multi-unit condo charging

[LeaveMeAlone]

hi all,

has anyone had luck setting up EV charging in older multi-unit condos in west LA/MDR? had a few folks come by to quote it out (Electric Connection and some other smaller guys). came out to around $2-4k with the largest cost variable being distance from the meter room. landlord has agreed to move my spot as close to meter room as possible but still ultimately my bill to foot. just looking to have a standard NEMA 14/50 outlet (or equivalent) installed. wondering if anyone has had luck with this or if it's too much of a hassle to be worth it. obviously eats all your gas savings right out of the gate.

another question is whether any of the hardware these guys set up can typically be moved/sold/etc. upon moving out. hate to pour that much money into a rental.

thanks everyone - lots of smart and experienced people on these forums!!

 

[Spacep0d]

I was in L.A. County in a townhome we owned and Electric Connection was one of the companies I called....out of 11. I couldn't make charging work, and this was as an owner. As a renter I'd be even less inclined to spend money.

I don't know if I would put out that kind of money for charging at a place you don't own. Have you looked into buying? It's a big undertaking but you could get a single family home and install proper charging there, and you'd have a proper garage too.

For my little charging issue...nothing made a difference. I couldn't install even the most meager charging upgrade beyond trickle charging. We ended up moving to a single family home with a TWC and Solar. Worth it.

 

[TesMY]

There is no way to install charger in our community, owners not allowing!

 

[LeaveMeAlone]

thankfully the owner/landlord is being accommodating and is willing to move my spot next to the meter room, so cost would be around $2k. of that, around $1k is the "EV Disconnect" which i assume is some type of switch. wondering if i can re-use/re-sell this piece of equipment when i move out to bring down the net cost

 

[Spacep0d]

There is no way to install charger in our community, owners not allowing!

They may not have that right. Washington should be a 'right to charge' state like California, especially being on the EV-friendly Left Coast. I just looked and it doesn't look like WA is a 'right to charge' state yet but definitely check for any new EV-friendly laws as of 1-1-2021. The law is generally going to get more EV-friendly, not less (TX may be an exception). I've noticed this trend in CA. Every year the law favors EV owners more and more, especially as it pertains to multi-unit dwellings where an HOA would have more influence over your charging arrangement.

https://www.nescaum.org/documents/ev-right-to-charge.pdf/

I did this very thing with my former HOA and disabused them of any misperceptions of their power to deny me charging....but the problem was far worse than mere human ignorance....I had a 60A panel in a downstairs bathroom and no room to upgrade it, and no way to run new line from the meter box without massive cost, time, permit pulling, and cooperation from the local electric company. So yeah, I moved. Now I have a TWC and Solar.

However, I feel the pain of trying to make this work with an HOA. There should be a way to do it but it pays to know your rights. Unless you're prepared to move, charge slowly for the foreseeable future, rely on the Supercharger network more, or drive ICE...I wouldn't give up without exhausting every option.

 

[TesMY]

They may not have that right. Washington should be a 'right to charge' state like California, especially being on the EV-friendly Left Coast. I just looked and it doesn't look like WA is a 'right to charge' state yet but definitely check for any new EV-friendly laws as of 1-1-2021. The laws is generally going to get more EV-friendly, not less (TX may be an exception). I've noticed this trend in CA. Every year the law favors EV owners more and more, especially as it pertains to multi-unit dwellings where an HOA would have more influence over your charging arrangement.

https://www.nescaum.org/documents/ev-right-to-charge.pdf/

I did this very thing with my former HOA and disabused them of any misperceptions of their power to deny me charging....but the problem was far worse than mere human ignorance....I had a 60A panel in a downstairs bathroom and no room to upgrade it, and no way to run new line from the meter box without massive cost, time, permit pulling, and cooperation from the local electric company. So yeah, I moved. Now I have a TWC and Solar.

However, I feel the pain of trying to make this work with an HOA. There should be a way to do it but it pays to know your rights. Unless you're prepared to move, charge slowly for the foreseeable future, rely on the Supercharger network more, or drive ICE...I wouldn't give up without exhausting every option.

Thanks for your input, will check few options

 

[Spacep0d]

Thanks for your input, will check few options

I wish you the best! Believe me I've been through it, haha. I wonder what HOAs will do in 10 years if they can't keep tenants because people will come to expect EV charging like we expect to have indoor plumbing? I know one thing, new apartment/condo/townhome developers better think about EV charging if they hope to reduce turnover and if they care about attracting and keeping the EV-owning/interested demographic.

 

[TesMY]

I wish you the best! Believe me I've been through it, haha. I wonder what HOAs will do in 10 years if they can't keep tenants because people will come to expect EV charging like we expect to have indoor plumbing? I know one thing, new apartment/condo/townhome developers better think about EV charging if they hope to reduce turnover and if they care about attracting and keeping the EV-owning/interested demographic.

Yes, I had been checking with the management for the past 4 years, no improvements, I was charging my EV by running the charging cable from indoors through our patio to the car, but then felt unsafe in doing that. My last option is to move to a new place with good charging options

 

[Spacep0d]

Yes, I had been checking with the management for the past 4 years, no improvements, I was charging my EV by running the charging cable from indoors through our patio to the car, but then felt unsafe in doing that. My last option is to move to a new place with good charging options

Yeah you might be able to solve this just by moving, assuming you're renting and are more mobile. This is another reason to find a single family home if you can swing it (not an easy market I know) and then get some real charging installed. It's extremely dismaying that an HOA would try to block your charging upgrade efforts in WA of all places, but that's why we need 'right to charge' laws. These will no doubt spread to other states, because the tsunami of EV adoption will arrive quickly. It's going to be exponential, and then there will be sheer force of numbers clamoring for charging...and getting it.

One long-haul strategy is to befriend management and give them all test rides in your Tesla.

 

[KJD]

thankfully the owner/landlord is being accommodating and is willing to move my spot next to the meter room, so cost would be around $2k. of that, around $1k is the "EV Disconnect" which i assume is some type of switch. wondering if i can re-use/re-sell this piece of equipment when i move out to bring down the net cost

Talk to your electrician about what counts as a safe disconnect. A circuit breaker seems to fit the bill in this town and it costs a lot less than 1,000 dollars.

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