[mad1dude]

Currently I'm charging via free chargers at work and some supermarket carparks. Otherwise I use various fast chargers where convenient. I live in an apartment complex and there is no provision for granny charging where my parking space is. The body corporate have already explcitly told me that I cannot use the nearby GPO and they have not yet considered any options for owners to install their own wall charger. I am currently the only EV owner in the complex, and they aren't in a position to support my needs for at least a couple of years or so.

Just saw this article ABC - Sam spent several months and thousands of dollars to get an EV charger installed in his apartment and there is no way I'm going to the lengths that this person did.

Am wondering how other apartment dwellers are managing in their respective situations.

 

[stevelup]

I think moving to a new apartment with more progressive and sensible management is probably your only option!

 

[Kullerbytter Moln]

Although we are lucky to have a power point in our respective garages, I think a communal fast charger (7kW/11kW) activated via RFID for authorised charging, located in an existing visitor's bay may be a good solution. This will be similar to the commercial options offered by Chargefox, Everty, Evie etc, but an agreement will need to be struck between them and the strata body corporate for billing, maintenance, management and access. This allows the charger to be used on a pay per use basis, while at the same time discourages people from over staying. This is of course, pending there's sufficient electrical spare capacity.

 

[Bl4ckD0g]

Although we are lucky to have a power point in our respective garages, I think a communal fast charger (7kW/11kW) activated via RFID for authorised charging, located in an existing visitor's bay may be a good solution. This will be similar to the commercial options offered by Chargefox, Everty, Evie etc, but an agreement will need to be struck between them and the strata body corporate for billing, maintenance, management and access. This allows the charger to be used on a pay per use basis, while at the same time discourages people from over staying. This is of course, pending there's sufficient electrical spare capacity.

It would need more than one, and building management need to get with the times. A 7/11 charger could take all night, especially with a little car setting tweak , and you'll just get people hogging it. There is really no excuse not to have one installed in ones designated parking space if that is what one wants. The demand on the power for such charger is nothing compared to other items like AC or Swimming Pools, or multiple ovens etc.

 

[sarcastyx]

I think a communal fast charger (7kW/11kW) activated via RFID for authorised charging, located in an existing visitor's bay may be a good solution

My buildings body corporate thought about that as well at one time. I queried them 2 things:
1. How do they stop me or a fellow resident from parking their car there all the time and using it as their personal parking spot. Or as @Bl4ckD0g said, I could set the amperage to a lower amount and super slow charge the car for 12 hours at a time.
2. How do they stop ICE cars from parking in that spot considering our building only has a limited number of visitor spots and not much street parking either.

We don't have a building manager on site to stop these things from happening. We have strict by-laws preventing owners from parking in the visitor spots but that hasn't stopped fellow owners from parking their cars there all the time just because their allocated parking spot is a bit difficult to get to or is further away.

Just saw this article ABC - Sam spent several months and thousands of dollars to get an EV charger installed in his apartment and there is no way I'm going to the lengths that this person did.

Funny I just got a suggestion from Facebook to watch the video from ABC about this person and getting an EV charger installed. One thing that our building management said and all the owners agreed on is that having a valid EV charging option is going to only add value to all our properties. And we all know that as soon as the owners hear more money they will generally side with that statement and then the body corporate can't say no to that request.

 

[mad1dude]

I think the challenge in my case is that I am the only EV owner in my apartment complex. As soon as I see another EV begin parking here, I'm going to approach that owner and see what they plan to do. As several of you have suggested, until the body corporate are more progressive (and are willing to embrace what is clearly inevitable) I'm going to have to swim upstream for a while.

Note that our body corporate only recently invested in number plate recognition to try and combat years of visitor parking abuse (jury is out as to whether that has been effective, as there are limited CCTV cameras throughout the parking areas and relies on up to date vehicle data). The changes they needed to make to the by-laws to support the enforcement of such also took quite a long time to discuss and then implement. If they are going to adopt some sort of shared EV charging facility, then I figure it will take just as long (or probably longer as EVs are clearly quite a low priority to them).

Moving elsewhere and/or into our own home is obviously a way out of the situation, but it's not really a practical nor cost effective one right now for our current circumstances.

The local council has gone some way to try and tackle this by providing free parking to local residents at the nearby public carpark for up to 90 mins per day. This is okay for top ups (it's a 11kW charger with 2 bays), but it does have it's peculiarities (it's an EO charger so does the stupid $45 pre-payment for every charge). Perhaps as public charging infastructure continues to increase then I may not have to deal with the limitations in my apartment complex.

 

[sarcastyx]

Not sure about your building but in mine some owners have said that they would buy an EV if there was a charging point in the building or they had a strategy. Right now I too am the only person with an EV in the building. But I am going to hound them in the meeting to get this looked at ASAP. I did bring it to their attention in March this year.

 

[Diabolus]

I'm in a townhouse with it's own power supply and meter and as per the strata document I've been given this means to install a 7kwh charger the only thing I need my body corporate to do is agree to have someone come in and test the infrastructure of the complex to confirm installing a charger won't effect the other residents. Sounds easy right?

Well I made my first submission to the body corporate early September 2022....no response..... another submission end of October 2022....no response.... another submission beginning of January 2023.....so far no response. I will be contacting the management company that oversees the complex in Tues to hopefully get something happening.

Frustrating that I can order a car, have it built from scratch and shipped to OZ faster than getting a simple response from my body corporate.

 

[z0mbiew0mbat]

I'm moving into a new fairly large complex shortly (as an off the plan owner) and post the initial plan there is going to be a pair of body corporate 15Kw chargers in the parking lots for common access, I have also been able to vary my contract to include a dedicated (body corp metered) 7Kw Charger in the basement park allocated to our unit. I think that will be a progressive shift in new builds - but definitely one that body corps of older properties are going to need to address!

 

[Diabolus]

My request for wall charger in my garage has finally go to vote with the body corporate so at least something's happened after mths of waiting.

 

[Diabolus]

Today i received notice from body corporate that i have been approved to install a charger

 

[Eyeballs]

Currently I'm charging via free chargers at work and some supermarket carparks. Otherwise I use various fast chargers where convenient. I live in an apartment complex and there is no provision for granny charging where my parking space is. The body corporate have already explcitly told me that I cannot use the nearby GPO and they have not yet considered any options for owners to install their own wall charger. I am currently the only EV owner in the complex, and they aren't in a position to support my needs for at least a couple of years or so.

Just saw this article ABC - Sam spent several months and thousands of dollars to get an EV charger installed in his apartment and there is no way I'm going to the lengths that this person did.

Am wondering how other apartment dwellers are managing in their respective situations.

Join the Body Corporate committee, even better be the chairman.