My Condo Wants Charging Spots for Electric Cars. How Do We Add Them Fairly?

Q: I live in Washington, D.C., in a 150-unit condominium with approximately 150 parking spaces spread over three below-grade levels. We have one or two spaces for our full-time staff, which are necessary, given our busy neighborhood. There’s increasing demand for charging spaces for electric vehicles in our building, and we would like to accommodate them, but how do we do this? Are there apps that can manage the spaces, making sure these spaces are used efficiently?

A: Installing EV charging in your building can be a group project, and you’ll likely need buy-in from your association and building management. “There’s a lot of nuance and complexity here,” said Ron Kaltenbaugh, president of the Electrical Vehicle Association of Greater Washington, DC , a volunteer organization. You’ll need an idea of which spaces to use. This can be difficult if all of the parking spaces are owned, and there are none available for shared charging.

In some cases, it’s possible for owners to pay to install chargers in their own spots. You also must review what your bylaws say about parking and EV charging. When you establish which spaces you will use — if they will be shared among EV owners or if owners will electrify their own spaces — you should hire an electrician or EV charging consultant who can check your existing electrical capacity and determine the best path forward. The consultant can help determine the level of vehicle charging that is the best fit for your building.

In a 150-unit condominium, the practical path, from an efficiency and financial perspective, is to pursue shared Level 2 chargers , rather than putting one charger in every individually owned parking space, said Robert Borkowski, owner of Plug IO , which installs EV chargers in multifamily housing. Coordinating with the electrical utility is usually required. The spaces that get the chargers should be close to power, but not the best spots in the lot, as you don’t want them to be used by drivers who don’t need to charge their cars.

Mr. Borkowski said his company typically installs more chargers than there are EVs at the property. He recommends implementing idling fees only if residents are leaving their fully-charged vehicles in the spots. “Extra rules create friction and unnecessary overhead,” he said. Most charging equipment that runs on a network can charge users for idling. The District of Columbia helps with upfront costs of installing EV charging in multifamily housing through rebates and complimentary technical assistance.