Prospective Buyer without ability to charge at home

[sid234]

I live in a condo as well without the ability to charge at home, and I rely on 50Kw chargers about 10 min from home. I commute about 20 miles a day, and I charge once per week usually from 50 or 60 percent to 80 percent for 30 or 40 minutes and that covers me for the week.

I drive the MME 4X premium and I absolutely love it. Definitely had range concerns when I first bought it, but I have zero concerns now after having lived with it for about 6 months. Based on my driving style I'm averaging about 300 - 310 miles per full charge, which honestly is the equivalent of what I got on the vehicle I was replacing, and is more than enough for the my daily needs, as well as the occasional 3 to 4 hour family road trips that I do with the wife and 2 kids.

That's great to hear! Do you recommend getting the ER option if i decide to get the MME?

Sponsored

 

[HDer]

Just to add my two cents: how much do you like the stores at the mall? Battery degradation from DC fast charging isn't a big worry if you're only planning to keep the car for 3 years.

One thing I would be cognizant of is that you might not end up saving money by going electric if you don't have home charging or free charging at work. We did the math in NorCal and the breakeven point ended up being something like 25-30mpg. So make sure it's worth it. The Mach-E is an expensive car even after the tax rebates and you have a lot of choices at that cost level.

 

[DaMeatMan]

That's great to hear! Do you recommend getting the ER option if i decide to get the MME?

Definitely get the most range that you can afford. If it comes down cutting costs, I would chose the single motor option with the extended range battery. This will give you the longest possible range of all the options available, and will lessen the "learning curve" such that the range you get is likely pretty close to whatever ICE vehicle you were replacing. This single factor alone will likely have a huge impact on your day to day enjoyment of the vehicle if you can just get in and drive where you need to go without worrying about range. 0-60 times and stuff are more of a party trick you pull out from time to time, and at the end of the day are nice but are one of the least important factors for me personally.

If you can afford the AWD with extended range battery, that will give you similar but slightly less range, albeit with more power.

But at the end of the day for a brand new EV buyer that cannot charge at home, getting the most range you can afford should be at the top of your priority list to ensure you actually enjoy your purchase.

 

[dbsb3233]

Yeah, i can talk to my condo association and see if parking spots near the common mail area can be used for EV charging.

Does anyone know the cost of installing a L2 charging system?

There's a HUGE variance in cost and options. Probably all starting with proximity to the power source.

Cheapest is just installing a few 120v outlets. Next cheapest is just installing a few 240v 14-15 outlets. People can use their own chargers if needed. Not ideal, but if it's the difference between getting them to install something workable vs nothing, it's something.

Next cheapest is to install a "dumb" charger like most people install at home. Those chargers are usually <$800 (for just the charger itself).

The "Full Monty", so to speak, would be something like ChargePoint point-of-sale chargers, that charge for use.

Another consideration is access control. If, for instance, installing basic home-style chargers without payment processing, they risk non-residents coming in and occupying them. If the parking lot/garage has a gate, that's better. Or the charger itself has some sort of access control on it that limits it to residents. Or for that matter, just those residents that the complex charges a monthly fee for.

 

[HDer]

The standard wisdom is that FWD/RWD w/ winter tires >> AWD w/ all season tires. But it's a bit of a pain to have to change your tires twice a year.

 

[sid234]

Definitely get the most range that you can afford. If it comes down cutting costs, I would chose the single motor option with the extended range battery. This will give you the longest possible range of all the options available, and will lessen the "learning curve" such that the range you get is likely pretty close to whatever ICE vehicle you were replacing. This single factor alone will likely have a huge impact on your day to day enjoyment of the vehicle if you can just get in and drive where you need to go without worrying about range. 0-60 times and stuff are more of a party trick you pull out from time to time, and at the end of the day are nice but are one of the least important factors for me personally.

If you can afford the AWD with extended range battery, that will give you similar but slightly less range, albeit with more power.

But at the end of the day for a brand new EV buyer that cannot charge at home, getting the most range you can afford should be at the top of your priority list to ensure you actually enjoy your purchase.

I live in New England, so snow is something i have to factor in. which is why i was looking at AWD

 

[HDer]

There's a HUGE variance in cost and options. Probably all starting with proximity to the power source.

Cheapest is just installing a few 120v outlets. Next cheapest is just installing a few 240v 14-15 outlets. People can use their own chargers if needed. Not ideal, but if it's the difference between getting them to install something workable vs nothing, it's something.

Next cheapest is to install a "dumb" charger like most people install at home. Those chargers are usually <$800 (for just the charger itself).

The "Full Monty", so to speak, would be something like ChargePoint point-of-sale chargers, that charge for use.

Another consideration is access control. If, for instance, installing basic home-style chargers without payment processing, they risk non-residents coming in and occupying them. If the parking lot/garage has a gate, that's better. Or the charger itself has some sort of access control on it that limits it to residents. Or for that matter, just those residents that the complex charges a monthly fee for.

If I were on the condo board I'd be super hesitant to put in any kind of "dumb" charger. That's just asking for conflicts between residents as people will forget to move their cars after charging, unplug each other's cars, mine bitcoin in their cars, etc.

If they don't want to pay upfront, one option to consider is something like Blink: https://blinkcharging.com/businesses/host-a-station/ Blink will pay for the upfront, but the cost per kW is way higher.

 

[sid234]

There's a HUGE variance in cost and options. Probably all starting with proximity to the power source.

Cheapest is just installing a few 120v outlets. Next cheapest is just installing a few 240v 14-15 outlets. People can use their own chargers if needed. Not ideal, but if it's the difference between getting them to install something workable vs nothing, it's something.

Next cheapest is to install a "dumb" charger like most people install at home. Those chargers are usually <$800 (for just the charger itself).

The "Full Monty", so to speak, would be something like ChargePoint point-of-sale chargers, that charge for use.

Another consideration is access control. If, for instance, installing basic home-style chargers without payment processing, they risk non-residents coming in and occupying them. If the parking lot/garage has a gate, that's better. Or the charger itself has some sort of access control on it that limits it to residents. Or for that matter, just those residents that the complex charges a monthly fee for.

Good point, i didnt think of that.. Hmm

The other option to install an outlet at my home but use Cord protective cover across the footpath between my home and the parking spot.

The standard wisdom is that FWD/RWD w/ winter tires >> AWD w/ all season tires. But it's a bit of a pain to have to change your tires twice a year.

That's an interesting option that i did not consider. thanks for the suggestion

 

[dbsb3233]

If I were on the condo board I'd be super hesitant to put in any kind of "dumb" charger. That's just asking for conflicts between residents as people will forget to move their cars after charging, unplug each other's cars, mine bitcoin in their cars, etc.

If they don't want to pay upfront, one option to consider is something like Blink: https://blinkcharging.com/businesses/host-a-station/ Blink will pay for the upfront, but the cost per kW is way higher.

Yeah, access control and conflicts are bound to be an issue in the future as more people buy BEVs. There's already a lot of it at hotels, parking garages, etc. Access control is one solution (whether built into the charger or physical access to it), but perhaps more important is quantity. I'd much rather see 5-10 cheap chargers go in than 1-2 fancy (expensive) chargers. Even a half dozen basic 14-50 outlets would be better than 1 full-featured charger.

Access control can take many forms. Like gates, parking passes, or even just padlocks, or keypad locks where you give out the code to the resident that pays a $50/mo fee for access to them. Even something as simple as an outlet cover+lock can be effective.

 

[dbsb3233]

Good point, i didnt think of that.. Hmm

The other option to install an outlet at my home but use Cord protective cover across the footpath between my home and the parking spot.

If your condo and parking spot happens to be close enough, that could be an option. Probably need OK from the board to drape it across the sidewalk though (liability issues if someone trips, or a snowblower catches it, etc).

There are limits to extension cord distance, of course, requiring higher gauge the further you go. They also make J-1772 extension cords too.

 

[RetiredDP]

Hi, Thanks for the information. I have the same worry as well about the car and using it without a charger at home. I will have to check in and see if my workplace would be open to installing L2 charging that i can utilize, since i am at work >6hrs/day.

Check this out:
https://grizzl-e.com/business-products/
Go to the bottom of the page, and click on the video. He's hard to understand (English as a 2nd language), but the "Lite" version looks like a good bet.

 

[Mach-Lee]

First, extension cords are a no-go for car charging, the EVSE has to plug directly into the wall outlet. Fire risk otherwise. I've seen melted outlets and near fires.

Condo boards and HOAs love to deny you the privilege of doing anything they don't agree with. I can almost guarantee that someone will complain about the cord going across public sidewalk even if you put a cord protector over it. The only way this would work is if you got permission from the condo board IN WRITING. However I don't see them wanting to do this from a liability standpoint and they may revoke permission at any time.

Also, if the outlet you are using isn't metered to your unit, they will also complain about you stealing power and may try to sue you for the cost. It has happened before. Or, they may be hesitant to allow outdoor charging due to the electrical safety and fire risks.

If the board somehow decided to install a proper L2 charger, there is nothing preventing other people from using or misusing it. Or people with ICE cars that park there. You can't count on being able to use it even if they installed it.

If I was on the condo board, I would say no to anyone charging cars outside with cords due to the electrical and fire safety risks of people doing it wrong. The only way would be if residents would vote for using condo funds to install a L2 charger, and decide on a fair access plan for it. Enforcement would also have to be considered.

It's really just a mess and it's better to just assume you can't charge at home in a condo situation due to all the red tape. Somebody will get upset about it unless everyone can do it equally.

 

[Ma9573]

Hi,
I've been considering purchasing an electric car for a few weeks now and really love how the Mach-e looks and drives (Got a test drive of a AWD premium at the local dealership). My main concern is that i live in a condo with a assigned parking spot but it isn't near a power outlet. I have multiple L2 chargers <5 mins from my place by Chargepoint and 2 DC chargers at a Mall 10 mins from my home. My daily commute in about 30 miles round trip, with 80-90% of it on a highway.

I was wondering if anyone else has a MME in a similar situation as me and if the forum in general had any advice on whether i should go with a BEV or try something like a PHEV or Hybrid?
Also, if I do get a MME, is there any issue with going to with the Select AWD or Premium AWD with standard range for the situation described above (the premium ER with AWD is out of my budget)? I want an AWD since i live in New England and I prefer having AWD for driving in the snow.

I Street park and can attest that you can definitely make it work with nothing but public charging.
There are ways to actually make it pretty easy to use a BEV without home charging, but it depends on the charging infrastructure in your area, which seems like it might be decent but not great. I'd imagine you're not in Boston, but perhaps a suburb?

Let's just say you have some trepidation about BEV. In 2016 I really wanted a Model S, but was concerned about the same thing. I went with an Energi basically as a test case as to whether I could make an EV work without much extra effort. It became second nature to park a 9 minute walk from the office instead of a 2 minute walk, charging at the grocery store, slightly longer walks to business meetings in order to charge, finding chargers near movies, restaurants, parks, etc. After I paid off the Energi I went straight to a Mach E and 4 months in I literally can't get below 20% SOC because it's just too easy to find level 2 charging with minimal (read: 2-8 minutes of extra walking) inconvenience.

Caveats being that I live in a City with great infrastructure where it never gets cold or snows or even rains anymore (unfortunately ). That makes it easy to walk a little extra distance, I realize.

Anyway, I'm not saying you should get a BEV. I'm saying that you likely can get one.
In the end though, a short lease PHEV could be a good move for you to test the waters.

 

[OH2AZ2OH]

You are essentially in the worst case scenario for EV ownership at this point. It *can* work, but the people who are happiest with EVs charge at home or at work. The people who have to rely on DCFC or public chargers for all of their charging needs are the least likely to buy another EV. DCFC is quite expensive, and you would probably come out ahead with a hybrid for now. If you really, really want an EV, research your nearby fast charging stations. VW offers a few years of free EA access with their new EVs, and the Tesla Supercharging network is the current gold standard.

https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/ev-owners-switch-gas-power-study/

 

[praxiscat]

So since I have experience with this. I know it is completely doable not having at home charging if you live in an area where there is plenty of chargers around. I live in an area with several L2 chargers near me, and on top of that 4 DCFC locations a mile and a half from me.

My husband has been driving a Tesla Model 3 for 3 years at this point with no at home charging. Absolutely zero issues.

While some people say "don't buy an electric without at home charging", I am going to outright say they have no idea what they are talking about.

Let me be clear. If you live in an area with built up electric car infrastructure, like the DC metro area or much of California, having an at home charger is unnecessary. I am in the DC metro area. The charging infrastructure here gets better with every year.

This is not ideal everywhere, but I am being blunt, in my townhome community I am FINE. It sounds like you are in a very similar situation to me, where you can easily charge your car. I got a premium ER AWD. Its a fantastic vehicle. If you are thinking about it go for it.

A decade ago it was a necessity to have an at home charging, but if you live in a major metro area with good charging infrastructure, it is no longer necessary. This is only going to improve over time.

I should note...I live in DC. The DC area has great charging infrastructure. We do have winter but it is pretty mild most of the time. This advice does not apply to everyone. If I lived in Chicago I would definitely want at home charging. But here, its not a need at all.

Sponsored