Renters face charging dilemma
All Hillary Schubach wanted to do is something good for the environment.
But after switching to driving a plugin electric sedan, she quickly realized a new complication of apartment living: access to a charging station.
Schubach’s hardly alone. Even as it appears electric car sales are hitting a tipping point, those living in apartments and condominiums around the nation can find it difficult, expensive or outright impossible to find a way to plug in when they’re at home.
With nearly 1 out of 3 households living in apartments or condominiums, the goal of switching to electric vehicles to fight climate change and save on gas becomes all the more challenging.
“It’s definitely harder,” said Joel Levin, executive director of Plug In America. “The vast majority of EV drivers live in single-family houses.”
Levin said his nonprofit advocacy group advises prospective EV owners to find locations where they can reliably charge on a regular basis. And while that might be tough for those living in multifamily buildings, especially older ones with more primitive power systems, there are other options.
“It could be a mother’s house, work or a public charger in the neighborhood. There’s not any one solution,” Levin said.
Schubach figured she could get a wall charger installed near her parking spot or, at the very least, find a way to run a cord to a standard wall socket.
But she soon found out there was simply no place to plug it in.
The electric utility wouldn’t let her install a separate meter so she could
pay for the extra juice, and it could cost upward of $5,000 for a new wiring arrangement.
“I am extraordinarily frustrated,” she said.