{"id":10597,"date":"2019-08-29T14:20:41","date_gmt":"2019-08-29T21:20:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pluginamerica.org\/?p=10597"},"modified":"2023-03-07T13:03:45","modified_gmt":"2023-03-07T18:03:45","slug":"real-life-experiences-installing-charging-in-condo-buildings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pluginamerica.org\/real-life-experiences-installing-charging-in-condo-buildings\/","title":{"rendered":"Real-life experiences installing charging in condo buildings"},"content":{"rendered":"

We know that a common problem for many EV consumers living in multi-unit dwellings is the difficulty of having access to charging. After the publishing the recent blog post, <\/span>Installing electric vehicle charging in an apartment or condo building<\/span><\/a>, two of our supporters generously shared their experiences with us in depth. If you have similar experiences to share, add them in the comments below!<\/span><\/p>\n

Jim S., San Jose, CA<\/h6>\n

Here is my story of the difficulties I ran into installing an EV charging port in a 200 unit condo building.<\/span><\/p>\n

I live in San Jose, CA, which is home to perhaps the highest percentage of EVs in the world, so one would think that it would be easy to get a 50A receptacle installed; think again.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2015, we sold our house in the suburbs and moved to a 22-story condo building downtown. The purchase was contingent on the approval of installation of an EV charging receptacle. I was the very first person in the condo to request this, so the homeowners association committee was somewhat confused as to how to proceed and what would be required. After some study they concluded that though Pacific Gas and Electric Company provided enough power to the building to support my 50A receptacle, the building circuit breakers were not sized correctly when the building was constructed in 2010 to allow me to add 50 amps to the load. I was told I would have to pay for new building circuit breakers at an estimated cost of $50,000 or more. I told them this didn\u2019t work for me and that I would be cancelling my condo purchase if they didn\u2019t come up with a better solution.<\/span><\/p>\n

After some research by the electric service company that installed the power services in the building,<\/span> it was concluded that there was sufficient headroom and power for my EV. The next step was to get a permit from the city of San Jose, hire an electric service company to install the PG&E meter, run the 100 foot or so of conduit and NEMA 14-50 receptacle. This step was expensive, as PG&E installs meters in something called a 4plex which is a unit that supports 4 meters. This means that I would be paying the substantial cost of an installation benefiting the next 3 people wanting an EV charger installed. Fortunately, by this time the seller was desperate to close the sale and paid for half of the installation. I too was anxious to move, but the EV problem caused a delay of three months.<\/span><\/p>\n

A year later I was able to have an electrician pull new wires in the conduit to support 100 amps and install a 14-50 receptacle for our second EV.<\/span><\/p>\n

Things learned:<\/strong><\/p>\n