No home charging - still worth it?

[MGMX]

I live in a rented flat, where there's no apparent way to install an outlet.
My landlord could potentially setup an outlet, where I would pay for my usage - but the current electricity price is $0.35/kWh.

I thought about reaching out to a company that provides dedicated car charging for a flat fee ($89/mo). However, turns out that our soil is polluted with gasoline from a gas station, which means any digging is prohibited - yay fossile fuel.

Sooo the way I see it, I am left with two options:
See if I can convince the company I work for, to put up a charging station. However, we are using a shared parking space and it would cost me $200/mo just to park at work, so I won't do that unless it's the absolutely last resort.

Or use the one that's a 5 minute walk from my house, which is operated by the $89/mo company.

On average, we drive something like 25 miles/day, so if I get the Long Range version, I would have to charge it something like once a week.

Has anybody been in a situation like this and what did they end up doing?

 

[jjrandorin]

I may be in the minority, but Its my belief that if someone does not have a reliable way to add miles (charge) at home over night to cover your basic usage, that person is not a good candidate for EV cars.

You dont have to have fast charging, I just feel that a person should be able to plug in at "home" and get enough mileage to cover their expected day's usage while they sleep, so over a 8 hour period. Otherwise, its too much juggling / worrying about it, and for what?

If the EV is a 2nd or 3rd car, then its different, but if "I" were in your situation I absolutely would NOT get an EV. Even if the main charging location was work, there is no guarentee that one will work in the same place over the ownership of the car... and unless you own the business you have no control over that. Conversely, one generally DOES have some control over where they live, and can change living circumstances if it doesnt fit their needs.

(meaning its my opinion those who plan to always "charge at work" but dont have a way to also charge at home are also making a mistake, in my opinion).

Charging at super chargers / public chargers works as a temporary solution, but at least for me, spending an hour at a charger weekly or more would suck. For an ICE car you spend about 10 minutes "filling up" .. thats pulling in, getting out, filling up, paying etc. Until one can charge at a supercharger etc for a days worth of range in the same 10 minutes, its my belief that not having access to some type of charging at home is a recipe for frustration....

But thats just my opinion and it also depends on someones motivation for switching to an EV. if the motivation is " I want to switch to EV to save the environment" or something, then I would imagine that some form of discomfort would be tolerated. If its "I want a really nice car that is convenient, and cheaper to operate", it still fits the bill if you cant charge at home but I wouldnt if I couldnt charge at least my daily mileage at home.

 

[ewoodrick]

It sounds as if getting a plug from your landlord may not be the worse solution,

 

[MGMX]

Very interesting points, with a perspective I haven’t heard before.
However, I should have mentioned that the charger within walking distance allows you to leave the car, as it’s just a regular parking spot (for electrical cars) with no parking fee.

So I would be able to leave it during the day when I am at work or leave over night.

The flat fee also allows me to charge at other charging stations at various malls and stores.

Does this change your perspective?

 

[jjrandorin]

Very interesting points, with a perspective I haven’t heard before.
However, I should have mentioned that the charger within walking distance allows you to leave the car, as it’s just a regular parking spot (for electrical cars) with no parking fee.

So I would be able to leave it during the day when I am at work or leave over night.

The flat fee also allows me to charge at other charging stations at various malls and stores.

Does this change your perspective?

Well... what you describe would fit my definition of "charging at home" if its within a tolerable walking distance to my residence, and I felt comfortable parking there and leaving my vehicle there overnight. So, it doesnt change my perspective per se, it just means that your description matches (close enough) my definition of "charging at home".

I do want to stress however, that I in know way shape or form believe that I am "correct" or that my way is "best". Its just my opinion of what would work for me. Even if you cant charge at home, if it works for you, thats great!

Just providing my opinion since you asked for thoughts.

 

[Zaxxon]

If you view the home charging situation as no problem for you, then go for it.

 

[MorrisonHiker]

Very interesting points, with a perspective I haven’t heard before.
However, I should have mentioned that the charger within walking distance allows you to leave the car, as it’s just a regular parking spot (for electrical cars) with no parking fee.

So I would be able to leave it during the day when I am at work or leave over night.

The flat fee also allows me to charge at other charging stations at various malls and stores.

Does this change your perspective?

How many "chargers" are located within walking distance? As the Model 3 and other cars become more popular, they might be more and more difficult for you to reliably charge at.

 

[MGMX]

There are 4 chargers.
I have only seen two in use, so it’s not super popular it seems.

 

[SSedan]

What is the temp like where you are at? Temps below 50F can begin limiting regen, and temps below freezing begin to add a lot of energy use to the daily commute, especially if the car is not plugged in to warm up from a charging connection. Battery warming before charging will slow charging too.

 

[MGMX]

That’s a good point I haven’t considered. The coldest month is January, with an average daytime temp of 36 F. During the night, the average is 27 F.

 

[SSedan]

The flat fee charging may be a problem if there are a limited number of outlets.

 

[gavine]

If you're a performance junkie, it might be worth the hassle. I have home charging, but I think I would still find a way to make it work if I didn't because I cannot go-back to driving cars with reciprocating piston engines.

 

[TaoJones]

With over 4 years of overgrown golf cart ownership and no garage or possibility of gone charging, I can say with 100% assurance that relying upon SCs and other chargers has been no big deal whatsoever.

When I placed the first order in late 2014, there was exactly 1 SC in Los Angeles County. Now there are many. I didn’t wait in line then, and I don’t wait in line now.

When I did wait in line for 20-25 minutes was with an ICE at the Costco to get gas in those dark days prior to overgrown golf cart ownership.

But what if I didn’t live in a county of 10 million people, some ask. Well, if I lived pretty much anywhere else, I’d have a garage or carport and could easily charge at home. But I don’t.

 

[abasile]

If your landlord can set up an outlet and you'd pay about $0.35/kWh, then that seems to me like the best approach. Based on your daily distance driven, this would cost you about the same or maybe less than the flat-rate place. Charging right at your property would be more convenient and would reduce the risk of someone else occupying the charging station when you need it. Given that gasoline/petrol is very expensive in Europe compared to the US, you would still be saving money on "refueling".

 

[mswlogo]

I may be in the minority, but Its my belief that if someone does not have a reliable way to add miles (charge) at home over night to cover your basic usage, that person is not a good candidate for EV cars.

You dont have to have fast charging, I just feel that a person should be able to plug in at "home" and get enough mileage to cover their expected day's usage while they sleep, so over a 8 hour period. Otherwise, its too much juggling / worrying about it, and for what?

If the EV is a 2nd or 3rd car, then its different, but if "I" were in your situation I absolutely would NOT get an EV. Even if the main charging location was work, there is no guarentee that one will work in the same place over the ownership of the car... and unless you own the business you have no control over that. Conversely, one generally DOES have some control over where they live, and can change living circumstances if it doesnt fit their needs.

(meaning its my opinion those who plan to always "charge at work" but dont have a way to also charge at home are also making a mistake, in my opinion).

Charging at super chargers / public chargers works as a temporary solution, but at least for me, spending an hour at a charger weekly or more would suck. For an ICE car you spend about 10 minutes "filling up" .. thats pulling in, getting out, filling up, paying etc. Until one can charge at a supercharger etc for a days worth of range in the same 10 minutes, its my belief that not having access to some type of charging at home is a recipe for frustration....

But thats just my opinion and it also depends on someones motivation for switching to an EV. if the motivation is " I want to switch to EV to save the environment" or something, then I would imagine that some form of discomfort would be tolerated. If its "I want a really nice car that is convenient, and cheaper to operate", it still fits the bill if you cant charge at home but I wouldnt if I couldnt charge at least my daily mileage at home.

I have to agree.

Keep in mind for daily use your range is really 20-80% not (0-100%). So now you're down to a measly 60% of range, that's only 189 miles. Also keep in mind the ratings are based on the car "moving". The car has some losses just sitting and the moment you touch the door handle to the moment the car locks the cabin heat is running as well as other systems. Plus some other losses. Now add in another 20% loss if you have to deal with cold weather to run the heater.

How is all that addressed? Plugging in nightly at home. It all becomes a non issue.

If you have to drive somewhere to charge you'll spend another ~20% just "getting fueled" not to mention your time.

If you lived off superchargers your car will eventually get limited on the charge rate and it might also not be great for the battery long term. So you need some sort of "destination charger" which will be a LOT slower. You need to be either working or sleeping while at a destination charger charges. Even 25 miles a day, I bet you need 2 hours of a typical destination charger a day (e.g. 30A circuit).

A friend of mine bought his Tesla thinking he could charge at work (a technical college) for free. We installed a 40A setup at home. Turns out there is a Max limit at his work during peak hours of 4 hours and it charges slower than at home (I think it's 20A 240V) and it's always full to boot. He has to move the car during the day to get into the charger or out. He barely uses it at work now, because it's just to much hassle. He probably only gets $3.00 worth of free electricity each time he manages to use the "free" charger because the most he can ever get out of it is about 60 miles.

You can use Super Chargers and Destination Chargers to fill in, but without something modest at home you'll learn to dislike it over time.

There are folks that will put up with it. But the average Joe will get tired of it.

 

[SSedan]

With over 4 years of overgrown golf cart ownership and no garage or possibility of gone charging, I can say with 100% assurance that relying upon SCs and other chargers has been no big deal whatsoever.

When I placed the first order in late 2014, there was exactly 1 SC in Los Angeles County. Now there are many. I didn’t wait in line then, and I don’t wait in line now.
.

Winter isn't an issue for you it is for many of us including the OP.
Supercharger are one thing what if you had to rely on L2?

 

[RedSafari]

I've used my Model 3 for about five months before getting home charging (it took a while to get permits and install in my underground parking spot). After a couple months the novelty of supercharging wore off and it became a bit tedious to plan ahead to charge. I don't have anything to do the shopping mall where the nearest SC is, and sitting for 40 min or so regularly is not fun.

That said, everyone's tolerance is different. I've met an Model X owner who had their own garage but never installed charging because it was easy enough to visit the mall and supercharge for free. To me it is an essential part of EV ownership.

I'd go with your landlord's solution as it is likely still cheaper than gas and EV is more convenient in lots of other ways beyond cost savings.

 

[jboy210]

Winter isn't an issue for you it is for many of us including the OP.
Supercharger are one thing what if you had to rely on L2?

It depends upon where that L2 is and your access to the L2. If it is dedicated where you sleep, as one option in the OPs case, then no problem. Drive to work, shopping, etc.. Come home and plug in. Wake up in the morning with what percent range you set the car to, and if you have pre-heat on, a 75 degree car.

 

[jboy210]

I've used my Model 3 for about five months before getting home charging (it took a while to get permits and install in my underground parking spot). After a couple months the novelty of supercharging wore off and it became a bit tedious to plan ahead to charge. I don't have anything to do the shopping mall where the nearest SC is, and sitting for 40 min or so regularly is not fun.

That said, everyone's tolerance is different. I've met an Model X owner who had their own garage but never installed charging because it was easy enough to visit the mall and supercharge for free. To me it is an essential part of EV ownership.

I'd go with your landlord's solution as it is likely still cheaper than gas and EV is more convenient in lots of other ways beyond cost savings.

Completely agree. Before I picked up my X, someone used my referral code so I was eligible for a free Signature charger. So I decided not to buy a regular HPWC and get it installed before we picked up the car. Big mistake. Turns out they had not yet started shipping the Signature charger. So the charger did not arrive until 3 months after we got the car. And then took a further 3 months to install.

So like RedSafari I was relegated to a Mobile charger on 120. Which for an X adds 2 miles of range per hour. Or using the L2 chargers at the local mall (3 mile walk home). Or Superchargers. The problem for me is the closest Supercharger is also one of the busiest in the country. They have a valet some days. So that meant on weekdays being at there by 6 AM (weekends by 8 AM) to ensure I could charge without having to wait 20 minutes or more to plug in.

 

[abasile]

For those with access to only 120V outlets, a "Quick 220" might be an option to consider, as it would essentially combine two 120V circuits into a single 240V circuit. Multiple threads have discussed this approach. Here's one:

Quick 220 system?

We still have a Quick220 that I bought for traveling (regionally) with our LEAF years ago. We used it at relatives' houses that lacked 240V circuits.