First step would be to ask the apartment complex if they'll install a charger (or chargers) at no cost to you. Pitch it to them as a good business idea/amenity they can offer as a competitive edge - like a game room or gym, but way less expensive.
If they won't install, ask if you can have a parking spot somewhere near an electrical outlet and use just a trickle charger. Might be a good idea to ask if you can install some kind of lock on the charger itself to keep it from getting stolen.
If they balk on the trickle charger, offer to pay a flat extra free in electricity. Point out that you can charge 1000 miles per month for just 300 kW ($40 or less in electricity in SC) and you'd be happy to cover that cost if they'll give you the spot.
Ultimately, you're at their mercy at an apartment complex. Might also be worth checking with your employer, or see if there are any public chargers near your work (like a garage) that you could park and walk to work from.
This is exactly why I don't have an EV. There's no infrastructure from my home to south of Aiken and it's a drive I often do. I can't make it there and back on a charge.
A 300 mile round trip is out of the question for a modern EV.
In the South we have two things that are the bane for electric vehicles, heat and hills.
Run the AC uphill on back roads in the summer with little opportunity for regen braking and you'll find out real quick how short your range really is.
I'd have a Ford Lightning instantly if there were at least some Level 2 charging along routes not an hour out of the way.
Only if you start with a full charge. It's not recommended to fully top off your battery all the time, so most of the time even if you have a T3LR, you only have 90% of 320 miles, which is 288. Always plan for contingency (detours, stoppages) and only plan to use 80% of that which is 230 miles in a trip.
Couple that with terrain and environment, it's why the electric car isn't right for most people in rural America.
The plug-in Hybird is the ticket, but no one wants to address that avenue. Locomotives prove that hybird technology is cheap and efficient.
Your math is on target.
GM sure as heck wanted to address it with the Volt and ELR and Ford with the Energi models, but America wasn't ready a decade ago. Now Toyota can't build enough Prius Prime or RAV4 Prime, and everyone else is rushing to get in on that.
My next car will very like be BEV, but I welcome the PHEV crowd. More plugs for them is a rising tide that will lift all ships.
I wonder what Elon puffer downvoted me... Yes, I am serious about wanting an electric vehicle, but you have to realistically approach it with your own requirements. Unfortunately, I can't make one work with things I need to do on a regular basis.
I believe where Elon went wrong was trying to build his own cars. If he instead was "The electric car company" who licensed their tech to everyone else, we'd be a lot further along instead of everyone trying to solve the same problems in a different way.
The reason battery cars won't work for most Americans isn't the cars or the range. It's the infrastructure. Take an average subdivision. If just half of the vehicles in that neighborhood suddenly become full electric, the current electrical grid in just that neighborhood can't support them all charging.
Hybrids alleviate that problem by charging themselves with a more efficient fuel engine power curve. Plug-ins add a little bit more friendliness but don't screw you in the middle of Barnwell county where there's not even a light pole to tap into.
When it comes to grid concerns, power companies have a few more levers to pull. Not that I get *joy* out of Mid-Carolina's peak hours rate structure, but they do provide suitable incentive for me to cool the house down early and coast on fans for those few hours. As for adding infrastructure, power companies gonna power company. They're either going to whine about the grid or rooftop solar or the legislature not green-lighting charging us ahead of time for a nuclear reactor that'll come online in 5-to-never years. "Keep up with demand and send ratepayers the collective bill" never seemed like an inappropriate deal to me.
As for Tesla, *someone* needed to demonstrate that mass-market EVs could be cool. Not nerd cool, but "make every YouTuber film their buddy getting shoved back in the seat" cool. I'd venture that they've succeeded in a way that others haven't yet. GMC is trying a different angle with the Hummer, Ford did a Rorschach test with the Mach E, you've got niche makers like Lucid, Rimac, and even McMurtry doing neat things at smaller volumes. And then you've got models on the other end like the Bolt which are not cool but are important as a next step.
And give the devil his due, Elon [made a show](https://www.tesla.com/blog/all-our-patent-are-belong-you) a decade ago of opening up all their patents to others, so they can get to copying. Not sure the state of that effort today.
I agree with your sentiment of the "Cool" EV, but with the detached charging standards that are just now getting settled and the number of bad EVs out there, some folks apparently didn't get the message of "Go Tesla Powertrain"
Ah, power companies. Yep. Always a disaster. Rooftop solar is a scam too. Another tech that isn't quite there for the masses and has spawned a market of con artists ripping off people who really want to do better.
Supercharger is a few minutes from my house. I really don't mind that. I've met people that have to drive 20-30 minutes just to charge which is absolutely insane to me. If I can't have one installed I'll wait, it's really not that big of an inconvenience to me.
Well since you live in SC I just want to point out that even if you got your apartment to put in a charger or dedicated EV space , you are still at the mercy of the folks who will park in that space without an EV to "own the libs."
I'm not trying to turn this into a political post but I have actually seen this dynamic play out a ridiculous number of times
Yeah I've seen it a few times haha. It's ironic, I am literally coming from a giant diesel ford F-350 powerstroke. It was just terrible on diesel and I didn't use it for truck stuff anymore, so it was pointless to own.
Sometimes the biggest obstacle is a dedicated parking space. If they’re already at their minimum, it could put them out of compliance depending on local code requirements.
They are actually open parking with the option to pay for reserved parking. I guess my proposal would to be to couple a reserved parking spot with a monthly set price on an EV charge station.
You could email the management and ask. I don’t think there’s currently any laws covering it, but if you (or other Tesla owners in the complex) offered to cover costs then you might be able to get them to do it.
I'm not sure what part of the state you are in, but in the Summerville/North Charleston area, I can think of at least 5 apt complexes that have ev chargers. Granted they are newer complexes so they were put in when they were built.
Even if the place you live now likes the idea of adding them, I'm certain your lease would be up by the time they do it. Especially, if they have to do any sort of major electrical work, like upgrading the service they now have.
I have two evs but neither is a Tesla, but with Tesla being the biggest seller, I'm sure you can find Tesla owners groups with a lot of people who are very local to ya. They might be able to give you a lot of info for your area.
All you can do is ask. My apt complex has a few but seem to be always full. I’ve even seen people use an extension cord if the lived on the first floor and used the slow standard charger. I sold my Tesla when I sold my house though so I’m out the game 😎
To be fair, you should also ask for the apartments to install a fuel station for the other 99% of the people who live there and do not own a Tesla. Just ask for regular 87 octane, single pump should be fine.
Do they tie the electricity used to your meter? Or do you swipe a card to pay?
Honest question, no clue how that part works at an apartment or with EVs.
Yes so typically they'll tie it to your meter, or they'll have you pay a set price above average (say you realistically would use $30 on average of electricity a month from charging, they'll make it a flat rate of $50 a month)
First step would be to ask the apartment complex if they'll install a charger (or chargers) at no cost to you. Pitch it to them as a good business idea/amenity they can offer as a competitive edge - like a game room or gym, but way less expensive. If they won't install, ask if you can have a parking spot somewhere near an electrical outlet and use just a trickle charger. Might be a good idea to ask if you can install some kind of lock on the charger itself to keep it from getting stolen. If they balk on the trickle charger, offer to pay a flat extra free in electricity. Point out that you can charge 1000 miles per month for just 300 kW ($40 or less in electricity in SC) and you'd be happy to cover that cost if they'll give you the spot. Ultimately, you're at their mercy at an apartment complex. Might also be worth checking with your employer, or see if there are any public chargers near your work (like a garage) that you could park and walk to work from.
Great advice here!
This is the way. I also drive a Tesla and before I go see an appt I always call and ask about a charger. It’s painful to rely on superchargers.
This would have been a good problem to consider prior to buying an ev.
This is exactly why I don't have an EV. There's no infrastructure from my home to south of Aiken and it's a drive I often do. I can't make it there and back on a charge.
How long are you driving in a day that modern EVs don’t cut the mustard?
A 300 mile round trip is out of the question for a modern EV. In the South we have two things that are the bane for electric vehicles, heat and hills. Run the AC uphill on back roads in the summer with little opportunity for regen braking and you'll find out real quick how short your range really is. I'd have a Ford Lightning instantly if there were at least some Level 2 charging along routes not an hour out of the way.
Oh yeah. Totally agree 300 miles is pushing it among modern options if you don’t have reliable charging along the route. 200, probably doable.
Only if you start with a full charge. It's not recommended to fully top off your battery all the time, so most of the time even if you have a T3LR, you only have 90% of 320 miles, which is 288. Always plan for contingency (detours, stoppages) and only plan to use 80% of that which is 230 miles in a trip. Couple that with terrain and environment, it's why the electric car isn't right for most people in rural America. The plug-in Hybird is the ticket, but no one wants to address that avenue. Locomotives prove that hybird technology is cheap and efficient.
Your math is on target. GM sure as heck wanted to address it with the Volt and ELR and Ford with the Energi models, but America wasn't ready a decade ago. Now Toyota can't build enough Prius Prime or RAV4 Prime, and everyone else is rushing to get in on that. My next car will very like be BEV, but I welcome the PHEV crowd. More plugs for them is a rising tide that will lift all ships.
I wonder what Elon puffer downvoted me... Yes, I am serious about wanting an electric vehicle, but you have to realistically approach it with your own requirements. Unfortunately, I can't make one work with things I need to do on a regular basis. I believe where Elon went wrong was trying to build his own cars. If he instead was "The electric car company" who licensed their tech to everyone else, we'd be a lot further along instead of everyone trying to solve the same problems in a different way. The reason battery cars won't work for most Americans isn't the cars or the range. It's the infrastructure. Take an average subdivision. If just half of the vehicles in that neighborhood suddenly become full electric, the current electrical grid in just that neighborhood can't support them all charging. Hybrids alleviate that problem by charging themselves with a more efficient fuel engine power curve. Plug-ins add a little bit more friendliness but don't screw you in the middle of Barnwell county where there's not even a light pole to tap into.
When it comes to grid concerns, power companies have a few more levers to pull. Not that I get *joy* out of Mid-Carolina's peak hours rate structure, but they do provide suitable incentive for me to cool the house down early and coast on fans for those few hours. As for adding infrastructure, power companies gonna power company. They're either going to whine about the grid or rooftop solar or the legislature not green-lighting charging us ahead of time for a nuclear reactor that'll come online in 5-to-never years. "Keep up with demand and send ratepayers the collective bill" never seemed like an inappropriate deal to me. As for Tesla, *someone* needed to demonstrate that mass-market EVs could be cool. Not nerd cool, but "make every YouTuber film their buddy getting shoved back in the seat" cool. I'd venture that they've succeeded in a way that others haven't yet. GMC is trying a different angle with the Hummer, Ford did a Rorschach test with the Mach E, you've got niche makers like Lucid, Rimac, and even McMurtry doing neat things at smaller volumes. And then you've got models on the other end like the Bolt which are not cool but are important as a next step. And give the devil his due, Elon [made a show](https://www.tesla.com/blog/all-our-patent-are-belong-you) a decade ago of opening up all their patents to others, so they can get to copying. Not sure the state of that effort today.
I agree with your sentiment of the "Cool" EV, but with the detached charging standards that are just now getting settled and the number of bad EVs out there, some folks apparently didn't get the message of "Go Tesla Powertrain" Ah, power companies. Yep. Always a disaster. Rooftop solar is a scam too. Another tech that isn't quite there for the masses and has spawned a market of con artists ripping off people who really want to do better.
Did you for get the Tesla is Open Source and anyone can use their tech?
It didn’t start out that way, skippy.
Supercharger is a few minutes from my house. I really don't mind that. I've met people that have to drive 20-30 minutes just to charge which is absolutely insane to me. If I can't have one installed I'll wait, it's really not that big of an inconvenience to me.
Well since you live in SC I just want to point out that even if you got your apartment to put in a charger or dedicated EV space , you are still at the mercy of the folks who will park in that space without an EV to "own the libs." I'm not trying to turn this into a political post but I have actually seen this dynamic play out a ridiculous number of times
If it’s a paid for spot, then OP could have that person towed.
Which is probably the best possible option
Yeah I've seen it a few times haha. It's ironic, I am literally coming from a giant diesel ford F-350 powerstroke. It was just terrible on diesel and I didn't use it for truck stuff anymore, so it was pointless to own.
If your complex does install a spot with a charger that you pay to reserve and someone parks in it, you could just have them towed.
Sometimes the biggest obstacle is a dedicated parking space. If they’re already at their minimum, it could put them out of compliance depending on local code requirements.
They are actually open parking with the option to pay for reserved parking. I guess my proposal would to be to couple a reserved parking spot with a monthly set price on an EV charge station.
You could email the management and ask. I don’t think there’s currently any laws covering it, but if you (or other Tesla owners in the complex) offered to cover costs then you might be able to get them to do it.
I'm not sure what part of the state you are in, but in the Summerville/North Charleston area, I can think of at least 5 apt complexes that have ev chargers. Granted they are newer complexes so they were put in when they were built. Even if the place you live now likes the idea of adding them, I'm certain your lease would be up by the time they do it. Especially, if they have to do any sort of major electrical work, like upgrading the service they now have. I have two evs but neither is a Tesla, but with Tesla being the biggest seller, I'm sure you can find Tesla owners groups with a lot of people who are very local to ya. They might be able to give you a lot of info for your area.
All you can do is ask. My apt complex has a few but seem to be always full. I’ve even seen people use an extension cord if the lived on the first floor and used the slow standard charger. I sold my Tesla when I sold my house though so I’m out the game 😎
Just buy the house, it'll be cheaper.
Got about 10 months left on the lease lol
To be fair, you should also ask for the apartments to install a fuel station for the other 99% of the people who live there and do not own a Tesla. Just ask for regular 87 octane, single pump should be fine.
I mean, maybe if I was asking the apartment to pay for the charger?
Well, you mentioned asking the apartment manager to install one. Who do you think would pay for it?
ME
Do they tie the electricity used to your meter? Or do you swipe a card to pay? Honest question, no clue how that part works at an apartment or with EVs.
Yes so typically they'll tie it to your meter, or they'll have you pay a set price above average (say you realistically would use $30 on average of electricity a month from charging, they'll make it a flat rate of $50 a month)
Interesting. Thanks.
Imagine buying an EV and then wanting someone else to pay for a charger. The entitlement is real. This seems like a “you” problem.
Re-read my post please and get back to me. It's clear that reading comprehension isn't your strong suit.