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Author Topic: Charging in a condo  (Read 1713 times)

francesco

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Charging in a condo
« on: October 17, 2014, 04:46:13 AM »

Does anybody live in a condo? How do you charge your motorcycle?
From what I read on the internet people don't like EV owners very much (e.g. http://articles.latimes.com/2013/nov/17/business/la-fi-associations-20131117 )...

I read that somebody charges the motorcycle in his own apartment...is that feasible/practical? I guess people would be just as unhappy of having a neighbor carrying a motorcycle in the elevator.

How would you suggest to go about it?
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KrazyEd

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Re: Charging in a condo
« Reply #1 on: October 18, 2014, 12:47:23 PM »

I don't know how feasible it would be for motorcycles, but, there is a guy here in Vegas with an electric car
who lives in a condo. He has installed a power meter, similar to what you have on the side of your house.
He plugs in, and, pays for the power used. I would think that a Kill A Watt, or, Watts UP meter would
probably work better.
« Last Edit: October 18, 2014, 09:41:50 PM by KrazyEd »
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ctrlburn

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Re: Charging in a condo
« Reply #2 on: October 18, 2014, 08:17:53 PM »

Most of the conflicts I've read about are people already living in Condos adding an Electric Vehicle, and then seeking a charging solution. Wrestling with the conflict of cost sharing that $2-3,000.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1072312_can-condos-coexist-with-electric-cars-volt-owner-to-be-cut-off

A few use tend to be conflicts with individual tenets resenting the use of what is perceived as public power for individual gain.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1090437_chevy-volt-charging-cord-cut-angry-neighbor-electric-car-hater

When shopping for the condo - show up on the EV and ask where to charge it.
Being a part of the discussion in the selection process would certainly alleviate formal concerns.
That way neither party is negotiating from an already vested position.
Cruise the parking lots and check out our the other electric vehicles are handling it when scouting a location.

As for the EV haters - have a spare cord. Either share the ride go have some vigilante protection or pretend to be miserable whenever riding in or out of the parking lot - (keep the "smug" levels down).

The other "inversion" to consider is charging at work. The charging stations just a few blocks from my work are "free" (just pay to park and charging is no additional charge). Business centers have better charging facilities than residential centers.
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Burton

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Re: Charging in a condo
« Reply #3 on: October 18, 2014, 08:40:06 PM »

What floor will you be on? Might just be able to run an extension cord out side lol

I live in a two story condo where I own the first two floors and the neighbor owns the top two floors (4 total floors per "section") but mine has a garage ;)
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Richard230

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Re: Charging in a condo
« Reply #4 on: October 18, 2014, 11:49:36 PM »

What floor will you be on? Might just be able to run an extension cord out side lol

I live in a two story condo where I own the first two floors and the neighbor owns the top two floors (4 total floors per "section") but mine has a garage ;)

Here is the way I used to charge my GPR-S at work - when I was working.   :)
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francesco

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Re: Charging in a condo
« Reply #5 on: October 19, 2014, 02:41:46 PM »

Charging at work seems indeed the most viable solution.

Btw, i'm glad to see that the topic is discussed in the electric community.
I found this video from a few years ago, where the issue is discussed at length:


It's specific for Santa Monica, but many ideas are applicable everywhere.
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ctrlburn

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Re: Charging in a condo
« Reply #6 on: October 19, 2014, 09:39:18 PM »

The video is an hour and 17 minutes long.
I dropped at the 3 minute mark.
I presume because it was Francesco's question, and Francesco's video link if there was an answer there he has it rather than wait for me to watch the video and answer the post.

To not impose and still charge in apartment/condo - get a unit with a removable Battery - Zero FX - and just bring the battery up to charge.
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protomech

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Re: Charging in a condo
« Reply #7 on: October 20, 2014, 01:18:32 AM »

I live in an apartment unit without access to charging in the parking garage.

The vast majority of my charging is done at work. Because my commute is much shorter now, I charge somewhat infrequently or before a longer afternoon / evening ride. Most of the time work charging is not a problem, but it is less convenient than plugging in at home.

If charging at work was not an option, I could potentially run a long extension cord from my unit to the bike. My other options would be charging at a friend's house, charging at a Blink EVSE ~2 blocks away ($2.40/hour for $0.10/hour in power!), or charging at a nearby parking garage with an accessible 110V outlet ($2/hour, $10/day max = cheaper than Blink..)
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Patrick Truchon

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Re: Charging in a condo
« Reply #8 on: October 21, 2014, 01:25:50 AM »

I'm currently in the process of trying to get a 120V outlet installed near my parking spot (along with a 240V outlet if possible).  My strata was very supportive in helping me explore options.  The preferred solution is to get the outlet connected to my meter (if possible) so that I'm the one paying for the electricity.  If that's not possible, they'll allow me to get an outlet installed that's connected to the public meter for a flat annual fee (to be determined).

There was a report recently released for British Columbian that's very extensive:  http://pluginbc.ca/resource/installation-electric-vehicle-charging-stations-strata-properties-british-columbia/
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