When first considering an electric vehicle, one of the initial things to think about is your charging options. If you can install a charger at home in your driveway, or in your garage, then you’re golden.
However, you may live in a condo (like myself), which means you may be restricted to your condo corporation’s rules and parking locations, and may not have the choice of a charger. Or you may be in a living situation that is temporary and can’t install a charger at the moment.
Whatever the case may be, not having a home charger should not stop you from owning an electric car.
I’ve owned a Model 3 for one year and seven months now and I don’t have access to a charger in my condo. Despite my best efforts, the condo corporation is not ready to take the next step to accommodate chargers in the building.
When most people find out that I don’t have a home charger, they usually have a slew of questions about where I charge and how often.
In this blog post, I want to share some practices that can help you prepare for your new electric car, especially if you don’t have a home charger.
1. Plan ahead
Most people know what their typical week will consist of and how their days will be spent; at the office, at home, or on the road. Planning ahead means visualizing your commute and knowing approximately how much you’ll be driving. Planning ahead will help you figure out if you’ll be charging at work, on your way home at the end of the day, or on your way to the gym in the morning. Reviewing your day will not only help you be aware of your range, but it will naturally encourage you to be organized ahead of time.
2. Charge first thing in the morning or last thing at night
This is a big one! If you are using a third-party charger or Supercharger to charge your EV, then you will learn to either leave the house earlier in the morning to charge for the day OR charge at the end of the day on your way home. The frequency of your charges depends on how much you drive daily and the maximum range capacity of your EV. There are weeks when I will only charge once and other weeks when I will charge 2 or 3 times. Regardless, I’ve learned to leave the house a little earlier in the mornings on days when I have a lot of driving to do. I prefer to have a fully charged car so that I can conquer the day no matter what comes my way. I usually take this time to get some work done in the car while I’m charging like answering emails, replying to messages, and getting organized for the day.
3. Pick a home base charging station
This could be your nearest Supercharger, your work, or your parent’s house, if they have a charger. It’s the one location that you’ll probably be using the most. It will be comforting to know that you can always refer to this location for a quick charge without having to think about your route. It will be your base in the mornings or at night. For me, it was helpful to have my work charger as a base when I first got the car. My office is at home now, so the Supercharger near me is my home base. It’s 5kms away and I know that I can always quickly pop by for a quick top-up if I need to.
In addition to the car features which tell you where charging stations are located, you can also download charging apps. These apps can help you quickly look up where your nearest charging station is when even when you are not in your car. Check out my blog post on the top 5 best EV charging apps to download. These apps will help you be aware of charging stations so that you can charge on your way to your next meeting, or on your way home from Timbuktu.
5. Feed two birds with one scone
The trick is to be productive while you’re charging. If you’re going grocery shopping, can you charge while you’re there? Can you plug in your car while you’re at the mall or the library, or meeting a friend for coffee? You can Google places and see if they offer charging (sometimes free). On the weekend, I know that I can go to the Supercharger close to me and run all my errands at the mall and shopping plaza nearby.
I’ve noticed this one Tesla owner at a specific Supercharger who must be a professor or a field advisor of some sort. He asks his students to meet him at the Supercharger to drop off assignments while he’s charging. He’s made the charging location a meeting place where he can collect assignments while he’s charging his car. It’s brilliant. Meanwhile, I’m doing my nails and talking to my mom (or listening to my mom) in my car next to him.
Yes, you will have to adjust to thinking ahead. Should this scare you from owning an electric car? Absolutely not!! The positive reasons for driving an EV far outweigh the challenge of charging on the road. I’ve never for one second doubted my decision nor do I ever have the desire to drive a gas car. I don’t miss going to the gas station twice a week and filling up on fossil fuels.
If you are serious about making the switch to electric, then I would encourage you to be open to new habits that will ultimately benefit you in the long run.
Happy Charging
xoxo
Aniseh
ps: Thanks to Mark L. on Twitter for the wordplay help :)
This blog post was written by Aniseh Sharifi who has been an EV owner since 2018. She’s an active electric vehicle advocate, volunteering with the Tesla Owners Club of Ontario and EV Society. She’s the Co-Founder of Fierce Media, a boutique communications agency specializing in e-mobility and the transition to renewable energies.