3 ms·

Here in Alaska, people commonly plug in their normal cars in the winter so they will start after a cold night (these are heating units that are spliced into the

Here in Alaska, people commonly plug in their normal cars in the winter so they will start after a cold night (these are heating units that are spliced into the engine's hoses to circulate and warm the engine coolant). Just about every private parking spot has an electrical outlet for each parking space, even at quite downscale apartment buildings. It's usually controlled by a switch inside the unit. You can flip it on when you wake up so the car is warmed up enough to start by the time you leave for work. I remember many years ago that having one of these outlets was a bullet point for apartment listings, but nowadays it's just expected. So the market worked in that case. EV charging stations are going to be more expensive than a basic 20 amp outlet (a quick web search indicates $700 to $2,000, not including installation), but not all that expensive, compared to the other capital expenses involved in being a landlord.

Reason077 5y ago
Even $700 seems expensive for a basic wall charger. I see them as low as £225 (USD $310) here in the UK[1], so expect them to get cheaper as the market develops. Of course, the real cost is in the installation and wiring. [1] https://evonestop.co.uk/collections/home-charging-range/products/qubev-ev-charging-unit-type-2-socket-32-amp-7-2-kw-ip65 https://evonestop.co.uk/collections/home-charging-range/prod...
- Turing_Machine 5y ago
  For permanent installation in parking lots, they need to be weatherized, rugged enough to make at least a token resistance against people running them over, and so on. The ones I was seeing were built into bollard-like posts.
  - Reason077 5y ago
    Yes. Note that the one I linked to is weatherised (IP65), and claims "Corrosion resistant & ﬁre retardant, Impact resistant design" ... so it should be rugged enough to survive in typical apartment parking lots. Obviously bollards will cost more, but something like this would be suitable if you have parking spaces up against an existing wall.
theshrike79 5y ago
Same in the nordics. There's a block heater for the engine, just to get the oil to a sane temperature. Pretty much every single parking spot in apartment buildings has an 8A/230V socket for it. If you remove the default 2 hour timer from it, you can use the exact same socket to charge 100-200km of range to an electric car over night.

Reason077 5y ago

Even $700 seems expensive for a basic wall charger. I see them as low as £225 (USD $310) here in the UK[1], so expect them to get cheaper as the market develops. Of course, the real cost is in the installation and wiring. [1] https://evonestop.co.uk/collections/home-charging-range/products/qubev-ev-charging-unit-type-2-socket-32-amp-7-2-kw-ip65 https://evonestop.co.uk/collections/home-charging-range/prod...

Turing_Machine 5y ago
For permanent installation in parking lots, they need to be weatherized, rugged enough to make at least a token resistance against people running them over, and so on. The ones I was seeing were built into bollard-like posts.
- Reason077 5y ago
  Yes. Note that the one I linked to is weatherised (IP65), and claims "Corrosion resistant & ﬁre retardant, Impact resistant design" ... so it should be rugged enough to survive in typical apartment parking lots. Obviously bollards will cost more, but something like this would be suitable if you have parking spaces up against an existing wall.

theshrike79 5y ago

Same in the nordics. There's a block heater for the engine, just to get the oil to a sane temperature. Pretty much every single parking spot in apartment buildings has an 8A/230V socket for it. If you remove the default 2 hour timer from it, you can use the exact same socket to charge 100-200km of range to an electric car over night.