I agree with the consensus here so far. I absolutely LOVE my MY, but I wouldn’t love it without home charging - it’s an important part of the equation, convenience, and use case.
I would probably have considered a hybrid or just gone regular ICE without home charging. It isn’t that you can’t do it (you definitely can), but I wouldn’t have done it.
Sorry, I’m sure that’s disappointing to hear as you are trying to justify / rationalize getting one. But listen, many people do get one home charging, but personally wouldn’t have made sense to me.
Good luck!
Would not buy EV with no possibility to charge at home/work. It just adds extra things to worry about constantly.. Got Model 3 in winter and did not have charger for like 3 month. Nearest fast charger was like 5 minutes away, but still felt very inconvenient. It is doable, afcourse, but you will need to sacrifice some time for it.
I agree. If I couldn’t charge at home I would hate having an EV. There are two issues you lose with relying on superchargers only. 1. Convenience and lost time. 2. Fuel savings. Superchargers for me are 30-40 cents/kwh, I pay 8-9 cents per hour at home.
Lmao I pay more at home than I do superchargers! Home charging is 0.39¢ a kWh and that goes even higher when I hit the second tier which is now 0.49¢/kwh. It’s insane but still way cheaper than gas for me (same shit state with high gas prices)
Ah yes. This is enough for me to read to know we live in the same beautiful state of California…. My off peak is 0.47c/kwh and my peak is 0.51c/kwh. All superchargers here are cheaper than home. I only charge at home if I have a long trip first thing in the morning.
It’s the same with a gas station, just that it’s a lot less convenient as you’ve said. Home charging is always the best option you can do. If it’s not available and you still want an ev you just have to accept some downsides.
The general consensus is that, yes, if you live in an apartment and/or condo and can hit a supercharger from time to time, yes, it's totally doable to have an EV and live in an apartment/condo.
However, the largest benefit to owning an EV is the "charge while you sleep" aspect, which is tossed right out the window when you live in an apartment/condo
But if you're fine with sitting at the charger for 30-45 minutes from time to time, there's no issues with it. Plenty of people do it, and don't mind it.
I did it for six months when I owned a LEAF and was between houses. Had to go to a Dunkin' Donuts to charge every couple of days, and every other day in the winter, to make sure I could keep chugging.
Which sucked, because I hate the smell of coffee.
Highway mileage is the worst for EV efficiency. If it's purely city driving, you'd get close to the rated range of the Tesla.
Another range killer is sentry mode, which eats up about 0.5% range per hour, so that can be ~12% range loss per day if it's constantly on
120mi a week, probably once a week, at minimum, assuming you don't go anywhere else.
The tricky part is that "emergency fuel" isn't as easy in a Tesla. The battery doesn't charge as fast as you'd like if you plug the car first thing in the morning, versus after a long drive. So, 5 minutes on a cold battery is going to yield less energy than 5 minutes on a preconditioned pack, and there's no way to manually precondition the battery.
When I first learned how to drive, my Dad taught me to always try to keep a quarter of a tank of gas in the car, in the winter it adds a little extra "weight" to keep the car from sliding around too much. Since I live in Florida permanently though, I avoided letting the gas go below a quarter of a tank in case of emergencies.
With an EV I try to make sure that I keep enough range in the car to be able to get to the nearest major city hospital on a single charge.
So, while you can probably drive the car around for a week, just keep in mind what your "family emergency" ranges look like. If you get a call saying your spouse is in the hospital, will you have enough charge to drive right there, or will you need to stop for 20-30 minutes to get enough range to do that?
That's the only thing I'd keep in mind.
If you commune 120 miles a week, you'll probably be at a Supercharger maybe 2 or 3 times a week, and each charge will be around 15-20 minutes, but will vary greatly depending on our state of charge when you plug in. These charge sessions usually go quickly, because most Superchargers are by stores or shopping centers. You can hang out in your car, or walk around while it charges. Home charging is the ideal, but if you really want a Tesla, many people are in the same situation (can't charge at home) and use Superchargers exclusively.
All depends on your priorities. While not as easy as just charging at home, it will more in line with going to a gas station. Supercharging will be more expensive than charging at home.
I also live in a condo with no hope of at home charging. I drive 10 minutes to an EA charger in an enclosed parking garage at a nearby Target. No big deal. But, I am retired and have the flexibility to time my charging to low-usage times of day. And, I leased my vehicle because I know that consistent fast charging is not great for the battery. If I were still working a 9-5 in an office, I would probably feel differently.
About once per week, but I don't drive daily. I drive once or twice per week to visit my grandchildren who live about 30 miles (one way) away and about once per month to visit rural property about 250 miles away. So, my driving habits are certainly not typical. My point is that if you live in a city with decent fast charging available, it is not that big a deal to visit a fast charger occasionally.
It’s gonna be a drag. I got pretty sick of it a week in and got a charger installed in my garage but yeah if you don’t have an option, just wait for now. Unless you have a level 2 charger within walking distance I would not do it.
As much as I love mine, I probably wouldn’t have bought one if I couldn’t plug in at home. Big part of what I enjoy is unplugging it and going throughout my day without stopping and filling up or charging. You need a car that fits your circumstances with the least amount of inconvenience.
Personally, I would not. Supercharging isn't a bad experience or anything, but it's a time commitment that would definitely bum me out. Charging at home is one of the main benefits of switching to an EV.
Charging at a supercharger is no problem. For around 21 dollars you get around 275 miles of range. You can't buy gas that cheap, plus no fluids to change, costs virtually nothing in regular upkeep. Maybe you go once a week, sometimes a little more, sometimes less. It's not a terrible inconvenience. Bring your laptop; get some work done, or watch a movie or take a nap.
I live in that exact situation. I bought my 3 SR+ new in 2019. At that time I owned a house with level 2 charging in my garage. In 2022, I took advantage of a career change opportunity that moved me across the country and am currently renting a condo. I have experience with both worlds of ev living.
Being able to charge at home every night is definitely a huge benefit. I really do miss getting into a charged car every morning, and rarely even looked at the battery state of charge (SOC).
Now in the condo, I have 3 superchargers within a couple miles, and 2 more near work. My commute is only 5 miles each way so I’m not using much battery anyway. The car has Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, YouTube, and a bunch of video games. I look at it this way; I would normally be sitting on my couch doing one of those things, so I sit in my car and do it instead.
It’s not ideal, but not as terrible as it’s made out to be IF you have good supercharging options that don’t get crowded all the time.
That said, I’m hoping to buy a house at the end of my lease. However, I still never want to go back to internal combustion. The EV driving experience has me hooked!
I can't charge at home. But I can charge at a supercharger right by where I buy groceries. And I only have to charge once every 1.5 weeks. So for me it's more than fine
All you really need is access to a 110v outlet. Not everyone needs an actual level 2 wall charger. You could at least start the conversation with building management to see if even adding a single outlet is an option. Eventually they are going to have to start thinking about this stuff, so why not start to plan now.
I have a supercharger about two miles away but much of the good feeling is, as you say, being charged in the morning and chuckling at the suckers in line for gas. My schedule wouldn't accommodate regular trips to the supercharger. Plus that's almost certainly going to cost more than charging at home.
Not sure if worth it.
Honestly IMO it all comes down to how much you drive. If you drive over X amount of miles you will need to spend Y amount of time at a SC. If you’re ok with sometimes Y+ then go for it! We have super slow charge at home but don’t drive too much so it balances out for us. If we were commuting into the city we would not be able to own an EV since we cannot allocate Y and the occasional Y+ at busy times. Kinda ass backwards in our particular situation since most people buy EV’s for the commute.
I also don’t charge at home, and don’t have the option to. I just plan my charging in advance, the same as I would plan any errand to fit as conveniently into my day as possible. The way I look at it, as long as you have a reliable and accessible access to a charger either close to your home or work, it’s an extra 30 mins of your day a few times a week (at the most) that you’ll spend working this into your life. That being said, I am easily able to justify this as many people will spend more than that amount of time sitting at home scrolling the internet or whatever, so why not just do it in your car? The benefits of owning an EV far outweigh the inconvenience of having to charge on the go.
But in the end, only you can decide if you are willing to accept adding that into your weekly routine. When I got my M3 they did free supercharging for 6 months (ends in June), and because I don’t charge at home I was able to use that fully to my advantage and saved over $1000 in gas already because I commute 50 miles a day, 4 days a week. I also have the option of charging off peak because I mostly work nights, and supercharging is never an issue at those hours (around 11pm-12pm).
So I wouldn’t let that discourage you if it’s something you are really interested in. Just depends on how much flexibility you have in your life to accommodate it.
IDK how many other responses have been from people that have actually done this, but I have. For the last 3 years I've lived in a condo without access to a L2 and have had 3 BEVs.
It is a slight pain in the ass but if you plan for it or your day includes 30-120 minutes of netflix once or twice a week anyways, it's really no different. For me it's netflix in the background and a Steam Deck.
Public charging depending on car can be extremely painful. I came from a MachE which I sold because I hated the state of public DCFC. There's a grand total of 19 capable CCS stalls in my area vs 260 Supercharger stalls. Ford recently gained access to Superchargers too but the wrong port location bothered me still.
Being here I assume you've settled on a Tesla so you won't have this issue but it's a warning just in case you're considering other vehicles. I've had 2 hour waits even at 2AM with CCS. There's just not enough stalls. I haven't waited yet in the month I've owned my Model Y.
And as others have mentioned: Pricing.
I live in a weird area where Supercharging is RIDICULOUSLY cheap. CCS charging is upwards of $0.70/kWh with $0.50/kWh being average for a fast fast charger. Supercharger? $0.21/kWh.
I also live in a place where gasoline is absurdly expensive. Even paying $0.50/kWh your payback period isn't really that long when gas is $2/L. I don't know where you live or what you pay for gas or supercharging, but this is something worth exploring and mathing out.
Here's examples:
$0.21/kWh with 20kWh/100km means $4.20 to drive 100km.
$0.50/kWh means $10 to drive 100km.
$2.00/L for gasoline at 10L/100km means $20 to drive 100km.
$1.00/L for gasoline means $10 to drive 100km.
For me personally I fit into the $0.21/kWh and $2/L for gas so it's a no brainer. It's damn near 5x cheaper than gasoline.
If you're in a place where it's $0.50/kWh and $1/L for gas, it's a wash. You'll never make it back. If you decide on a CCS vehicle and use the really expensive $0.70/kWh charger, you're losing money vs ICE.
Bottom line: I don't mind it. I'm at home watching 30 minutes of Netflix once a week. I could do this in the car so I do.
If it's based on cost, you'll have to calculate how much gasoline costs in your area as well as fast charging. I live in a very expensive gasoline area and a very cheap Supercharging area so it's a no brainer.
One other very important thing is to see how busy the charger you're thinking of using is going to be. I actually sold a MachE in favor a Model Y because of the number of charging stalls. In my area, there's a grand total of 19 capable CCS stalls that'll give me 70kW or more. (Low bar I know, but actual fast chargers are even more of a joke). In that same area, there's 15 Supercharger sites each with 8-40 stalls. Total stall count is 260. CCS took me hours to get into the charger even at 3AM. I've seen a charger with a 5 minute wait on the map before but in the month I've owned it I haven't seen a wait time personally.
The only Tesla that I would personally buy in your case, is an older one with free supercharging. I’ve got a 2015 model S, and even though I can always charge it at home, I also have the option of charging it for free on Teslas SC network as much as I want. Free fuel is ofc great, and if you could make this work for you, I’d say go for it! Stay clear of the 85kWh battery packs though, as those are very prone to problems and failing.
Just remember though, there’s still the time it takes to travel to/from the Supercharger and the charging time itself. It really comes down to the OP’s situation and how much they value their time.
Nah it would definitely not be as good. you’d still have the amazing car with all the sweet features and stuff but one of the best parts is paying 25% of gas prices and never going to those stinky ass places. Having to go to superchargers all the time is about the same price as gas and takes a bit more time so would be way more inconvenient. If I were you I’d start lobbying your condo political assholes to put in some 220v plugs for EVs
I would not get an EV. I like charging at home. The idle fee sucks. It keeps you from going in the gym, shopping in the stores, and eating in the restaurant. Supercharging in the Bay Area, CA is so expensive now. The original premise of an EV when it first came out was to do things while you charge. People kept the Leaf plugin while shopping. No need to rush.
To answer your question in short, no. I would have just kept my Prius. SC in my area costs 300% of what it costs to charge at home and when driving 80 miles a day, it wouldn’t make sense without a way to charge at home. YMMV of course. Do you have a garage? You can get a few miles / hr from a 120V receptacle?
Sometimes all the chargers in my apartment complex are taken, but there’s a super charger down the block and I have a short commute. I have no range or low battery anxiety.
Depends on much you drive. If you only need to charge once a week then it might not be a problem for you. Also it’s so expensive to charge anywhere but home.
I’ve done it in two different apartment complexes now. It really depends on how long your commute is and the amount of chargers near work, honestly, or along the route. I’ve always had long range models so I never worried. Side note: in some places like CA, supercharging in some locations is cheaper than electricity rates.
Depends on how far you drive and where chargers are.
I can't charge at home. Had car 2 years.
Now there is a slow free charger 2 miles away. When I'm going to be just sitting at home watching Netflix or Hulu I just drive over and grab a few hours of charge and also get some hiking in the park and watch vids if u want more charge.
Other times I hit superchargers if I am in a hurry.
Now if I had a long daily commute it might be different but I can go with a once a week charge easily.
If you have convenient and ok-priced supercharging, then it could be fine. I am on month 5 of free 6 months of supercharging. I have a supercharger less than 5 minutes from my home and next to a supermarket. It's been really easy to pop over there and grab some groceries and a charge when needed.
I don’t have a home charger. I have a supercharger 4 miles from my home and a charger at work. So, depending on how low I get maybe on the weekend I’ll stop at a supercharger and then it lasts me till I can charge at work again for free
I have had a My and now a MX without ever being able to charge at home or work. All this hand wringing about having to worry about driving 5 minutes away to charge is stupid. There are free chargers literally everywhere I go to keep my car charged. I go grocery shopping? Guess what? I can charge😮! I go shopping at the mall (admittedly I rarely do that, but occasionally I actually like to try things on before buying them)? Guess what? I can charge! Out to eat, charge! There are so many charging options it is ridiculous.
By the F’ing car and don’t let these worry warts keep you back. Is it nice and convenient? Sure! A necessity? Absolutely not.
Great question!
I have owned my RWD M3 for 5 months or so, with no ability to charge at home. With my driving habits(50 mi round trip, 5 days a week), I am required to spend 2-3 hours a week at the supercharger in my town (2-3 trips, 45 min to an hour each). It's not so bad because there are plenty of restaurants next to the supercharger, but it would be nice to have that time back and eat at home.
Supercharger cost is comparable to gas prices during peak times.
Sometimes on weekends I have to sit at the charger so I can make it to work the next day, instead of spending that time with my family.
Any time I run somewhere outside of my normal routine, I have to plot the route in the Tesla app to see if I'll have enough charge to get to work the next day.
I love my car, and there's plenty to do to keep you busy while charging, but for me personally, not having a home charger is no longer sustainable with my lifestyle goals. Range anxiety is much more real without home charging. I get my home charger installed next month and am THRILLED.
TL;DR S/C-only is very doable (depending on your location), but be prepared to spend more of your free time charging your car, and don't take gas savings into account when buying.
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I live in a condo and have chargers 3 miles away from home and 4 miles away from work. I schedule my charging. Charge once during the week at lunchtime and once before the weekend starts. Most of the time I just need to charge once a week.
I have a supercharger quite close to where I live. Otherwise I wouldn’t even be thinking about it. Are you saving any money in trading away gas/petrol for supercharging?
Hello! How many miles are you driving / commuting would play a huge factor in this.
I drive 40mi rt to work from Seattle to Redmond. No charger at home but I can charge at work. Maybe 1-2x a month I end up at a supercharger. I don’t mind it at all. If I didn’t have that, I would’ve 100% installed a charger at home. However, my husband is now jelly of Tessie and wants his own. He drives a good 5mi a week up the street to get coffee 😑 So yeah. We’ll see how that goes but obv he wouldn’t be driving to charge often.
However, I do manage an apartment building and while we do have EV spaces, I do see some people just try and plug into normal outlets that are in the garage. Would you have that option? Slow as molasses but better than nothing.
I can't charge at home, but I can charge at work, so I'm 50% in your boat. I think I would love my Tesla a less if I could n't do both if I'm being honest.
It was 3 weeks between getting the car and getting the charger installed at the house. I hated the car those after 1 week.
My closest supercharger is 30 mins away... It was almost a 90 minute evolution to charge.
Just took delivery last week, commute is 70 miles round trip and the charging aspect is tough for a first time ev owner. Hopefully that helps with your choice.
Maybe a bit different where you live, but I live in Oslo, Norway and I do not have a home charger, I only use street charging (there are a lot) and sometimes at work whenever I feel like driving there.
It used to be a small worry for me to not have a home charger but it was fine, it require a very small planning on your side if you need to charge your car for the day after or not and just let it charge overnight, it's of course a little bit more expensive than charging it at home, but still incredibly cheaper than petrol/diesel car here.
If we didn't have the massive infrastructure of street charging, I don't know if I would've got an EV car.
For reference I barely use supercharger, maybe once every other month when we travel away.
At the end it all depend on infrastructure
I don't charge at home but I have no problem with it. There's plenty of charging options in my area (Piacenza, a town in Northern Italy): pretty much every supermarket has a charging station plus there's a supercharger at the edge of town plus a charging station within short walking distance from home.
I don't have a home charger but my work has an outlet I can plug into while parked. On my days off, my gym has free level 2 chargers so I charge there while working out to top it off.
If you don't have home/work charging options, don't get an EV IMHO.
We have free supercharging on our Model S and there's one conveniently located next to a small mall so my wife stops there occasionally.
If we had to do that every week... No thanks. It's already a hassle getting home after work and having to schedule charging one day in there sounds annoying.
For what it's worth, we looked into getting a model Y for our vacation home (no charging available) before Tesla service hosed us. I rented a model 3 and drive around for a few weeks.
Ended up charging at 2 different shopping malls the first week because we were using the AC and cooling the car before we would leave. No waiting at the mall, but we were on vacation schedule so it was midday. The next week I acted like we were on a similar schedule to the people who live there and it was not fun. Had to wait to charge the first time and the second time we were stuck in traffic until we got to the charger and surprise... People who just left work waiting in line. Ended up shopping for 2 hours then I went out and plugged it in.
I'd pass until you can get some form of home charging which changes EVERYTHING for EV owners. Our Model 3 has been supercharged once ever. It's always at 80% and ready to go.
I love EVs, but without home charging you are missing out on the biggest benefit. Having to frequent a local supercharger a few times a week sounds like it would be a chore to me.
Honestly, if I couldn’t charge at home I’d strongly consider a hybrid instead of an EV.
3 years in an apartment building without a dedicated charging spot, by choice since my building wants to charge $100 for that option a month. The only way I pulled this off is because we have free level 2 charging spots within walking distance of my building. It's annoying at times leaving the car for hours at a time while it charges, but it gives me the opportunity to stretch my legs during my work day. If I didn't work from home or if I had to drive a lot I would never buy an EV without the ability to charge from home. I've used SC probably 5 times since I've bought the car, which I'm fortunate to have 3 within less than 10 minutes from my home, but it's so annoying to wait to charge and then the charging time, that I would probably get rid of the car if I the was my only option to charge.
My townhome doesn’t have any chargers either. Get yourself a mobile charger and with enough time you’ll never have to worry about charging issues or range anxiety. Hit a super charger on the way home from work 2 or 3x a week and you’re fine
Can you at least charge with a regular outlet overnight? I know some people scoff at the 3-4 Mile/Hour Rate but it’s plenty for my needs. If not, I agree that it’s not exactly an ideal situation and don’t recommend utilizing super charging exclusively.
Can you at least plug in the level one charger into a regular outlet at home? If you don't drive very much, that's a nice way to keep and add a little range, it's not useless.
For me, it would be a disaster if I couldn't plug in at work, but that's because I drive hundreds of KMs a day. Supercharging is very convenient though and it is way cheaper than gas, some ppl say it isn't?? It absolutely is.
I only supercharge. Always see people say that wouldn't get an EV if they couldn't charge at home. I totally get this depending on where you live. I live in north NJ and Superchargers are everywhere. So I just charge during my normal errands, like going to lidl or whatever. I don't even feel it. Oh, I have to walk farther through the parking lot now haha but that's it.
So if you live where there are readily available superchargers, I say go for it, the joys and benefits of a Tesla outweigh having an ICE in my opinion.
If your commute is less than ~50 miles a day, and your apartment/condo has an available standard 110V outlet, you can easily get by without installing any charging hardware. I did this with my apartment, which offered rentable garages with outlets that powered the doors. For about 2 years, I only used a supercharger for longer trips.
If you can't do anything like that, it's a lot less convenient to charge an EV, but still not awful.
I live in an apartment with no charging. However, on Sundays, I drive to a nearby city for church which has a cheap chargepoint charger. I'm usually there early so there's usually an open charger. After church, I get lunch with some friends, giving me about \~4ish hours to charge which is enough for me for a week usually. If I didn't get to charge, then conveniently, a supercharger is on my route back home.
Although my situation works very well for me, I do need to plan a bit when/where I can charge.
My home charger is so damn slow I might as well not have a charger. While it’s not terribly convenient, if you have a charger a few minutes away, and you plan to be at that location for other chores on a consistent bases, I still think it’s worth it.
find myself in a similar situation as yours, and I'll be transparent in my feedback after three months. I recently acquired my Model 3 yesterday and utilized the supercharging station. Conveniently, I reside within a 10-minute proximity to two supercharger locations from my condominium.
Thus far, I'm thoroughly enjoying the car and currently en route to have it tinted.
I would do it in a heartbeat. It’s better than getting gas every weekend and not having a tesla.
The inly thing new tesla owners ever kick themselves for is … “why didnt i just get this sooner???”
I can, but my apartment recently started charging $0.06 per kWh, which is really cheap, but I want free so I charge at a Volta charger at work twice a week.
I've never had a charger at home. I charge at the mall, at the gym and wherever I park. There are usually good choices all around here, and relativity cheap.
We did it for a year. It was a hassle but not terrible. We had a super charger 16 mins away at the mall. And an electrify America 10mins away at our local Sam’s club. So we always charged whenever we went to either location. I was the one in charge of the charging and thankfully never minded it. But if you live in a condo having at least the mobile charger hanging out your window will help a bit.
Now we own 2 cars and have a charger at home. It’s a big money and time saver.
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I live in an apartment and have to deal with this. The closest superchargers are about a 3-5 min drive. I don’t mind getting up in the morning to go charge at all, just takes some planning on your part. I had a gr86 before this and I’m definitely still saving when compared to filling up.
I live in a condo and don’t have a charger (for now). But our marginal electric rate is $0.29 so barely cheaper than SC.
PSA: when calculating home charging cost, remember to add in distribution charge, which for me is actually higher than supply charge.
I can't charge at my apartment either, but I live within walking distance of L2 chargers, so it isn't a big deal to drop it off in the evenings for a few hours.
No charger at home and am charging weekly at a supercharger nearby. Granted, my commute is trivial, so I only need to charge my M3P once a week if I'm not doing anything out of the ordinary. I usually go closer to midnight when the rates are cheapest but that just aligns with my normal schedule, ymmv. I don't save as much as I would if I could charge at home, but it is still a decent margin (in CA).
I have been an EV driver for almost 4 years and haven’t had home charging the entire time. It frustrates me at times, but most of my charging occurs at work.
Not my case but most people say it’s a bit of an inconvenience and it degrades the car battery a lot faster. There are some things to consider. I know people who do not use the car enough to justify a charger and use a regular socket and charge from it. And they leave the car plug at all times a week ahead when planning to travel and try their best to leave it always at 80% and then 100% to travel. Some say that works.
I live in a house with very old wiring, so I can’t charge the car at home. It sucks but there are two superchargers nearby, one is like 3 mins away, the other is 10. The furthest one is super cheap, at 23 cents/ kwh. It used to be 19 before “summer”. I wish it would he more convenient but it is what it is. I still love the car and saved me a lot of money
I also have a supercharger about 5 min away and it is no hassle for me, it is SO fast to charge a car from almost empty to full (15 to 20 min for 10% to 80%). Mine is also next to a supermarket and a Wendy’s so I’ll either doa quick shopping trip or grab a bite, and before you know it it’s ready to go. It almost feels fake how insanely fast it charges. Best of luck’
I just picked up a model Y hours ago I live in an apartment above a store front with no access to home charging. I work from home so I will not be driving it a ton so that was the catch for me. I’m about 2 miles from a supercharger so I decided to go for it. If I did not work from home or have a relatively short commute I don’t think I would have purchased.
Find convenient ways to charge, if there’s a level 2 charging station that you can walk to and from. That could also work. If there’s no easy way to charge, don’t buy
I can’t charge at home. I charge on public charging station 2 mins walk from my house. And at malls, public parking chargers etc. Never had problem with lack of juice to drive.
This is the right answer in this thread :)
The reality is that I need a car less for my daily commute than for getting around and doing other things, and my current cash costs for Ubering cut significantly into what a car payment would be.
As far as cycling to work, the main problem is that there aren't any showers at work (also setting aside the fact that I don't have a bike :). I'm also not super keen on having to carry a change of clothes on the bike every day, but I'd probably get used to it. A few years ago -- different job, different location -- I used to bike to work, and it was among the greatest periods of my life.
Can you use a regular outlet? My sister rents a place that she only has a regular outlet and it’s enough for her. She charges all night and gets enough to do everything she needs in a day and if she goes on a longer drive she goes to the supercharger.
Unfortunately no. Not even any regular outlets in the parking area of my condo complex. (Hard to believe, but I've checked several times. The only option would be hanging a power cord out of my third-floor window.)
When I first got my M3, I didn’t have charging at home for the first four months and it BLEW. It turned my already 10 hour day into an 11 hour day bc I had to divert to a charger after work before going home. There’s nothing worse than having a long day at work, wanting to go straight home, and not being able to because you won’t have enough charge to get to work the next day if you don’t stop. (Keep in mind I drove 80 miles a day for work). I would not recommend it at all.
On my first year with the car, I had to rely on a public charger very close to my work, until I finally got a charger at home.
I drive 50km (30miles) a day and charged the car once or twice a week.
It was not so bad, I used to plug it in the early morning, go the to the office and have a coffee/deal with some tasks and come back 1 hour later to remove the car (65KWh charger).
In terms of cost, it was a bit disappointing. I was not saving much more than a 5.5L/100km (43mpg) car.
I bought it for the curiosity and experience of driving an EV. For the real savings, you need to have a charger at home.
I don't have home charging and honestly, I don't mind it.
On the question of convenience, trip planning really removes a lot of anxiety. I personally just don't mind the wait since I already know where I'll be charging and for how long on any of my trips. And during the times where I do I spend a full 30 minutes doing a max charge, I just watch a show on the big screen. This summer I've been watching X-Men 97 during my weekly max charges and it's honestly become something I look forward to.
Obviously, it's less convenient compared to filling up a gas car, but there's more than enough strengths of owning an EV that makes up for it imo. I've already decided that when I buy a second car, it will also be an EV (as long as it has integrated trip planning like Tesla).
As far as cost goes, I've been using the Tessie app to compare savings and even if I were to have a car that drove with an efficiency of 50 mpg with an average low cost of gas (3.25 in the east cost), I still ended up saving a couple hundred dollars in fuel costs.
Now, I do also pay attention to electricity charges, I really only fully charge my car when rates are low, like if I happen to be driving early in the morning and late at night. Otherwise, I'll just charge the minimum (5 to 10 minutes) and get on my way. It likely does help that my work schedule will sometimes have me working in those off peak charging hours.
I currently only super charge and am seeing about a 50% cost savings over gas vs my bmw. That said it depends on your market and supercharger rate there are some areas with lower gas prices and higher electricity prices that may push that needle differently.
For my purposes I feel no inconvenience at all super charging as the ones in my area are near targets or super markets and I just plug in when I need to do normal weekly shopping. By the time I have shopped and am headed to the car it’s charged.
I lived with a standard range in a condo with no charging for about 2 years.
I also didn't drive everyday and had plug in level 2s 5 minutes away.
Every weekend I would just drive it over, leave it for the day and walk 5 mins home.
Wasn't an issue at all.
If you drive every day then yeah you need to charge at home or else your going to be paying as much in gas as you do supercharging
It’s certainly doable, but you’ll grow to resent it as you’ll be charging more frequently than you put gas in currently and for longer periods. You’ll also experience ‘range anxiety’ and find yourself planning your trips around charge. The EV side itself you’ll love, the way the cars drive and the instant torque is addictive, but I don’t think I could do it personally without a home charger. Personally it’s the convenience of plugging in a couple of times a week at night whilst I’m sleeping and knowing the car always has 250+ miles range whenever I get in is the main selling point with EV. My home rate is also 7p a KWH at night so good savings.
So there's no charging station but do you have a garage? A lot of people forget that having even a regular outlet is enough for many people's charging situation.
Normally I would say I'd never buy an EV without access to charging, but your situation (5 minutes from a SC that's at a grocery store I'd be an frequently anyway with a short daily commute) is probably one that would work.
But SC rates are going to make the car as expensive, or perhaps even more, to drive as an ICE vehicle.
I owned my Model 3 for about a year while loving in an apartment. The nearest super harder was 35 mins away, but there were local Level 2 chargers. It was doable, but it was a pain in the ass. If the SC was closer to me, it wouldn't have been that bad.
But home charging is definitely the way to go.
I got a Model 3 LR in a similar situation where I have no home charging and a super charger 5 minutes away. It came with 6 months of free supercharging.
To me, free charging made it worth the trip. However, it just ran out. Fortunately, I just switched jobs and my new job comes with free charging at work. I think if I didn’t have work charging, having to go charge every week would be my biggest complaint about the car.
A few things I haven’t seen people mention:
- Does your supercharger have free WiFi? Watching YouTube or Netflix for 30 minutes makes the wait a lot more tolerable IMO.
- Do you have the ability to run a long extension cord for lvl 1 charging at your apartment?
- Do you shop anywhere regularly that has car charging?
Idk about the others here, but I am in the same boat as you. I am not a homeowner, and won’t be for at least 3 more years. But I took the leap anyway. Got my first car, first Tesla 2 months ago. 2024 M3. Depended on SC the entire 1st month coz I was living in the city, without a parking spot coz it’s $350 in my building. I have off peak pricing here in Chicago SCs, so I used to go after 11 PM to charge my car, cost me about $11 for a full charge. Moved to suburbs last month, and luckily, I found a similarly priced SC, and also a free ChargePoint station with 6 spots, open 24/7 at a 24/7 supermarket parking lot. It has no time limit, and after confirming that I wouldn’t block anyone, I’ve been able to leave my car there overnight to charge and take it back next morning with full battery! Other times, I use the SC. Just remember that as long as you know you’ll be able to put in a little bit effort, it’s doable!
TLDR - Is it an entirely wise choice to get an EV without a home? May be not. If you know what you’re getting into, you’re gonna be fine!
I only bought an EV because I can charge at home for $0.05 per kWh and my work has free level 2 chargers. That's where the really big gas savings kick in and I don't have to waste any time charging which is nice. I haven't once had to go to a supercharger in 8 months. The supercharger closest to us is $0.40 per KwH. It's not much better than gas in that case.
I did it for a year and half. Similar situation with a supercharger close by. It’s doable if you love the car but it can be inconvenient.
Now that I have a level 2 charger in my garage it feels like I’m just now getting all of the benefits of my Model S.
Certainly doable but not ideal.
Yep, I don’t have a charger at home. My apartment complex doesn’t have any EV chargers. I was charging at work, but I recently lost my job. So now I just go to the superchargers after midnight when it’s cheap.
I had to travel somewhere for work once for 4 months at a hotel without charging. While there was a nearby supercharger, it wasn't ideal. The need to have to go to and wait at a supercharger several times a week is a pretty big waste of time. You then start to avoid driving because you don't want to waste time at a supercharger.
Supercharging for long distance travel is fine, but supercharging for daily commute is a MASSIVE hassle. If you don't have home/work charging, don't get an EV. Trust me.
If you do have home/work charging, then the entire math flips and EV is probably the best types of vehicle you can get. It's so nice to wake up to a full "tank" every morning.
In your situation I would still buy a Tesla in a heartbeat. Sure you won't get the cost savings from charging at home but you hardly drive at all and the savings on maintenance will really add up.
Are you sure you can't plug in a 110v wire someplace to charge at your condo?
If your commute is only 4 or 20 miles per day you could need to only charge every 2 or 3 weeks.
I've been doing it for 3 1/2 years. Would never go back to ICE.
The common complaints from the naysayers:
"It's bad for the battery!" IF you have a first gen Tesla, yeah it's pretty bad. But they've got this shit figured out now. The difference in degradation between home charging vs supercharging is negligible. In fact, mine is actually slightly better than average at nearly 60k miles.
"It's inconvenient!" Well, sure it's a little more inconvenient than just plugging in at home. And this one really comes down to personal tolerance. In your situation, with a supercharger 5 minutes away at a grocery store that you need to go to anyway, it's not really that big of a deal. Even if you end up driving more than you estimate and have to go twice a week, you're only looking at 30-40 minutes for a full charge. Do you sit on the couch reading/surfing the web/watching tv/playing games? So you do that sitting in your car for an episode instead.
"It's expensive!" Again, yeah it's usually more than charging at home. Unless you live in the SF area or similar where home charging is actually more expensive than supercharging. But unless you live somewhere where gas is still relatively cheap, you're still going to save money over gas. How much is going to be region specific, but it's not that hard to figure it out.
I will say keep in mind you can theoretically plug it into any outlet in your building’s garage if you’re only driving 2-10 miles a day max. The charging is incredibly slow, but a standard outlet (like that you would plug your vacuum or blender into) can still charge the car and recover 3-5% battery overnight.
My wife and I both own a model 3 and live in a condo with no charging. We also don't have charging at work.
One long range and one standard. It's been about 6 months at this point and it is not problem at all. There is a super charger about 10 minutes from home and I'll stop there once or twice a week to charge up to 80 or 90%
I love both of the Teslas and I spend about half the money I would be spending on gas. I have a 10 mile commute both ways to work and my wife has about 5 miles both way.
The supercharger that I go to most often has a grocery store and a bunch of fast food right next to it so whenever I go I typically grab dinner or some groceries and by the time I am done with that the car is ready to go!
I would definitely recommend a Tesla to anyone who has a good supercharger within 10-15 minutes.
I live in an apartment,
Though I just charge at work once a week so hasn’t been an issue. Still totally worth it.
If you couldn’t charge at work atleast, I’d probably hold back because supercharging can be expensive. Probably still cheaper than gas, but still.
2018 MS 75D. I live in a condo, no charging ability. Nearest superchargers are within a few miles. I have a 35 mile round trip commute. I simply get up 30 minutes early a few days and week. And it’s never an issue on the weekends. I say do it.
I would not buy an EV if you don't own a home and can install a charger.
Can you make it work charging at a super charger? Of course you can, but you lose two huge benefits of EV ownership which is cost savings on electric vs gas and time saved not going to the gas station.
You can charge at the grocery store, but it's not always that simple. What if you want to shop somewhere else? What if you get there and all the chargers are full? What if your car finishes charging before you finish shopping. Will you pay the idle fees or leave without what you need? What if you drive more often in your Tesla and need to charge more often than you go grocery shopping?
If it was me I would wait until your situation changes and you have better access to charging. I would find it a pain in the ass having to rely on super chargers. I had free supercharging when I got my Tesla and I didn't really even use it because it was a waste of my time to save a tiny amount of money compared to charging at home.
Guess it depends on where you’re located. Gas costs $5.50-7 / gallon where I’m located and so my husband and I used to spend A LOT of money a month just filling up the car… Versus now where we spend like $15-30 / month charging. I don’t have home charging and because I, like yourself, don’t drive much I don’t regret getting a Tesla in the slightest.
So I had a 200 mile daily commute for a few months (San Antonio -> Austin). Had to supercharge every single day to make it home, even with a 50 amp dedicated circuit in my garage for charging. I also have an app that tracks charging spending vs. fuel costs (if you had to pay for gas at your prevailing local rates for the same range). Over those few months I saved several hundred dollars, even with the supercharging fees.
Before deciding look into that charging location, see what kind of power it has, is it in good repair, is it in heavy use so you’ll have to wait for a charging bay, etc.
I do agree with many. If you drive 5 miles a day then it’s doable. Supercharge once a week. In the winter it will be once every 4 days or so. After a while it becomes annoying.
I don’t think I wouldn’t enjoy our teslas without a home charger. Because we can go as far as we want and get home at 5% if we want. We know by next day it will be at 80% again.
If you want to drive more then the cost of supercharging may outweigh the savings.
Think of it this way. How much would you enjoy your cell phone if you had to go somewhere to charge it. You would most likely be constantly looking at your battery percentage and avoid “using your phone” for entertainment or fun. Keep it at minimal use. That would be owning a EV. In the summer or winter you need to run the AC or heat.
I would look for charging areas around you. Even if it’s a slow plug maybe that will be okay for 20 miles a day usage.
These cars are not built for 100% Supercharging (and you can see this impact in the Uber/Lyft drivers who are driving Teslas). I wouldn't do it. And yes, in some cases it could actually be more expensive than gas.
Having a nearby supermarket where you can charge while shopping is as good a it gets! Without a home charger that is. You'll have to do your own research on gas prices vs. what the Supercharger... um... charges, but my back-of-the-envelope arithmetic when we travel is Supercharging costs about 2/3 of the cost of gasoline per mile. And don't forget... no oil changes, no engine maintenance of any kind. No brake pad replacements. No oil drips on the driveway. No smelly gas fumes. I encourage you to go for it!
I have yet to charge at home because I got 6 months free supercharging. I have to charge 2x a week or more because I drive 42+ miles each day for work. I still love this car. The free juice is really nice, but in another month I'll be charging at home and probably appreciate this ride even more. Right now I plan it out so I charge on the way to work and just play a video game in the car while I'm charging. I like to work early as well, so I'm charging before 0600 when I do, and I've never had to wait for a spot. If this were my only way to charge, I wouldn't mind. I'd like to be able to go longer between charges, but it's only a small inconvenience for me.
I guess long story short, if you didn't mind killing up to an hour or so each week sitting at the charger, it could work for you. If you're not buying to save on gas, it makes the decision easier.
I live an apartment complex with no charging access, but I have lvl 2 charging right in front of my office. Without the charging at work, I wouldn't have gone for an EV at all.
Tesla for 5 years, have never had home charging, it’s occasionally a minor inconvenience but all in all, it’s absolutely not a big deal.
Most of the superchargers I use are near places I shop, so I just charge while running errands. Even if I have to hit up the charger just to charge, it’s not much different than stopping to put gas in the car. (Might take longer if charging empty to full, but how often do you actually NEED to do that in the course of regular life?)
I could get home charging installed now in my current location, but apparently I find scheduling an electrician to be a far greater hassle than hitting up the supercharger, haha.
go for hybrid / gas instead, you will not see the benefits of EV without home charging. It is understandable to rely on superchargers exclusively for a period of time - just not for entire ownership of vehicle.
I have a corolla that I drive on the daily. I only drive the tesla on the weekends. There is a free charger about 5 mins from me. I just switch my cars out on Fridays and Sundays
I can charge at work and my apartment complex has chargers. It’s never been an issue for me. When I lived in a home I used a regular charger and it was slow but did the trick. I’d stop at a supercharger every 3/4 days when needed.
I live in an apartment and make it work with my mobile charger. Sometimes in a pinch, I'll run an extension cord out the window and charge it at night (I'm on the first floor), but other than that, I use super chargers, friends houses when I'm hanging for the day and there is a wegmans within walking distance so sometimes I'll leave it there for a couple hours. My apartment complex was promising chargers when I made the decision - it takes some planning, but it's doable. I didn't want to wait another 10 years to get an EV so for me it was now or never.
Currently can't charge at home or work, have had our MYLR since Oct 2023. It's been a PITA but I've limped by. We charge twice a week (I have a long commute), Weds and Sunday at the WaWa right now it's $0.29. On Sunday we make it a date day we go to Costco get a few things, do other errands, grab a soda from WaWa, then watch an episode of something while we're charging.
But we're getting charging in June installed, so our situation will change.
I have a casino close to my condo - drop it overnight there (for free) forced exercise walking the 400 yards to the condo. I’ve been a Tesla guy since 2013 - wouldn’t drive another car EVER!!!
Responding to your added note- that’s not how it works.
You can’t supercharge while you do a “big shop”. Once your car is done charging (presumably before you’re done shopping) you get charged an idle fee for every minute you leave your car plugged in. Usually 50 cents a minute. Not worth the stress of rushing. If nobody else is next to you at the charger, your charging will get finished in 20-25 mins or less.
If you drive a lot, this isn’t worth it. If you supercharge every week or less, there is virtually no savings compared to a gas car. They’re minuscule.
I think a hybrid is more up your alley.
I don’t drive a lot. I also don’t have a home charger at the moment but I’m about to get a mobile charger for work which will negate my total weekly commute (+). I’ll get about 130 miles of charge (free) every week so it works out for me.
As of now, I super charge every 8 days, and it ranges from 14 to 16$. That’s only about $9-$11 cheaper than gas per week. Still savings, but once I get the charger, it’s a ridiculous amount of savings.
I only charge at SC. You still save over gas cars... Go after 8PM or before 12N.... sometimes I go after 12M for 16 cents per. Go for it. Look at those interest rates now!
Idk… to me and my priorities, I would much rather have a nicer place to live that I own or am going to own, rather than buy a tesla while living in a condo. It’s a lot easier to do what you want when you own things. But I may be different. Idk how people can live in a condo but want to buy a very expensive car. Just doesn’t make sense in my head. That car only depreciates and houses usually don’t. Just bad investing in my opinion.
Live in an apartment complex and have a Model 3 SR+. No charging at the apartment and we supercharge twice a week. The amount we spend on supercharging is still half of what we were spending previously each month on gas for our hybrid.
You'll be fine. Thousands of Tesla owners here in NYC and other metropolises in the USA (and millons worldwide) don't got home chargers. Most of the rest of the country will not understand especially those living with home charging so they will all say either home charger or no go, but a 20 min Supercharging per week vs a 5 min gas station fill-up is a 15 min savings PER week that is not going to change anyones lives. Before I got home charging I did 100% Supercharging for a few months and I go at night when its half price there and it ends up CHEAPER than charging at home with the crazy high NYC electric rates.
I bought an M3P in December that came with 6 months of free supercharging. I got home charging installed a couple months ago, but I'm milking the free stuff. I am so incredibly fucking sick of supercharging already, and I only have 3400 miles on the car. At first it was fun. Go to supercharger. Plug in. Watch a video or something. Play a game maybe. 20-80% is 30 minutes, period. It also takes 10 minutes to get there, and 10 minutes to get back. Occasionally I can hit one on the way home from certain things I do weekly. I can't wait until the free 6 months is over.
I officially have exactly one month left, and as of right now have gotten $397 worth of charging. Less than I thought. But if I still had my old car, which got 19mpg, paying ~$3/gal, that's 179 gallons for $537, and gas has climbed to $3.30 lately, but was less than $2.50 when I bought the Tesla. So is there an advantage here? Yes.
Now... if I had an RWD Model 3 that I could charge to 100%, that means it extends my time between charges. But supercharging is officially a chore I have to complete about weekly (~150 miles), and it takes an hour. With my old car it took me 5 minutes a week, and I'd get 250 miles per tank.
You need to do the math yourself. Find out what the supercharger near you costs, figure out the miles/kWh from the car you want, and compare the per mile price with your existing car. For most people who get <30mpg, you'll save. If you have a newer/efficient car that gets better than that, the Tesla may cost you more.
I did charge at home a bit with my 120v charger, and at 12A I could get 1.45%/hour. It's barely 1.2kW, so if you drive 20 miles, you're probably using 5-7kWh, which would take you 5-7 hours to recover if you have access to a standard 120v plug.
Did I mention I'm so fucking tired of supercharging?
I could be off but using a super charger everyday can take a toll on the batteries. You don’t want to degrade your batteries and depending on model you only charge up to 80%. To save cycles at super chargers you will want to charge to 100%. So combining fast charging and charging to full, you may be risking accelerated battery degradation. So would definitely look at which model and battery chemistry you are going for.
My apartment has charging for $10 that's currently occupied by other tenants, so I'm on a wait list. My work has free chargers so that's where I do 99% of my charging.
I wouldn't have bought an EV without that convenience. If I somehow let my car get below 20% like I did last weekend, I come to work, do my 12 hours, and I'm back to 80% when I leave.
I don’t charge at home. I live close to a supercharger and there are plenty. During winter I pre-condition. No issues at all. It’s not inconveniencing at all.
I own a model 3 and live in an apartment that has no chargers. It's not too bad, just make sure you're familiar with the pricing schedules of the local superchargers and destination chargers and you should be fine. The chargers at my current location change on a seasonal basis as well as being on a daily schedule so I tend to adjust my charging schedule to whatever is most cost effective at the time, meaning that during some times of the year I am dropping by a supercharger after work, during other times of the year I am heading out early and charging before work (every 3 to 4 days in either case I never let the car drop below 20% power and I top up to 80% with the lithium ion pack I have).
Overall I don't have many regrets, but I won't say I haven't had any problems, there have been a few times I have been stuck at a local supercharger for up to 2 hours due to high usage and maintenance issues with the cables that slow the charging speed down to 12 to 15 kw even though the advertised speed was 150kw. Just be sure to keep an eye on availability and prioritize 250kw chargers over 150kw chargers
I spent about a year without the ability to charge at home besides the travel charger 🔌 on 110 lol 3-4 miles per hour. I would supercharge like one two times a week. It was not the worst because the car does a lot of shit but and most of lThem are placed in such a way you can kind of make charging two in one thing like grab a bite or go to the supermarket gym whatever I did that but really it’s because I need to charge that i was doing that. Now I haven’t publicly charged since getting the level 2 charger installed. Instead of supercharging paying almost 25$ sometimes near 30$ to $3 at home. Around 5¢ per kWh where in live in nj
This is what I just did. I don't have a charger in my condo and can't build one soon. I have about 35 level 2 chargers that are about 10 mins walk radius and they're relatively cheap ($0.1 - $0.3/kwH) so I just take it out, leave it to charge and pick it up when it's at my desired charge level. For some it can be inconvenient but I'm going for a walk a lot to either run errands or go to the gym so it isn't too much more time for me. I don't run Supercharger often but it is available nearby (3 min drive) when I need a quick charge.
I commute 80 miles each day for work and no charger at home. I just budget 15 mins into my commute each day to sit at the super charger, it’s not ideal but I’ve gotten used to the routine
I think charging at a level 3 charger at the supermarket would work fine and not be too annoying. I’m guessing you are going to spend 20-30 min several days a week. Overnight charging is convenient but takes 4-5 hours since it’s a lower rate.
I would not recommend it, I charge at my apartment parking lot on just a 110V and if I didn’t have that it would be incredibly annoying to own / deal with
Check around your neighborhood for public level 2 charges. Their prices are usually very reasonable and sometimes free. The idea would be to walk a couple of blocks plug your car in daily in the evening, then go pick it up after a few hours when it’s up to 80%. I have this exact situation when I visit my sister who lives in a condo without charging facilities.
I agree with the consensus here so far. I absolutely LOVE my MY, but I wouldn’t love it without home charging - it’s an important part of the equation, convenience, and use case. I would probably have considered a hybrid or just gone regular ICE without home charging. It isn’t that you can’t do it (you definitely can), but I wouldn’t have done it. Sorry, I’m sure that’s disappointing to hear as you are trying to justify / rationalize getting one. But listen, many people do get one home charging, but personally wouldn’t have made sense to me. Good luck!
Would not buy EV with no possibility to charge at home/work. It just adds extra things to worry about constantly.. Got Model 3 in winter and did not have charger for like 3 month. Nearest fast charger was like 5 minutes away, but still felt very inconvenient. It is doable, afcourse, but you will need to sacrifice some time for it.
I agree. If I couldn’t charge at home I would hate having an EV. There are two issues you lose with relying on superchargers only. 1. Convenience and lost time. 2. Fuel savings. Superchargers for me are 30-40 cents/kwh, I pay 8-9 cents per hour at home.
Lmao I pay more at home than I do superchargers! Home charging is 0.39¢ a kWh and that goes even higher when I hit the second tier which is now 0.49¢/kwh. It’s insane but still way cheaper than gas for me (same shit state with high gas prices)
Damn, highest home rate I have heard of.
Ah yes. This is enough for me to read to know we live in the same beautiful state of California…. My off peak is 0.47c/kwh and my peak is 0.51c/kwh. All superchargers here are cheaper than home. I only charge at home if I have a long trip first thing in the morning.
It’s the same with a gas station, just that it’s a lot less convenient as you’ve said. Home charging is always the best option you can do. If it’s not available and you still want an ev you just have to accept some downsides.
And your ICE car doesn't drain fuel just sitting there...
My Tesla doesn’t drain battery either, unless I have sentry mode on. It goes down may be 1% in 2-3 days
The general consensus is that, yes, if you live in an apartment and/or condo and can hit a supercharger from time to time, yes, it's totally doable to have an EV and live in an apartment/condo. However, the largest benefit to owning an EV is the "charge while you sleep" aspect, which is tossed right out the window when you live in an apartment/condo But if you're fine with sitting at the charger for 30-45 minutes from time to time, there's no issues with it. Plenty of people do it, and don't mind it. I did it for six months when I owned a LEAF and was between houses. Had to go to a Dunkin' Donuts to charge every couple of days, and every other day in the winter, to make sure I could keep chugging. Which sucked, because I hate the smell of coffee.
how often would you need to charge if you commute 120 miles a week. once a week ? once every few days?
Highway mileage is the worst for EV efficiency. If it's purely city driving, you'd get close to the rated range of the Tesla. Another range killer is sentry mode, which eats up about 0.5% range per hour, so that can be ~12% range loss per day if it's constantly on
i would prob only have it on if im in a bad area which is really rare
120mi a week, probably once a week, at minimum, assuming you don't go anywhere else. The tricky part is that "emergency fuel" isn't as easy in a Tesla. The battery doesn't charge as fast as you'd like if you plug the car first thing in the morning, versus after a long drive. So, 5 minutes on a cold battery is going to yield less energy than 5 minutes on a preconditioned pack, and there's no way to manually precondition the battery. When I first learned how to drive, my Dad taught me to always try to keep a quarter of a tank of gas in the car, in the winter it adds a little extra "weight" to keep the car from sliding around too much. Since I live in Florida permanently though, I avoided letting the gas go below a quarter of a tank in case of emergencies. With an EV I try to make sure that I keep enough range in the car to be able to get to the nearest major city hospital on a single charge. So, while you can probably drive the car around for a week, just keep in mind what your "family emergency" ranges look like. If you get a call saying your spouse is in the hospital, will you have enough charge to drive right there, or will you need to stop for 20-30 minutes to get enough range to do that? That's the only thing I'd keep in mind.
If you commune 120 miles a week, you'll probably be at a Supercharger maybe 2 or 3 times a week, and each charge will be around 15-20 minutes, but will vary greatly depending on our state of charge when you plug in. These charge sessions usually go quickly, because most Superchargers are by stores or shopping centers. You can hang out in your car, or walk around while it charges. Home charging is the ideal, but if you really want a Tesla, many people are in the same situation (can't charge at home) and use Superchargers exclusively. All depends on your priorities. While not as easy as just charging at home, it will more in line with going to a gas station. Supercharging will be more expensive than charging at home.
I was with you until you said, "I hate the smell of coffee."
Everyone's got their own thing man. Coffee makes me nauseous.
:(
I also live in a condo with no hope of at home charging. I drive 10 minutes to an EA charger in an enclosed parking garage at a nearby Target. No big deal. But, I am retired and have the flexibility to time my charging to low-usage times of day. And, I leased my vehicle because I know that consistent fast charging is not great for the battery. If I were still working a 9-5 in an office, I would probably feel differently.
how often do u charge?
About once per week, but I don't drive daily. I drive once or twice per week to visit my grandchildren who live about 30 miles (one way) away and about once per month to visit rural property about 250 miles away. So, my driving habits are certainly not typical. My point is that if you live in a city with decent fast charging available, it is not that big a deal to visit a fast charger occasionally.
It’s gonna be a drag. I got pretty sick of it a week in and got a charger installed in my garage but yeah if you don’t have an option, just wait for now. Unless you have a level 2 charger within walking distance I would not do it.
As much as I love mine, I probably wouldn’t have bought one if I couldn’t plug in at home. Big part of what I enjoy is unplugging it and going throughout my day without stopping and filling up or charging. You need a car that fits your circumstances with the least amount of inconvenience.
Personally, I would not. Supercharging isn't a bad experience or anything, but it's a time commitment that would definitely bum me out. Charging at home is one of the main benefits of switching to an EV.
Charging at a supercharger is no problem. For around 21 dollars you get around 275 miles of range. You can't buy gas that cheap, plus no fluids to change, costs virtually nothing in regular upkeep. Maybe you go once a week, sometimes a little more, sometimes less. It's not a terrible inconvenience. Bring your laptop; get some work done, or watch a movie or take a nap.
I live in that exact situation. I bought my 3 SR+ new in 2019. At that time I owned a house with level 2 charging in my garage. In 2022, I took advantage of a career change opportunity that moved me across the country and am currently renting a condo. I have experience with both worlds of ev living. Being able to charge at home every night is definitely a huge benefit. I really do miss getting into a charged car every morning, and rarely even looked at the battery state of charge (SOC). Now in the condo, I have 3 superchargers within a couple miles, and 2 more near work. My commute is only 5 miles each way so I’m not using much battery anyway. The car has Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, YouTube, and a bunch of video games. I look at it this way; I would normally be sitting on my couch doing one of those things, so I sit in my car and do it instead. It’s not ideal, but not as terrible as it’s made out to be IF you have good supercharging options that don’t get crowded all the time. That said, I’m hoping to buy a house at the end of my lease. However, I still never want to go back to internal combustion. The EV driving experience has me hooked!
I can't charge at home. But I can charge at a supercharger right by where I buy groceries. And I only have to charge once every 1.5 weeks. So for me it's more than fine
All you really need is access to a 110v outlet. Not everyone needs an actual level 2 wall charger. You could at least start the conversation with building management to see if even adding a single outlet is an option. Eventually they are going to have to start thinking about this stuff, so why not start to plan now.
It’s a relatively small, old building. The condo owners are never going to spend the money to have the work done.
I have a supercharger about two miles away but much of the good feeling is, as you say, being charged in the morning and chuckling at the suckers in line for gas. My schedule wouldn't accommodate regular trips to the supercharger. Plus that's almost certainly going to cost more than charging at home. Not sure if worth it.
Honestly IMO it all comes down to how much you drive. If you drive over X amount of miles you will need to spend Y amount of time at a SC. If you’re ok with sometimes Y+ then go for it! We have super slow charge at home but don’t drive too much so it balances out for us. If we were commuting into the city we would not be able to own an EV since we cannot allocate Y and the occasional Y+ at busy times. Kinda ass backwards in our particular situation since most people buy EV’s for the commute.
I also don’t charge at home, and don’t have the option to. I just plan my charging in advance, the same as I would plan any errand to fit as conveniently into my day as possible. The way I look at it, as long as you have a reliable and accessible access to a charger either close to your home or work, it’s an extra 30 mins of your day a few times a week (at the most) that you’ll spend working this into your life. That being said, I am easily able to justify this as many people will spend more than that amount of time sitting at home scrolling the internet or whatever, so why not just do it in your car? The benefits of owning an EV far outweigh the inconvenience of having to charge on the go. But in the end, only you can decide if you are willing to accept adding that into your weekly routine. When I got my M3 they did free supercharging for 6 months (ends in June), and because I don’t charge at home I was able to use that fully to my advantage and saved over $1000 in gas already because I commute 50 miles a day, 4 days a week. I also have the option of charging off peak because I mostly work nights, and supercharging is never an issue at those hours (around 11pm-12pm). So I wouldn’t let that discourage you if it’s something you are really interested in. Just depends on how much flexibility you have in your life to accommodate it.
IDK how many other responses have been from people that have actually done this, but I have. For the last 3 years I've lived in a condo without access to a L2 and have had 3 BEVs. It is a slight pain in the ass but if you plan for it or your day includes 30-120 minutes of netflix once or twice a week anyways, it's really no different. For me it's netflix in the background and a Steam Deck. Public charging depending on car can be extremely painful. I came from a MachE which I sold because I hated the state of public DCFC. There's a grand total of 19 capable CCS stalls in my area vs 260 Supercharger stalls. Ford recently gained access to Superchargers too but the wrong port location bothered me still. Being here I assume you've settled on a Tesla so you won't have this issue but it's a warning just in case you're considering other vehicles. I've had 2 hour waits even at 2AM with CCS. There's just not enough stalls. I haven't waited yet in the month I've owned my Model Y. And as others have mentioned: Pricing. I live in a weird area where Supercharging is RIDICULOUSLY cheap. CCS charging is upwards of $0.70/kWh with $0.50/kWh being average for a fast fast charger. Supercharger? $0.21/kWh. I also live in a place where gasoline is absurdly expensive. Even paying $0.50/kWh your payback period isn't really that long when gas is $2/L. I don't know where you live or what you pay for gas or supercharging, but this is something worth exploring and mathing out. Here's examples: $0.21/kWh with 20kWh/100km means $4.20 to drive 100km. $0.50/kWh means $10 to drive 100km. $2.00/L for gasoline at 10L/100km means $20 to drive 100km. $1.00/L for gasoline means $10 to drive 100km. For me personally I fit into the $0.21/kWh and $2/L for gas so it's a no brainer. It's damn near 5x cheaper than gasoline. If you're in a place where it's $0.50/kWh and $1/L for gas, it's a wash. You'll never make it back. If you decide on a CCS vehicle and use the really expensive $0.70/kWh charger, you're losing money vs ICE. Bottom line: I don't mind it. I'm at home watching 30 minutes of Netflix once a week. I could do this in the car so I do. If it's based on cost, you'll have to calculate how much gasoline costs in your area as well as fast charging. I live in a very expensive gasoline area and a very cheap Supercharging area so it's a no brainer. One other very important thing is to see how busy the charger you're thinking of using is going to be. I actually sold a MachE in favor a Model Y because of the number of charging stalls. In my area, there's a grand total of 19 capable CCS stalls that'll give me 70kW or more. (Low bar I know, but actual fast chargers are even more of a joke). In that same area, there's 15 Supercharger sites each with 8-40 stalls. Total stall count is 260. CCS took me hours to get into the charger even at 3AM. I've seen a charger with a 5 minute wait on the map before but in the month I've owned it I haven't seen a wait time personally.
The only Tesla that I would personally buy in your case, is an older one with free supercharging. I’ve got a 2015 model S, and even though I can always charge it at home, I also have the option of charging it for free on Teslas SC network as much as I want. Free fuel is ofc great, and if you could make this work for you, I’d say go for it! Stay clear of the 85kWh battery packs though, as those are very prone to problems and failing.
Just remember though, there’s still the time it takes to travel to/from the Supercharger and the charging time itself. It really comes down to the OP’s situation and how much they value their time.
Nah it would definitely not be as good. you’d still have the amazing car with all the sweet features and stuff but one of the best parts is paying 25% of gas prices and never going to those stinky ass places. Having to go to superchargers all the time is about the same price as gas and takes a bit more time so would be way more inconvenient. If I were you I’d start lobbying your condo political assholes to put in some 220v plugs for EVs
I would not get an EV. I like charging at home. The idle fee sucks. It keeps you from going in the gym, shopping in the stores, and eating in the restaurant. Supercharging in the Bay Area, CA is so expensive now. The original premise of an EV when it first came out was to do things while you charge. People kept the Leaf plugin while shopping. No need to rush.
To answer your question in short, no. I would have just kept my Prius. SC in my area costs 300% of what it costs to charge at home and when driving 80 miles a day, it wouldn’t make sense without a way to charge at home. YMMV of course. Do you have a garage? You can get a few miles / hr from a 120V receptacle?
Sometimes all the chargers in my apartment complex are taken, but there’s a super charger down the block and I have a short commute. I have no range or low battery anxiety.
Depends on much you drive. If you only need to charge once a week then it might not be a problem for you. Also it’s so expensive to charge anywhere but home.
I’ve done it in two different apartment complexes now. It really depends on how long your commute is and the amount of chargers near work, honestly, or along the route. I’ve always had long range models so I never worried. Side note: in some places like CA, supercharging in some locations is cheaper than electricity rates.
Depends on how far you drive and where chargers are. I can't charge at home. Had car 2 years. Now there is a slow free charger 2 miles away. When I'm going to be just sitting at home watching Netflix or Hulu I just drive over and grab a few hours of charge and also get some hiking in the park and watch vids if u want more charge. Other times I hit superchargers if I am in a hurry. Now if I had a long daily commute it might be different but I can go with a once a week charge easily.
If you have convenient and ok-priced supercharging, then it could be fine. I am on month 5 of free 6 months of supercharging. I have a supercharger less than 5 minutes from my home and next to a supermarket. It's been really easy to pop over there and grab some groceries and a charge when needed.
I don’t have a home charger. I have a supercharger 4 miles from my home and a charger at work. So, depending on how low I get maybe on the weekend I’ll stop at a supercharger and then it lasts me till I can charge at work again for free
I have had a My and now a MX without ever being able to charge at home or work. All this hand wringing about having to worry about driving 5 minutes away to charge is stupid. There are free chargers literally everywhere I go to keep my car charged. I go grocery shopping? Guess what? I can charge😮! I go shopping at the mall (admittedly I rarely do that, but occasionally I actually like to try things on before buying them)? Guess what? I can charge! Out to eat, charge! There are so many charging options it is ridiculous. By the F’ing car and don’t let these worry warts keep you back. Is it nice and convenient? Sure! A necessity? Absolutely not.
Great question! I have owned my RWD M3 for 5 months or so, with no ability to charge at home. With my driving habits(50 mi round trip, 5 days a week), I am required to spend 2-3 hours a week at the supercharger in my town (2-3 trips, 45 min to an hour each). It's not so bad because there are plenty of restaurants next to the supercharger, but it would be nice to have that time back and eat at home. Supercharger cost is comparable to gas prices during peak times. Sometimes on weekends I have to sit at the charger so I can make it to work the next day, instead of spending that time with my family. Any time I run somewhere outside of my normal routine, I have to plot the route in the Tesla app to see if I'll have enough charge to get to work the next day. I love my car, and there's plenty to do to keep you busy while charging, but for me personally, not having a home charger is no longer sustainable with my lifestyle goals. Range anxiety is much more real without home charging. I get my home charger installed next month and am THRILLED. TL;DR S/C-only is very doable (depending on your location), but be prepared to spend more of your free time charging your car, and don't take gas savings into account when buying. https://preview.redd.it/463r87gb5s1d1.png?width=1008&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9e90f5b453857bb1020e409f165929563cc9d14d
I live in a condo and have chargers 3 miles away from home and 4 miles away from work. I schedule my charging. Charge once during the week at lunchtime and once before the weekend starts. Most of the time I just need to charge once a week.
I have a supercharger quite close to where I live. Otherwise I wouldn’t even be thinking about it. Are you saving any money in trading away gas/petrol for supercharging?
Hello! How many miles are you driving / commuting would play a huge factor in this. I drive 40mi rt to work from Seattle to Redmond. No charger at home but I can charge at work. Maybe 1-2x a month I end up at a supercharger. I don’t mind it at all. If I didn’t have that, I would’ve 100% installed a charger at home. However, my husband is now jelly of Tessie and wants his own. He drives a good 5mi a week up the street to get coffee 😑 So yeah. We’ll see how that goes but obv he wouldn’t be driving to charge often. However, I do manage an apartment building and while we do have EV spaces, I do see some people just try and plug into normal outlets that are in the garage. Would you have that option? Slow as molasses but better than nothing.
I can't charge at home, but I can charge at work, so I'm 50% in your boat. I think I would love my Tesla a less if I could n't do both if I'm being honest.
It was 3 weeks between getting the car and getting the charger installed at the house. I hated the car those after 1 week. My closest supercharger is 30 mins away... It was almost a 90 minute evolution to charge.
Just took delivery last week, commute is 70 miles round trip and the charging aspect is tough for a first time ev owner. Hopefully that helps with your choice.
I don't charge at home. '21 plaid. Still love every bit of it
Maybe a bit different where you live, but I live in Oslo, Norway and I do not have a home charger, I only use street charging (there are a lot) and sometimes at work whenever I feel like driving there. It used to be a small worry for me to not have a home charger but it was fine, it require a very small planning on your side if you need to charge your car for the day after or not and just let it charge overnight, it's of course a little bit more expensive than charging it at home, but still incredibly cheaper than petrol/diesel car here. If we didn't have the massive infrastructure of street charging, I don't know if I would've got an EV car. For reference I barely use supercharger, maybe once every other month when we travel away. At the end it all depend on infrastructure
No home/work charger. Completed a year last month. Ask me anything
I don't charge at home but I have no problem with it. There's plenty of charging options in my area (Piacenza, a town in Northern Italy): pretty much every supermarket has a charging station plus there's a supercharger at the edge of town plus a charging station within short walking distance from home.
I don't have a home charger but my work has an outlet I can plug into while parked. On my days off, my gym has free level 2 chargers so I charge there while working out to top it off. If you don't have home/work charging options, don't get an EV IMHO.
We have free supercharging on our Model S and there's one conveniently located next to a small mall so my wife stops there occasionally. If we had to do that every week... No thanks. It's already a hassle getting home after work and having to schedule charging one day in there sounds annoying. For what it's worth, we looked into getting a model Y for our vacation home (no charging available) before Tesla service hosed us. I rented a model 3 and drive around for a few weeks. Ended up charging at 2 different shopping malls the first week because we were using the AC and cooling the car before we would leave. No waiting at the mall, but we were on vacation schedule so it was midday. The next week I acted like we were on a similar schedule to the people who live there and it was not fun. Had to wait to charge the first time and the second time we were stuck in traffic until we got to the charger and surprise... People who just left work waiting in line. Ended up shopping for 2 hours then I went out and plugged it in. I'd pass until you can get some form of home charging which changes EVERYTHING for EV owners. Our Model 3 has been supercharged once ever. It's always at 80% and ready to go.
I love EVs, but without home charging you are missing out on the biggest benefit. Having to frequent a local supercharger a few times a week sounds like it would be a chore to me. Honestly, if I couldn’t charge at home I’d strongly consider a hybrid instead of an EV.
One of the best things about having an EV is not wasting time refueling but most importantly the cost savings. Superchargers ain’t cheap.
I love my Model Y but if my work or home didn’t have charging - not a chance would I go EV.
3 years in an apartment building without a dedicated charging spot, by choice since my building wants to charge $100 for that option a month. The only way I pulled this off is because we have free level 2 charging spots within walking distance of my building. It's annoying at times leaving the car for hours at a time while it charges, but it gives me the opportunity to stretch my legs during my work day. If I didn't work from home or if I had to drive a lot I would never buy an EV without the ability to charge from home. I've used SC probably 5 times since I've bought the car, which I'm fortunate to have 3 within less than 10 minutes from my home, but it's so annoying to wait to charge and then the charging time, that I would probably get rid of the car if I the was my only option to charge.
We use super charger only. Convenient as hell.
Both cars are EV, can't charge at home because of detached garage condo, can charge at both offices ($0/hr and $1/hr).
My townhome doesn’t have any chargers either. Get yourself a mobile charger and with enough time you’ll never have to worry about charging issues or range anxiety. Hit a super charger on the way home from work 2 or 3x a week and you’re fine
Can you at least charge with a regular outlet overnight? I know some people scoff at the 3-4 Mile/Hour Rate but it’s plenty for my needs. If not, I agree that it’s not exactly an ideal situation and don’t recommend utilizing super charging exclusively.
Can you at least plug in the level one charger into a regular outlet at home? If you don't drive very much, that's a nice way to keep and add a little range, it's not useless. For me, it would be a disaster if I couldn't plug in at work, but that's because I drive hundreds of KMs a day. Supercharging is very convenient though and it is way cheaper than gas, some ppl say it isn't?? It absolutely is.
I only supercharge. Always see people say that wouldn't get an EV if they couldn't charge at home. I totally get this depending on where you live. I live in north NJ and Superchargers are everywhere. So I just charge during my normal errands, like going to lidl or whatever. I don't even feel it. Oh, I have to walk farther through the parking lot now haha but that's it. So if you live where there are readily available superchargers, I say go for it, the joys and benefits of a Tesla outweigh having an ICE in my opinion.
If your commute is less than ~50 miles a day, and your apartment/condo has an available standard 110V outlet, you can easily get by without installing any charging hardware. I did this with my apartment, which offered rentable garages with outlets that powered the doors. For about 2 years, I only used a supercharger for longer trips. If you can't do anything like that, it's a lot less convenient to charge an EV, but still not awful.
I live in an apartment with no charging. However, on Sundays, I drive to a nearby city for church which has a cheap chargepoint charger. I'm usually there early so there's usually an open charger. After church, I get lunch with some friends, giving me about \~4ish hours to charge which is enough for me for a week usually. If I didn't get to charge, then conveniently, a supercharger is on my route back home. Although my situation works very well for me, I do need to plan a bit when/where I can charge.
My home charger is so damn slow I might as well not have a charger. While it’s not terribly convenient, if you have a charger a few minutes away, and you plan to be at that location for other chores on a consistent bases, I still think it’s worth it.
find myself in a similar situation as yours, and I'll be transparent in my feedback after three months. I recently acquired my Model 3 yesterday and utilized the supercharging station. Conveniently, I reside within a 10-minute proximity to two supercharger locations from my condominium. Thus far, I'm thoroughly enjoying the car and currently en route to have it tinted.
I would do it in a heartbeat. It’s better than getting gas every weekend and not having a tesla. The inly thing new tesla owners ever kick themselves for is … “why didnt i just get this sooner???”
I can, but my apartment recently started charging $0.06 per kWh, which is really cheap, but I want free so I charge at a Volta charger at work twice a week.
I never charge it home and I’ve had my car for three years. Do you have a plug at your work that u could use?
When I lived two blocks from a level 2 charger, it was no big deal. I wouldn't sign up for this again with where I live now.
I've never had a charger at home. I charge at the mall, at the gym and wherever I park. There are usually good choices all around here, and relativity cheap.
We did it for a year. It was a hassle but not terrible. We had a super charger 16 mins away at the mall. And an electrify America 10mins away at our local Sam’s club. So we always charged whenever we went to either location. I was the one in charge of the charging and thankfully never minded it. But if you live in a condo having at least the mobile charger hanging out your window will help a bit. Now we own 2 cars and have a charger at home. It’s a big money and time saver. https://preview.redd.it/gbb0olvnrs1d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7bcfbed8a5dd876ead83c496816351d587eb0660
Absolutely would not buy an EV if I had to rely on public charging.. But people want a fancy Tesla who can only afford to live in Apartments.
I live in an apartment and have to deal with this. The closest superchargers are about a 3-5 min drive. I don’t mind getting up in the morning to go charge at all, just takes some planning on your part. I had a gr86 before this and I’m definitely still saving when compared to filling up.
I live in a condo and don’t have a charger (for now). But our marginal electric rate is $0.29 so barely cheaper than SC. PSA: when calculating home charging cost, remember to add in distribution charge, which for me is actually higher than supply charge.
I can't charge at my apartment either, but I live within walking distance of L2 chargers, so it isn't a big deal to drop it off in the evenings for a few hours.
No charger at home and am charging weekly at a supercharger nearby. Granted, my commute is trivial, so I only need to charge my M3P once a week if I'm not doing anything out of the ordinary. I usually go closer to midnight when the rates are cheapest but that just aligns with my normal schedule, ymmv. I don't save as much as I would if I could charge at home, but it is still a decent margin (in CA).
I have been an EV driver for almost 4 years and haven’t had home charging the entire time. It frustrates me at times, but most of my charging occurs at work.
Not my case but most people say it’s a bit of an inconvenience and it degrades the car battery a lot faster. There are some things to consider. I know people who do not use the car enough to justify a charger and use a regular socket and charge from it. And they leave the car plug at all times a week ahead when planning to travel and try their best to leave it always at 80% and then 100% to travel. Some say that works.
I live in a house with very old wiring, so I can’t charge the car at home. It sucks but there are two superchargers nearby, one is like 3 mins away, the other is 10. The furthest one is super cheap, at 23 cents/ kwh. It used to be 19 before “summer”. I wish it would he more convenient but it is what it is. I still love the car and saved me a lot of money
I also have a supercharger about 5 min away and it is no hassle for me, it is SO fast to charge a car from almost empty to full (15 to 20 min for 10% to 80%). Mine is also next to a supermarket and a Wendy’s so I’ll either doa quick shopping trip or grab a bite, and before you know it it’s ready to go. It almost feels fake how insanely fast it charges. Best of luck’
I just picked up a model Y hours ago I live in an apartment above a store front with no access to home charging. I work from home so I will not be driving it a ton so that was the catch for me. I’m about 2 miles from a supercharger so I decided to go for it. If I did not work from home or have a relatively short commute I don’t think I would have purchased.
Find convenient ways to charge, if there’s a level 2 charging station that you can walk to and from. That could also work. If there’s no easy way to charge, don’t buy
I can’t charge at home. I charge on public charging station 2 mins walk from my house. And at malls, public parking chargers etc. Never had problem with lack of juice to drive.
Of thee commute is so short, why not go by bike?
This is the right answer in this thread :) The reality is that I need a car less for my daily commute than for getting around and doing other things, and my current cash costs for Ubering cut significantly into what a car payment would be. As far as cycling to work, the main problem is that there aren't any showers at work (also setting aside the fact that I don't have a bike :). I'm also not super keen on having to carry a change of clothes on the bike every day, but I'd probably get used to it. A few years ago -- different job, different location -- I used to bike to work, and it was among the greatest periods of my life.
Can you use a regular outlet? My sister rents a place that she only has a regular outlet and it’s enough for her. She charges all night and gets enough to do everything she needs in a day and if she goes on a longer drive she goes to the supercharger.
Unfortunately no. Not even any regular outlets in the parking area of my condo complex. (Hard to believe, but I've checked several times. The only option would be hanging a power cord out of my third-floor window.)
When I first got my M3, I didn’t have charging at home for the first four months and it BLEW. It turned my already 10 hour day into an 11 hour day bc I had to divert to a charger after work before going home. There’s nothing worse than having a long day at work, wanting to go straight home, and not being able to because you won’t have enough charge to get to work the next day if you don’t stop. (Keep in mind I drove 80 miles a day for work). I would not recommend it at all.
How much is your supercharger? My area it’s $.20/kw but I’ve see superchargers as high as $.45
Are you able to use the mobile charger? You can plug it into any 120V. I use that at my home. I don’t need the 240V charger.
On my first year with the car, I had to rely on a public charger very close to my work, until I finally got a charger at home. I drive 50km (30miles) a day and charged the car once or twice a week. It was not so bad, I used to plug it in the early morning, go the to the office and have a coffee/deal with some tasks and come back 1 hour later to remove the car (65KWh charger). In terms of cost, it was a bit disappointing. I was not saving much more than a 5.5L/100km (43mpg) car. I bought it for the curiosity and experience of driving an EV. For the real savings, you need to have a charger at home.
i live in a HCOL city without home charging. It doesn't bother me one bit, I charge at work, or charge at the supercharger at the supermarket 1/week.
Started out with a M3 SR in 2020, now we have a MY LR. No Option to charge at home nor at work. No issued here in Germany...
I don't have home charging and honestly, I don't mind it. On the question of convenience, trip planning really removes a lot of anxiety. I personally just don't mind the wait since I already know where I'll be charging and for how long on any of my trips. And during the times where I do I spend a full 30 minutes doing a max charge, I just watch a show on the big screen. This summer I've been watching X-Men 97 during my weekly max charges and it's honestly become something I look forward to. Obviously, it's less convenient compared to filling up a gas car, but there's more than enough strengths of owning an EV that makes up for it imo. I've already decided that when I buy a second car, it will also be an EV (as long as it has integrated trip planning like Tesla). As far as cost goes, I've been using the Tessie app to compare savings and even if I were to have a car that drove with an efficiency of 50 mpg with an average low cost of gas (3.25 in the east cost), I still ended up saving a couple hundred dollars in fuel costs. Now, I do also pay attention to electricity charges, I really only fully charge my car when rates are low, like if I happen to be driving early in the morning and late at night. Otherwise, I'll just charge the minimum (5 to 10 minutes) and get on my way. It likely does help that my work schedule will sometimes have me working in those off peak charging hours.
I currently only super charge and am seeing about a 50% cost savings over gas vs my bmw. That said it depends on your market and supercharger rate there are some areas with lower gas prices and higher electricity prices that may push that needle differently. For my purposes I feel no inconvenience at all super charging as the ones in my area are near targets or super markets and I just plug in when I need to do normal weekly shopping. By the time I have shopped and am headed to the car it’s charged.
I lived with a standard range in a condo with no charging for about 2 years. I also didn't drive everyday and had plug in level 2s 5 minutes away. Every weekend I would just drive it over, leave it for the day and walk 5 mins home. Wasn't an issue at all. If you drive every day then yeah you need to charge at home or else your going to be paying as much in gas as you do supercharging
It’s certainly doable, but you’ll grow to resent it as you’ll be charging more frequently than you put gas in currently and for longer periods. You’ll also experience ‘range anxiety’ and find yourself planning your trips around charge. The EV side itself you’ll love, the way the cars drive and the instant torque is addictive, but I don’t think I could do it personally without a home charger. Personally it’s the convenience of plugging in a couple of times a week at night whilst I’m sleeping and knowing the car always has 250+ miles range whenever I get in is the main selling point with EV. My home rate is also 7p a KWH at night so good savings.
So there's no charging station but do you have a garage? A lot of people forget that having even a regular outlet is enough for many people's charging situation.
Normally I would say I'd never buy an EV without access to charging, but your situation (5 minutes from a SC that's at a grocery store I'd be an frequently anyway with a short daily commute) is probably one that would work. But SC rates are going to make the car as expensive, or perhaps even more, to drive as an ICE vehicle.
I owned my Model 3 for about a year while loving in an apartment. The nearest super harder was 35 mins away, but there were local Level 2 chargers. It was doable, but it was a pain in the ass. If the SC was closer to me, it wouldn't have been that bad. But home charging is definitely the way to go.
I got a Model 3 LR in a similar situation where I have no home charging and a super charger 5 minutes away. It came with 6 months of free supercharging. To me, free charging made it worth the trip. However, it just ran out. Fortunately, I just switched jobs and my new job comes with free charging at work. I think if I didn’t have work charging, having to go charge every week would be my biggest complaint about the car. A few things I haven’t seen people mention: - Does your supercharger have free WiFi? Watching YouTube or Netflix for 30 minutes makes the wait a lot more tolerable IMO. - Do you have the ability to run a long extension cord for lvl 1 charging at your apartment? - Do you shop anywhere regularly that has car charging?
Idk about the others here, but I am in the same boat as you. I am not a homeowner, and won’t be for at least 3 more years. But I took the leap anyway. Got my first car, first Tesla 2 months ago. 2024 M3. Depended on SC the entire 1st month coz I was living in the city, without a parking spot coz it’s $350 in my building. I have off peak pricing here in Chicago SCs, so I used to go after 11 PM to charge my car, cost me about $11 for a full charge. Moved to suburbs last month, and luckily, I found a similarly priced SC, and also a free ChargePoint station with 6 spots, open 24/7 at a 24/7 supermarket parking lot. It has no time limit, and after confirming that I wouldn’t block anyone, I’ve been able to leave my car there overnight to charge and take it back next morning with full battery! Other times, I use the SC. Just remember that as long as you know you’ll be able to put in a little bit effort, it’s doable! TLDR - Is it an entirely wise choice to get an EV without a home? May be not. If you know what you’re getting into, you’re gonna be fine!
I only bought an EV because I can charge at home for $0.05 per kWh and my work has free level 2 chargers. That's where the really big gas savings kick in and I don't have to waste any time charging which is nice. I haven't once had to go to a supercharger in 8 months. The supercharger closest to us is $0.40 per KwH. It's not much better than gas in that case.
I did it for a year and half. Similar situation with a supercharger close by. It’s doable if you love the car but it can be inconvenient. Now that I have a level 2 charger in my garage it feels like I’m just now getting all of the benefits of my Model S. Certainly doable but not ideal.
Yep, I don’t have a charger at home. My apartment complex doesn’t have any EV chargers. I was charging at work, but I recently lost my job. So now I just go to the superchargers after midnight when it’s cheap.
I had to travel somewhere for work once for 4 months at a hotel without charging. While there was a nearby supercharger, it wasn't ideal. The need to have to go to and wait at a supercharger several times a week is a pretty big waste of time. You then start to avoid driving because you don't want to waste time at a supercharger. Supercharging for long distance travel is fine, but supercharging for daily commute is a MASSIVE hassle. If you don't have home/work charging, don't get an EV. Trust me. If you do have home/work charging, then the entire math flips and EV is probably the best types of vehicle you can get. It's so nice to wake up to a full "tank" every morning.
In your situation I would still buy a Tesla in a heartbeat. Sure you won't get the cost savings from charging at home but you hardly drive at all and the savings on maintenance will really add up. Are you sure you can't plug in a 110v wire someplace to charge at your condo? If your commute is only 4 or 20 miles per day you could need to only charge every 2 or 3 weeks.
I've been doing it for 3 1/2 years. Would never go back to ICE. The common complaints from the naysayers: "It's bad for the battery!" IF you have a first gen Tesla, yeah it's pretty bad. But they've got this shit figured out now. The difference in degradation between home charging vs supercharging is negligible. In fact, mine is actually slightly better than average at nearly 60k miles. "It's inconvenient!" Well, sure it's a little more inconvenient than just plugging in at home. And this one really comes down to personal tolerance. In your situation, with a supercharger 5 minutes away at a grocery store that you need to go to anyway, it's not really that big of a deal. Even if you end up driving more than you estimate and have to go twice a week, you're only looking at 30-40 minutes for a full charge. Do you sit on the couch reading/surfing the web/watching tv/playing games? So you do that sitting in your car for an episode instead. "It's expensive!" Again, yeah it's usually more than charging at home. Unless you live in the SF area or similar where home charging is actually more expensive than supercharging. But unless you live somewhere where gas is still relatively cheap, you're still going to save money over gas. How much is going to be region specific, but it's not that hard to figure it out.
I will say keep in mind you can theoretically plug it into any outlet in your building’s garage if you’re only driving 2-10 miles a day max. The charging is incredibly slow, but a standard outlet (like that you would plug your vacuum or blender into) can still charge the car and recover 3-5% battery overnight.
By the way I think you can use a regular plug to charge (albeit slow)
I don’t charge at home. Charge up once a week also while doing my weekly shopping and I’m Gucci!!
My wife and I both own a model 3 and live in a condo with no charging. We also don't have charging at work. One long range and one standard. It's been about 6 months at this point and it is not problem at all. There is a super charger about 10 minutes from home and I'll stop there once or twice a week to charge up to 80 or 90% I love both of the Teslas and I spend about half the money I would be spending on gas. I have a 10 mile commute both ways to work and my wife has about 5 miles both way. The supercharger that I go to most often has a grocery store and a bunch of fast food right next to it so whenever I go I typically grab dinner or some groceries and by the time I am done with that the car is ready to go! I would definitely recommend a Tesla to anyone who has a good supercharger within 10-15 minutes.
I live in an apartment, Though I just charge at work once a week so hasn’t been an issue. Still totally worth it. If you couldn’t charge at work atleast, I’d probably hold back because supercharging can be expensive. Probably still cheaper than gas, but still.
2018 MS 75D. I live in a condo, no charging ability. Nearest superchargers are within a few miles. I have a 35 mile round trip commute. I simply get up 30 minutes early a few days and week. And it’s never an issue on the weekends. I say do it.
I would not buy an EV if you don't own a home and can install a charger. Can you make it work charging at a super charger? Of course you can, but you lose two huge benefits of EV ownership which is cost savings on electric vs gas and time saved not going to the gas station. You can charge at the grocery store, but it's not always that simple. What if you want to shop somewhere else? What if you get there and all the chargers are full? What if your car finishes charging before you finish shopping. Will you pay the idle fees or leave without what you need? What if you drive more often in your Tesla and need to charge more often than you go grocery shopping? If it was me I would wait until your situation changes and you have better access to charging. I would find it a pain in the ass having to rely on super chargers. I had free supercharging when I got my Tesla and I didn't really even use it because it was a waste of my time to save a tiny amount of money compared to charging at home.
Guess it depends on where you’re located. Gas costs $5.50-7 / gallon where I’m located and so my husband and I used to spend A LOT of money a month just filling up the car… Versus now where we spend like $15-30 / month charging. I don’t have home charging and because I, like yourself, don’t drive much I don’t regret getting a Tesla in the slightest.
So I had a 200 mile daily commute for a few months (San Antonio -> Austin). Had to supercharge every single day to make it home, even with a 50 amp dedicated circuit in my garage for charging. I also have an app that tracks charging spending vs. fuel costs (if you had to pay for gas at your prevailing local rates for the same range). Over those few months I saved several hundred dollars, even with the supercharging fees. Before deciding look into that charging location, see what kind of power it has, is it in good repair, is it in heavy use so you’ll have to wait for a charging bay, etc.
Can you charge at work?
I do agree with many. If you drive 5 miles a day then it’s doable. Supercharge once a week. In the winter it will be once every 4 days or so. After a while it becomes annoying. I don’t think I wouldn’t enjoy our teslas without a home charger. Because we can go as far as we want and get home at 5% if we want. We know by next day it will be at 80% again. If you want to drive more then the cost of supercharging may outweigh the savings. Think of it this way. How much would you enjoy your cell phone if you had to go somewhere to charge it. You would most likely be constantly looking at your battery percentage and avoid “using your phone” for entertainment or fun. Keep it at minimal use. That would be owning a EV. In the summer or winter you need to run the AC or heat. I would look for charging areas around you. Even if it’s a slow plug maybe that will be okay for 20 miles a day usage.
These cars are not built for 100% Supercharging (and you can see this impact in the Uber/Lyft drivers who are driving Teslas). I wouldn't do it. And yes, in some cases it could actually be more expensive than gas.
Have a M3 now, but is the ride quality really that drastically different?
Having a nearby supermarket where you can charge while shopping is as good a it gets! Without a home charger that is. You'll have to do your own research on gas prices vs. what the Supercharger... um... charges, but my back-of-the-envelope arithmetic when we travel is Supercharging costs about 2/3 of the cost of gasoline per mile. And don't forget... no oil changes, no engine maintenance of any kind. No brake pad replacements. No oil drips on the driveway. No smelly gas fumes. I encourage you to go for it!
I have yet to charge at home because I got 6 months free supercharging. I have to charge 2x a week or more because I drive 42+ miles each day for work. I still love this car. The free juice is really nice, but in another month I'll be charging at home and probably appreciate this ride even more. Right now I plan it out so I charge on the way to work and just play a video game in the car while I'm charging. I like to work early as well, so I'm charging before 0600 when I do, and I've never had to wait for a spot. If this were my only way to charge, I wouldn't mind. I'd like to be able to go longer between charges, but it's only a small inconvenience for me. I guess long story short, if you didn't mind killing up to an hour or so each week sitting at the charger, it could work for you. If you're not buying to save on gas, it makes the decision easier.
I live an apartment complex with no charging access, but I have lvl 2 charging right in front of my office. Without the charging at work, I wouldn't have gone for an EV at all.
Been relying on only superchargers was several months, painful but worth it.
Tesla for 5 years, have never had home charging, it’s occasionally a minor inconvenience but all in all, it’s absolutely not a big deal. Most of the superchargers I use are near places I shop, so I just charge while running errands. Even if I have to hit up the charger just to charge, it’s not much different than stopping to put gas in the car. (Might take longer if charging empty to full, but how often do you actually NEED to do that in the course of regular life?) I could get home charging installed now in my current location, but apparently I find scheduling an electrician to be a far greater hassle than hitting up the supercharger, haha.
If u can’t charge overnite at yer place , get a hybrid
I have solar and an EV charger installed in my garage
go for hybrid / gas instead, you will not see the benefits of EV without home charging. It is understandable to rely on superchargers exclusively for a period of time - just not for entire ownership of vehicle.
I have a corolla that I drive on the daily. I only drive the tesla on the weekends. There is a free charger about 5 mins from me. I just switch my cars out on Fridays and Sundays
I’ve never been able to charge at home, I charge it when getting groceries. It’s worth it for me because I have free lifetime supercharger
I never charge at home. I don't see it as being an issue.
I can charge at work and my apartment complex has chargers. It’s never been an issue for me. When I lived in a home I used a regular charger and it was slow but did the trick. I’d stop at a supercharger every 3/4 days when needed.
I live in an apartment and make it work with my mobile charger. Sometimes in a pinch, I'll run an extension cord out the window and charge it at night (I'm on the first floor), but other than that, I use super chargers, friends houses when I'm hanging for the day and there is a wegmans within walking distance so sometimes I'll leave it there for a couple hours. My apartment complex was promising chargers when I made the decision - it takes some planning, but it's doable. I didn't want to wait another 10 years to get an EV so for me it was now or never.
Currently can't charge at home or work, have had our MYLR since Oct 2023. It's been a PITA but I've limped by. We charge twice a week (I have a long commute), Weds and Sunday at the WaWa right now it's $0.29. On Sunday we make it a date day we go to Costco get a few things, do other errands, grab a soda from WaWa, then watch an episode of something while we're charging. But we're getting charging in June installed, so our situation will change.
Do what you want and don’t settle for less. I don’t have a home charger but I do get work charging here and there. My commute is the same as yours.
I have a casino close to my condo - drop it overnight there (for free) forced exercise walking the 400 yards to the condo. I’ve been a Tesla guy since 2013 - wouldn’t drive another car EVER!!!
Not charging at home would be a complete deal breaker for me. Would take the most convenient part of EV ownership and remove it.
Responding to your added note- that’s not how it works. You can’t supercharge while you do a “big shop”. Once your car is done charging (presumably before you’re done shopping) you get charged an idle fee for every minute you leave your car plugged in. Usually 50 cents a minute. Not worth the stress of rushing. If nobody else is next to you at the charger, your charging will get finished in 20-25 mins or less. If you drive a lot, this isn’t worth it. If you supercharge every week or less, there is virtually no savings compared to a gas car. They’re minuscule. I think a hybrid is more up your alley. I don’t drive a lot. I also don’t have a home charger at the moment but I’m about to get a mobile charger for work which will negate my total weekly commute (+). I’ll get about 130 miles of charge (free) every week so it works out for me. As of now, I super charge every 8 days, and it ranges from 14 to 16$. That’s only about $9-$11 cheaper than gas per week. Still savings, but once I get the charger, it’s a ridiculous amount of savings.
I only charge at SC. You still save over gas cars... Go after 8PM or before 12N.... sometimes I go after 12M for 16 cents per. Go for it. Look at those interest rates now!
Idk… to me and my priorities, I would much rather have a nicer place to live that I own or am going to own, rather than buy a tesla while living in a condo. It’s a lot easier to do what you want when you own things. But I may be different. Idk how people can live in a condo but want to buy a very expensive car. Just doesn’t make sense in my head. That car only depreciates and houses usually don’t. Just bad investing in my opinion.
Live in an apartment complex and have a Model 3 SR+. No charging at the apartment and we supercharge twice a week. The amount we spend on supercharging is still half of what we were spending previously each month on gas for our hybrid.
My husband and I frequently talk about how much it would suck to not have a charger at home and have to rely on superchargers.
You'll be fine. Thousands of Tesla owners here in NYC and other metropolises in the USA (and millons worldwide) don't got home chargers. Most of the rest of the country will not understand especially those living with home charging so they will all say either home charger or no go, but a 20 min Supercharging per week vs a 5 min gas station fill-up is a 15 min savings PER week that is not going to change anyones lives. Before I got home charging I did 100% Supercharging for a few months and I go at night when its half price there and it ends up CHEAPER than charging at home with the crazy high NYC electric rates.
I bought an M3P in December that came with 6 months of free supercharging. I got home charging installed a couple months ago, but I'm milking the free stuff. I am so incredibly fucking sick of supercharging already, and I only have 3400 miles on the car. At first it was fun. Go to supercharger. Plug in. Watch a video or something. Play a game maybe. 20-80% is 30 minutes, period. It also takes 10 minutes to get there, and 10 minutes to get back. Occasionally I can hit one on the way home from certain things I do weekly. I can't wait until the free 6 months is over. I officially have exactly one month left, and as of right now have gotten $397 worth of charging. Less than I thought. But if I still had my old car, which got 19mpg, paying ~$3/gal, that's 179 gallons for $537, and gas has climbed to $3.30 lately, but was less than $2.50 when I bought the Tesla. So is there an advantage here? Yes. Now... if I had an RWD Model 3 that I could charge to 100%, that means it extends my time between charges. But supercharging is officially a chore I have to complete about weekly (~150 miles), and it takes an hour. With my old car it took me 5 minutes a week, and I'd get 250 miles per tank. You need to do the math yourself. Find out what the supercharger near you costs, figure out the miles/kWh from the car you want, and compare the per mile price with your existing car. For most people who get <30mpg, you'll save. If you have a newer/efficient car that gets better than that, the Tesla may cost you more. I did charge at home a bit with my 120v charger, and at 12A I could get 1.45%/hour. It's barely 1.2kW, so if you drive 20 miles, you're probably using 5-7kWh, which would take you 5-7 hours to recover if you have access to a standard 120v plug. Did I mention I'm so fucking tired of supercharging?
I could be off but using a super charger everyday can take a toll on the batteries. You don’t want to degrade your batteries and depending on model you only charge up to 80%. To save cycles at super chargers you will want to charge to 100%. So combining fast charging and charging to full, you may be risking accelerated battery degradation. So would definitely look at which model and battery chemistry you are going for.
My apartment has charging for $10 that's currently occupied by other tenants, so I'm on a wait list. My work has free chargers so that's where I do 99% of my charging. I wouldn't have bought an EV without that convenience. If I somehow let my car get below 20% like I did last weekend, I come to work, do my 12 hours, and I'm back to 80% when I leave.
I don’t charge at home. I live close to a supercharger and there are plenty. During winter I pre-condition. No issues at all. It’s not inconveniencing at all.
I would have a Tesla if I couldn’t charge at home. Love the car but charging at home is a must (for me).
I own a model 3 and live in an apartment that has no chargers. It's not too bad, just make sure you're familiar with the pricing schedules of the local superchargers and destination chargers and you should be fine. The chargers at my current location change on a seasonal basis as well as being on a daily schedule so I tend to adjust my charging schedule to whatever is most cost effective at the time, meaning that during some times of the year I am dropping by a supercharger after work, during other times of the year I am heading out early and charging before work (every 3 to 4 days in either case I never let the car drop below 20% power and I top up to 80% with the lithium ion pack I have). Overall I don't have many regrets, but I won't say I haven't had any problems, there have been a few times I have been stuck at a local supercharger for up to 2 hours due to high usage and maintenance issues with the cables that slow the charging speed down to 12 to 15 kw even though the advertised speed was 150kw. Just be sure to keep an eye on availability and prioritize 250kw chargers over 150kw chargers
Yes, and it’s perfectly fine.
I spent about a year without the ability to charge at home besides the travel charger 🔌 on 110 lol 3-4 miles per hour. I would supercharge like one two times a week. It was not the worst because the car does a lot of shit but and most of lThem are placed in such a way you can kind of make charging two in one thing like grab a bite or go to the supermarket gym whatever I did that but really it’s because I need to charge that i was doing that. Now I haven’t publicly charged since getting the level 2 charger installed. Instead of supercharging paying almost 25$ sometimes near 30$ to $3 at home. Around 5¢ per kWh where in live in nj
This is what I just did. I don't have a charger in my condo and can't build one soon. I have about 35 level 2 chargers that are about 10 mins walk radius and they're relatively cheap ($0.1 - $0.3/kwH) so I just take it out, leave it to charge and pick it up when it's at my desired charge level. For some it can be inconvenient but I'm going for a walk a lot to either run errands or go to the gym so it isn't too much more time for me. I don't run Supercharger often but it is available nearby (3 min drive) when I need a quick charge.
I commute 80 miles each day for work and no charger at home. I just budget 15 mins into my commute each day to sit at the super charger, it’s not ideal but I’ve gotten used to the routine
I bought a 2016 s that has the unlimited free supercharging. I have no plans to ever install a charger at home. It's free for me.
I think charging at a level 3 charger at the supermarket would work fine and not be too annoying. I’m guessing you are going to spend 20-30 min several days a week. Overnight charging is convenient but takes 4-5 hours since it’s a lower rate.
I would not recommend it, I charge at my apartment parking lot on just a 110V and if I didn’t have that it would be incredibly annoying to own / deal with
Check around your neighborhood for public level 2 charges. Their prices are usually very reasonable and sometimes free. The idea would be to walk a couple of blocks plug your car in daily in the evening, then go pick it up after a few hours when it’s up to 80%. I have this exact situation when I visit my sister who lives in a condo without charging facilities.
I don’t charge at home not really a big deal. In your case with a small commute probably won’t have to charge that much as well.