral. Happy to give you my referral if you don't already have a friend offering you one, just PM me here. The range miles are currently good for 6 months. I referred a friend who took delivery Christmas Eve and because people were stay at home mostly and not driving much Tesla extended the expiration date on ours. Not sure how they are still handing extensions due to stay in place. I will say if you aren't driving much now, the miles will last you for a decent amount of time. Definitely take advantage of your charging stall at your apt. or at work when convenient to do so.

I charge my Model 3 at home (except using up my remaining referral miles right now) but my husband bought his Model S back when he got free supercharging miles with the car so he solely uses the Superchargers when he needs to and also uses the Charge Points at work (although he's now WFH through maybe the end of the year, SFBay area). He doesn't mind the time charging. He either relaxes and catches up on email in the car, sometimes plays one of the car's games or walks to local shopping near the chargers until he needs to go back to his car. He's been doing this since 3/2017 and doesn't mind not charging at home. Have you checked out the Tesla Supercharger map yet to see what's located in your driving area? Plugshare.com if you aren't familiar with it can be filtered to look for nearby local L2 charging (found frequently at shopping centers). Come to think of it I just got my latest software update 2020.20.12, and Tesla has updated the software and their maps recently to let you directly look for nearby charging based on different levels of charging speed. They keep making it easier to find charging sources directly from inside your car.

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I will add that both of us think our Teslas are the best cars we’ve owned and enjoy driving them. Look forward to being able to do a road trip or Tesla meet up in the future, been a while.

Thanks for the offer. I might reach out to you if I finally make my decision.

There are 6 super charging stations in the DFW area, the closet to me is about 5 miles away. I guess that's doable if I sorely rely on Super Charging? There are some Destination Charging Point here and there.
There are just not that many Teslas in Dallas. While I was stationed in Cali and driving around San Jose or on 101, there were just so many Teslas.

 

[jjrandorin]

I do feel the same way. It will gets old real quick trying to go to a super charging station every few days.

Do you have charging available at work? That charging station at home would work... it might be a little more than you pay for electricity, but its likely much less than you are paying for gas to commute in your jeep.

Since you have charging stations (even paid ones) at home, you could make this work fairly easily, and likely save money over your jeep (and be more comfortable too).

If you could get even a regular outlet to charge at work occasionally, you would be fine between that and the home chargepoint (and occasional supercharging as needed).

As mentioned, sometimes people who supercharge their vehicles plan to complete other tasks around their supercharging (email, etc). You can watch netflix or youtube easily in the car on the screen, you could use your phone as a hotspot do email, etc etc.

Its not hard to be entertained and / or productive in a tesla while you are waiting inside of it (and comfortable). I am not contradicting what I said earlier, just stating that its entirely possible to be both comfortable and productive in your car while you wait. I just considered one of the big benefits of this car that I dont have to do that anymore. I havent been to a gas station since december of 2018. My wife still drives a gas powered vehicle, but, she only drives around town, and it only needs filling up every 3-4 weeks, and she handles that for her car since I am normally at work when she needs gas in it.

Not having to "plan" around refueling is a game changer. No more "oh I need to stop for gas on the way home so I wont be late to work tomorrow getting gas", no more "oh man I forgot I needed gas!" I find this so refreshing, I wouldnt go back to a gas car, or not having charging at home, for myself.

With the charging station in your garage OP, you could do it. I suggest driving the car. The car drives so good you might find yourself willing to compromise a bit (yes, its that good).

 

[harry0723]

Do you have charging available at work? That charging station at home would work... it might be a little more than you pay for electricity, but its likely much less than you are paying for gas to commute in your jeep.

Since you have charging stations (even paid ones) at home, you could make this work fairly easily, and likely save money over your jeep (and be more comfortable too).

If you could get even a regular outlet to charge at work occasionally, you would be fine between that and the home chargepoint (and occasional supercharging as needed).

As mentioned, sometimes people who supercharge their vehicles plan to complete other tasks around their supercharging (email, etc). You can watch netflix or youtube easily in the car on the screen, you could use your phone as a hotspot do email, etc etc.

Its not hard to be entertained and / or productive in a tesla while you are waiting inside of it (and comfortable). I am not contradicting what I said earlier, just stating that its entirely possible to be both comfortable and productive in your car while you wait. I just considered one of the big benefits of this car that I dont have to do that anymore. I havent been to a gas station since december of 2018. My wife still drives a gas powered vehicle, but, she only drives around town, and it only needs filling up every 3-4 weeks, and she handles that for her car since I am normally at work when she needs gas in it.

Not having to "plan" around refueling is a game changer. No more "oh I need to stop for gas on the way home so I wont be late to work tomorrow getting gas", no more "oh man I forgot I needed gas!" I find this so refreshing, I wouldnt go back to a gas car, or not having charging at home, for myself.

With the charging station in your garage OP, you could do it. I suggest driving the car. The car drives so good you might find yourself willing to compromise a bit (yes, its that good).

I just started my new intern job a month ago, and has been WFH this entire time. TBH i haven't even been to the paid parking garages around the company yet since its in downtown Dallas, I guess everybody is paying for parking.
I tested drive Model S P100D about 3 years ago, it was really amazing how fast it can take off.
Tested drive a Model 3 last year for 10 minutes with a friend but it didn't left me with too much impression. Think I need to schedule another test drive soon. Is it true that once you test drive it, you can't return after 7days or 1000 miles after purchase?

 

[jjrandorin]

I just started my new intern job a month ago, and has been WFH this entire time. TBH i haven't even been to the paid parking garages around the company yet since its in downtown Dallas, I guess everybody is paying for parking.
I tested drive Model S P100D about 3 years ago, it was really amazing how fast it can take off.
Tested drive a Model 3 last year for 10 minutes with a friend but it didn't left me with too much impression. Think I need to schedule another test drive soon. Is it true that once you test drive it, you can't return after 7days or 1000 miles after purchase?

I dont know the answer to that, as tesla policies change all the time, and that policy was not in place in late 2018 when I purchased my model 3. If you are comparing off the line acceleration, nothing is going to beat a model s P100D, at least not in cars that are street legal and cost less than like 150-200k

 

[SMAlset]

Thanks for the offer. I might reach out to you if I finally make my decision.
View attachment 553536
There are 6 super charging stations in the DFW area, the closet to me is about 5 miles away. I guess that's doable if I sorely rely on Super Charging? There are some Destination Charging Point here and there.
There are just not that many Teslas in Dallas. While I was stationed in Cali and driving around San Jose or on 101, there were just so many Teslas.

As I understand it Tesla will likely be be setting up the next factory in Austin. Think you will see a lot more Teslas in Texas as a result so I would only expect charging to get better. EVs are becoming more desirable as well so charging options should continue to expand. As I mentioned my husband has always charged away from home, and he has a 75kWh battery pack in his Model S. Until a SC stationed opened closer he was sometimes driving about 10 miles from home if he wasn’t out during the day and charging while on the road. So 5 miles isn’t bad. Besides you will probably find yourself looking gor reasons to drive your car!

A few of our public garages and shopping centers have chargers and I see cars rotate out of the spaces during dinner hour when people would drive downtown for a meal and charge during that time for some extra range. Expect that will be true for your area as well. 20-30 extra range miles while shopping or dining for an hour or so is nice if you aren’t driving long distances all the time.

Let me know if you want the referral at some point. Given what I know from my husband’s charging, I don’t see your area as being something that would concern me about not being able to charge now or in the future though.

 

[Runt8]

I just started my new intern job a month ago, and has been WFH this entire time. TBH i haven't even been to the paid parking garages around the company yet since its in downtown Dallas, I guess everybody is paying for parking.
I tested drive Model S P100D about 3 years ago, it was really amazing how fast it can take off.
Tested drive a Model 3 last year for 10 minutes with a friend but it didn't left me with too much impression. Think I need to schedule another test drive soon. Is it true that once you test drive it, you can't return after 7days or 1000 miles after purchase?

You can return it within 7 days as long as it has less than 1000 miles - doesn't matter (anymore) if you do a test drive. Return Policy