I own multifamily apartments - I'm part of the EV charging infrastructure problem

[glenhurst]

I'd start by just putting in a NEMA 14-50 outlet. Should only cost a few hundred dollars. Let people know it's available, and then see what happens. If people start asking for dedicated chargers (instead of using the charger that comes with their vehicle) then you can re-evaluate at that point. But if I were a tenant, I'd rather have the 14-50 (on a 50 amp/240 volt circuit) because it charges faster than a dedicated Level 2 charger, e.g., ChargePoint).

 

[auger]

I am unable to edit post #12 now, and the link I posted no longer works. If anyone is interested, here's the new link to the JuiceBox Pro 40C.

Electric Motor Werks, Inc. - JuiceBox™ Pro 40C - Commercial Use 40-Amp Wi-Fi EVSE with 24-foot cable

 

[Dave EV]

Put in a chargepoint station. EVSE | Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Stations - ChargePoint then your tennants can pay for their usage.

Biggest problem with Chargepoint is the huge premium they charge for their stations and network services.

You can pay for a LOT of electricity with the price difference between a ClipperCreek and ChargePoint station.

 

[GSP]

Here is a link to DOE advice for multi-unit dwelling owners:

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Electric Vehicle Charging for Multi-Unit Dwellings

Surveying your tenants for interest is a good first step.

Installing an inexpensive 30 Amp J1772 charging station, and charging monthly rent for the parking space next to it, sounds like the most practical solution.

But, which parking space? Is there a common area where you pay for the electric service, instead of the tenants? I would install it as close as possible to this service to minimize installation cost.

As tenants express interest in renting a dedicated parking/charging next to their building, you could install them. When they move out, you could advertise PEV charging capability until an existing or new tenant rented the dedicated parking/charging space.

Good Luck,

GSP

 

[Saghost]

ASIDE - if anyone has any recommendations for commercial EV installation firms please shoot me a pm.

STORY

Perhaps this story will illustrate some of the EV infrastructure challenges from the other side - that of the business owner. If you ever gripe to yourself about clueless real estate owners who don't help EV adoption by installing charging for their residents - I'm one of those people you gripe about!

I'm starting to feel like a hypocrite - I own a Model S and tell everyone that EV's are the future - but I also have apartments where my tenants have nowhere to charge. I'd like to fix this situation but I'm not sure where to start.

Part of the problem is my units are in the suburbs of a big city in the Midwest - not California where I live. Gas is really cheap there and I don't see any EV's, let alone Teslas, when I go there on business.

Nevertheless you gotta start somewhere right?

The other problem is a logistical challenge - like many complexes mine is spread across a number of acres and the units do not have assigned parking.

So where do I start? I'm not going to poll the tenants and ask if they want EV chargers - I need to just put some in. If I build them - hopefully the residents will consider buying EV's.

But where? People like to park in front of their own apartment - not walk across a complex to get home.

But I can't afford to put chargers in all over the place when not a single one of the residents currently owns an EV.

If I put in a charger in one spot for a single resident, and then that person moves out - I now have an EV charger locked into one spot with no guarantees that anyone with an EV wants to park in that location.

This thinking gives me a headache, I say "screw it" - and I forget about it.

I imagine this problem is exactly what goes through the heads of many other multifamily investors/executives.

I can tell you FOR SURE that tenants asking the on-site manager would do no good. A request like that would get filtered immediately - probably not making it up to the district manager level - let alone all the way to me (the property owner) in a monthly report from the management company which runs the complex for me.

And at the end of the day there is the budget issue - I'm not in commercial real estate as a charity operation. I am willing to throw a few thousand dollars out there to do some good for the world - but I'm not willing to embark on a major capital expenditure project giving everybody EV charging stations when the adoption rate for EV's is so low.

And so - a chicken and egg problem...

Here's an off the wall thought...

The typical driver does less than 40 miles on the typical day.

What if instead of installing EVSEs now, you put in a bunch of 120 V outlets on separate circuits?

It's not the ideal way to charge an EV, but it'd be enough to make EVs possible for residences if they really want them. By the same token, the low power of the outlets both makes it cheaper to install a bunch of them, and limits the cost of power greatly.

 

[jerry33]

TWhat if instead of installing EVSEs now, you put in a bunch of 120 V outlets on separate circuits?

It would cost only a little more to put in 220V receptacles and would be a lot more practical.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

My view is that if you're keen to make it happen, you should try to do it in a way that's best for your tenants.
If you're willing to throw in a bit of time and money, I'd suggest that rather than using the time and money to put in a charger, you should spend the time and money on
- Finding out if tenants are interested in having a PEV, and how flexible they would be with parking in order to have the ability to charge. Reading tenants'/condo owners' charging-capability stories here, I think they'd love to have a landlord/management like you, who wants them to be able to charge.
- Figuring out the best way to wire up every parking spot incrementally. It might be that your money is best spent on the underlying infrastructure (conduit etc), rather than the EVSEs themselves.

Obviously the ideal system for tenants would be one that ongoing management fees, allows them to install their own choice of EVSE and bills them directly. Fixed, metered parking spots would make this easier.

As an aside, I hope that Tesla is looking into MDU solutions, because it's important for increasing the market for plug-ins.

 

[RAW84]

ASIDE - if anyone has any recommendations for commercial EV installation firms please shoot me a pm.

STORY

Perhaps this story will illustrate some of the EV infrastructure challenges from the other side - that of the business owner. If you ever gripe to yourself about clueless real estate owners who don't help EV adoption by installing charging for their residents - I'm one of those people you gripe about!

I'm starting to feel like a hypocrite - I own a Model S and tell everyone that EV's are the future - but I also have apartments where my tenants have nowhere to charge. I'd like to fix this situation but I'm not sure where to start.

Part of the problem is my units are in the suburbs of a big city in the Midwest - not California where I live. Gas is really cheap there and I don't see any EV's, let alone Teslas, when I go there on business.

Nevertheless you gotta start somewhere right?

The other problem is a logistical challenge - like many complexes mine is spread across a number of acres and the units do not have assigned parking.

So where do I start? I'm not going to poll the tenants and ask if they want EV chargers - I need to just put some in. If I build them - hopefully the residents will consider buying EV's.

But where? People like to park in front of their own apartment - not walk across a complex to get home.

But I can't afford to put chargers in all over the place when not a single one of the residents currently owns an EV.

If I put in a charger in one spot for a single resident, and then that person moves out - I now have an EV charger locked into one spot with no guarantees that anyone with an EV wants to park in that location.

This thinking gives me a headache, I say "screw it" - and I forget about it.

I imagine this problem is exactly what goes through the heads of many other multifamily investors/executives.

I can tell you FOR SURE that tenants asking the on-site manager would do no good. A request like that would get filtered immediately - probably not making it up to the district manager level - let alone all the way to me (the property owner) in a monthly report from the management company which runs the complex for me.

And at the end of the day there is the budget issue - I'm not in commercial real estate as a charity operation. I am willing to throw a few thousand dollars out there to do some good for the world - but I'm not willing to embark on a major capital expenditure project giving everybody EV charging stations when the adoption rate for EV's is so low.

And so - a chicken and egg problem...

I suggest you start by changing this with a top down approach. Make sure everyone downstream knows they SHOULD elevate such a request because you're serious about EV adoption.

Your logistical concerns are legit, but I think EV chargers, particularly Tesla owners, would be willing to walk a little further than ICE owners if they get to charge.