A revolution of electrification is happening fast in the United States. While rapid electric vehicle (EV) adoption rates quickly fill the nation's highways with electric transportation, other essential elements to support the revolution – like apartment EV charging – are slowly catching up to speed.
Today, EV ownership can seem difficult or even unobtainable for many of the 38.9 million Americans renting an apartment in a building with five or more units. Without a personal garage or dedicated spot to recharge a vehicle at home, apartment dwellers may be subject to the varied charging costs, potentially long wait times, and limited availability of public charging stations, including ICEing – in which internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles block access to public EV chargers.
While President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is sending $5 billion in funding to help build highway-side fast-charging options throughout the United States, uneven distribution of charging stations (both across the country and within cities) can be challenging for EV drivers everywhere.
To help calm your charge anxiety and accelerate the electrification revolution forward, we will outline all your electric car charging options as an apartment owner or renter.
1. Charging at Your Apartment Building
Today, many sustainability-minded building complexes offer EV charging stations as an amenity. If you are not lucky enough to live in such a place, here are your options.
Level 1 Charging
Using the Level 1 charging cable included with the purchase of your vehicle, you can slowly recharge your EV by plugging it into an ordinary 120V AC power outlet. Although it can only charge about 4 miles per hour, this method of “trickle charging” can be a convenient way to add a few miles of range to your battery wherever a power outlet is present. If you drive less than 30 miles a day, you can easily recover the range you need with overnight Level 1 charging.
Unfortunately, power outlets are not always readily available in shared parking areas for many apartment and condominium owners. No matter how tempting it is, never use an extension cord to charge your vehicle. This can be hazardous.
Request a Level 2 EV charging station at your apartment complex
Depending on your living arrangement, you may be able to request an EV charging station at your apartment building – allowing yourself and other tenants (both present and future) to charge vehicles onsite. As the rise of electric vehicles is undeniable, you may have no trouble convincing your housing complex association or landlord to add EV chargers to the property. To strengthen your case, you should educate any stakeholders about the federal, local, and utility-sponsored EV charger incentives available in your area to reduce the project's overall costs. Adding an EV charging station can open the possibility of an additional revenue stream for building owners, increase the property value, and attract or retain sustainably minded tenants looking specifically for chargers onsite.
Community Charging for Shared Parking
If you have shared parking, the property owners may install a commercial-grade EV charging station. These chargers are a bit more durable than residential grade and are built to withstand multiple uses per day for many years.
Since the shared parking charging station is considered a public amenity, the installation will need to follow the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements. This includes accommodation to the parking stall's size for accessibility loading and unloading, and improvements to the path of travel from the parking location to the building entry.
As you can see, proper research and steps need to be taken to install an EV charging station at an apartment complex. There are several role-players throughout the process, including an architect, electrical engineer, and electrician.
2. Workplace Charging
Without a dedicated EV charging station at home, workplace charging is a popular solution for many Americans commuting from apartments in electric vehicles. Today, businesses across the country recognize the value of installing EV charging equipment, which has led to office buildings and workplaces offering chargers for employees or visitors to use onsite.
Knowing that 70%-80% of EV drivers charge their vehicles at home or work every day, some workplaces and office complexes offer EV charging programs to help drivers coordinate and effectively schedule the use of the shared equipment.
With a Level 2 charger at your workplace, you may only need a handful of hours to completely charge your vehicle’s battery, even after a long commute. Although some employers will cover onsite EV charging expenses as a company perk, paid workplace charging at this level is also typically much more cost-effective than public fast charging stations.
3. Nearby Public Charging Stations
When home or workplace charging is unavailable, apartment owners and renters can always fall back on public EV charging stations. Depending on where you live, work, and play, a Level 2 or (even faster) Level 3 DC EV charger may be available at your nearest grocery store, shopping mall, government facility, place of worship, or another public-facing property. Finding a public charging station is much easier today, as several apps and platforms display available chargers nearby.
In addition to businesses in the private sector installing EV charging stations to earn revenue and attract customers, the U.S. Transportation Department has approved public EV charging station plans across highways in all 50 states, Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico. Level 3 chargers are cost-prohibitive for most apartment complexes as they cost upwards of $50,000 and require electricity upgrades to the facility in most cases.
Understanding EV Charging Levels
Whether in your apartment building, at work, or on the go, the time and costs incurred while charging your EV will depend on several factors, the largest of which are the capabilities of your vehicle and the “level” of the charging station. Find the perfect EV charger for your vehicle.
| Range added while charging | Estimated time to fully charge an EV | Advantages | Disadvantages | |
| Level 1 | 4 to 5 miles per hour | 40 to 50+ hours | Low-cost equipment, widely available sources of power. Cost $600-1,200 including installation. | Very slow charging speeds |
| Level 2 | 16 to 60 miles per hour | 4 to 10 hours | Available at many different speeds and price points and can fully charge vehicles overnight. Cost $2,000-3,000 including installation. Enphase EV chargers have a 5-year warranty. | Requires a dedicated outlet and can be difficult to find in public for a multi-hour session |
| Level 3 | 170 to 300+ miles per hour | 30 minutes | Extremely fast charging speeds | Cost prohibitive and most properties cannot support the electricity needed. Costs more than $50,000. |
When compared to slower Level 1 trickle charging and more expensive Level 3 fast charging, Level 2 charging stations are often exactly right for apartment complexes, workspaces, hotels, and other places in which drivers find themselves spending several hours at a time. If you are considering an EVSE (Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment) purchase (or are working with your building owner to add an EV charging station), a Level 2 charger will be the best choice, providing budget flexibility, efficient charging speeds, reliability backed by a 5-year warranty, and compatibility with all electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.
