Home Charging
We believe that the future is one where most EV charging happens at home. If you live in an apartment or condo, the industry has mostly ignored you. That needs to change.
Last updated: May 2025The Scale of the Problem
About 35% of US households rent. Only about 5% of multifamily properties have any EV charging at all. That means roughly 44 million American households have no practical way to own an electric car.
Research from the National Household Travel Survey shows a 3.5:1 ratio of homeowner to renter EV ownership. This isn't a preference gap. It's an infrastructure gap.
Level 1 Is the Underrated Answer
The EV industry skipped past Level 1 charging because charging networks make money selling Level 2 hardware, not because Level 1 is inadequate for most people.
A standard 120V wall outlet adds about 40 miles of range overnight. The median American drives less than that. For half the population, a regular outlet is enough.
The problem isn't the physics. The problem is access to the plug.
The Economics
Installing dedicated Level 2 chargers in apartment parking costs roughly $3,000–$8,000 per spot. That's why most buildings haven't done it.
But a dedicated 120V/20A circuit per parking spot, enough for Level 1 charging with a safety margin, costs roughly $750–$1,250 per spot. That's roughly one-quarter the cost.
With smart load management, a single 400-amp subpanel can serve 80 parking spots.
"Right to Charge" Laws
About 20 states now have laws that prevent landlords and HOAs from unreasonably blocking tenants from installing EV chargers. These laws vary significantly — some require the tenant to pay installation costs, others mandate that landlords provide access if the tenant covers reasonable expenses.
If you live in one of these states and your landlord says no, you may have legal recourse. Check your state's current legislation before giving up.
States with some form of right-to-charge law include: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. Laws change — verify current status for your state.
If you have no charging access at all
If you park on the street, have no outlet nearby, and your workplace doesn't offer charging, an EV may genuinely not work for you yet. That's not a personal failure — it's a policy and infrastructure failure. A plug-in hybrid might be a good bridge option until your situation improves.
The Industry's Blind Spot
The EV industry talks a lot about range, battery chemistry, and charging speed. It talks very little about the 44 million American households that can't charge at home. This is not a technology problem. It's a deployment and policy problem — and it's solvable.
Every apartment building with parking should have at least basic outlet access. Not Level 2 in every spot. Not fancy networked chargers. Just a reliable plug within reach of every car. That's it. That's the bar.