How one condo complex electrified all of its 143 parking spots… for free?!
A condominium complex in Northern California recently installed EV chargers into every single one of its 143 parking spots, future-proofing the whole complex for a fully-electrified future, and it managed to do it with zero cost out of pocket. Here’s how.
Now, right off the bat, we have to come clean: the operative phrase, there, is “out of pocket.” While this installation is still very low-cost, it was only made zero-cost for the complex thanks to a utility incentive from Peninsula Clean Energy (PCE), a local clean energy utility in San Mateo County.
However, that incentive covered $2,000 per spot, and that’s still a really low cost for installing chargers into every single parking spot in a complex nonetheless.
The condo complex is Bayview Condominiums in Millibrae, CA, just South of San Francisco. The region is a hotspot for electric vehicle adoption, so there’s no surprise that we’re seeing some big moves in electrification in the area.
The installation uses GoPowerEV chargers, a $1,395 low-power “Level 1” charger that can charge two parking spots at just under 2kW each. That’s rather slow compared to the dedicated chargers you’re probably used to, but it’s enough for the vast majority of driver’s needs – with an overnight charge, you can get around 50 miles worth of range on most of today’s EVs.
But if you do need more than that, there’s an option. Each of GoPowerEV’s chargers has 3 plugs: two 120V, 20A NEMA 5-20 outlets, and one 240V, 20A NEMA 6-20 outlet in the center. The chargers are meant to sit between two parking spots, with drivers using the outer low-powered outlets most of the time.
But if one driver needs a quicker charge on any given night, they can take the middle outlet and request more power for a few extra cents per kWh via GoPowerEV’s app (though, still, only 3.3-3.9kW, and only if your neighbor doesn’t need much of a charge).
This isn’t the only provider or the only solution for an apartment complex. Some complexes install a smaller number of higher-powered, shared chargers at a higher cost, and some have chosen to install a more basic, low-powered outlet for every single spot, meaning nobody has to fight for chargers – and that’s the solution Bayview Condominiums went with.
Low powered charging is a good solution for most
The plus side of this lower power charging is that it can be done for low cost. As mentioned above, this project actually cost the condo complex nothing to install. PCE told us that this was an exceptional case, an easy project with no need to dig trenches or run conduit. It also helps with site design for free, and offers the aforementioned $2k per charger incentive (it also offers incentives for higher-powered charging, but requires cost charing on those projects). Which makes it a bit of a no-brainer for any apartment complex in a similar situation.
Low power charging has become a more popular solution lately for large projects like these lately, as the economics of how cheaply it can be done has really come into focus (and as building codes have changed to accommodate the idea, as happened recently in CA). Each parking spot costs tens of thousands of dollars to build anyway (and even moreso if they’re underground, as is the case at Bayview condos), so a ~$2,000 cost to add EV charging to the spot feels like a drop in the bucket, especially in an EV-heavy area.
Low powered charging is also the favored solution of Forth’s Charge at Home program, because of the low cost and the fact that it covers needs for the vast majority of drivers. Exceptions exist, but it’s always possible for people to backfill a little extra charging with a public charger, work charger, or fast DC charging if a level 1 outlet at home isn’t enough.
Compare, for instance, the cost and magnitude of installing a single 350kW DC fast charger. Yes, this can charge a car in as fast as ~16 minutes or so, but 350kW is a lot of power, creates big spikes in demand, and will usually have a cost in the high five figures to low six figures per charging stall.
Meanwhile, Bayview Condominiums’ entire system has a total power of somewhere on the order of 300kW, and cost about a buck a watt to install (<$2k x 143 units). So, for a similar price as about two fast DC chargers, and with similar overall power delivery levels, the complex was able to electrify every single parking spot. That means nobody has to worry about shuffling around and fighting over the one central charger, everyone can just park in their assigned spots and be full in the morning, the ideal no-stress EV ownership experience.
More apartment charging is better for everyone
But a project like this is not just for areas that already have a lot of EVs, because it can help to enable more EVs. Apartment-dwellers don’t have the easiest time charging, and the trouble of having to search for an apartment that has a charger, or having to go charge publicly at higher cost at often-busy fast chargers takes a lot of the fun out of EV ownership.
So having a charger already set up in the parking lot means your residents will have a much easier time choosing an EV the next time they look into buying a car. And that’s great for everyone – fewer fumes in your parking structure, better air quality in your local community, and another strike in the fight against climate change.
And EV charging is becoming one of the more in-demand features for apartment buildings, with few buildings serving this need. A building can make itself more attractive by adding something like this, for relatively little cost overall.
Electrek’s Take
These options are more for building managers than renters, but this is just another step towards helping to make charging easier for apartment-dwellers. If you’re looking for more resources for apartment EV charging, either as a owner or a renter, find more on that here.
I’ve long said that the only real problem with EVs is charging for people who don’t have access to their own garage. Whether this be apartment-dwellers, street-parkers or the like, the electric car charging experience is often less-than-ideal outside of single family homes, at least in North America.
There are workarounds available, like charging at work, or using Superchargers in “third places” where you often spend time, but these still aren’t optimal. The best bet is just to charge your car wherever it spends most of its time, which is your home. When you do that, EVs outshine everything in convenience.
So there’s a need for solutions in this space, and just this week we’ve heard of two of them: this one, a zero-cost (after incentive) solution to give a good-enough charging solution to everyone in an entire building, and Pando’s updated smart outlet (you may remember that one from an article here on Electrek about how a condo complex installed an EV charger in every parking spot for just $405/unit, thanks to the same PCE incentive).
Hopefully the more competition we see in this space, and the more big projects like these get off the ground successfully and at low cost, the more we can finally move towards solving the problem of apartment charging once and for all.
And, frankly, we also need legislation/building codes to hop in and require this sort of thing, so it becomes the rule rather than the exception and apartment dwellers can feel secure that they’ll be able to find a place to charge. And the lower install costs get, the more realistic a legislative requirement would be.
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The German city of Karlsruhe is setting an example for sustainability in waste management by deploying a fleet of 18 Mercedes-Benz eEconic electric garbage trucks that are helping make the streets cleaner, quieter, and a lot less stinky.
Since the end of September, the city of Karlsruhe has been relying on Mercedes’ fully electric waste collection vehicles throughout, with none of the area-specific restrictions or limited rollout strategies for one or two trucks at a time that typically accompany stories like these. Instead, the city is using the Mercedes eEconics for the same stuff they’d use the diesel versions for: residual waste disposal, paper collection, and bulky waste collection.
Normal garbage duty, in other words. And, in such daily use, they do a great job. The trucks cover an average route distance of around 80 km (about 50 miles) on 112 kWh battery packs (usable capacity is ~97 kWh) which can be reliably completed in single-shift operation without intermediate charging — thanks, in part, to Mercedes’ efficient electric motors and regenerative braking that shines in the trucks’ typical stop-and-go duty cycles.
More than a single shift, in fact. The fleet managers report that after “a good 80 kilometers with around 60 stops on its daily route,” energy consumption was only around 35% of the battery capacity, meaning the charge level dropped from 100% to 65% and 64% respectively.
At the same time, CO₂ emissions are significantly reduced: depending on the area of application, each eEconic can save between 150 and 170 tons of CO₂ per year. This results in a total potential annual saving of around 1,200 tons of CO₂ emissions.
The purchase of the electric vehicles was funded by the Federal Ministry of Transport (BMV) as part of the guideline on the promotion of light and heavy commercial vehicles with alternative, climate-friendly drives and the associated refueling and charging infrastructure (KsNI). The funding guideline was coordinated by NOW GmbH, and applications were approved by the Federal Office for Logistics and Mobility.
Electrek’s Take
Look, you know me. There is absolutely ZERO chance that I’ll be able to remain objective about anything that’s putting down more than four thousand lb-ft of torque. Make that thing quieter, cleaner, and generally better for me and my community, and there’s even less of a chance of me saying anything critical about it.
Here’s hoping more cities go electric rather sooner than later.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Daimler Truck.
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Electreon just took a big step toward expanding wireless EV charging. The Israel-based company signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to acquire the assets of InductEV, a Pennsylvania-based firm known for its ultra-fast, high-power static wireless charging systems used by heavy-duty electric transit and freight fleets.
If the deal closes after due diligence and regulatory approvals, the combined company would bring together Electreon’s dynamic wireless charging tech – the kind that can charge vehicles while they drive – with InductEV’s high-power stationary systems. That would create one of the most complete wireless charging portfolios on the market, covering everything from passenger EVs to vans, buses, heavy-duty trucks, and even autonomous vehicles.
Electreon and InductEV together hold around 400 granted and pending patents, and have a lot of field experience across their respective projects. Electreon says that pairing its manufacturing capabilities and global footprint with InductEV’s ultra-fast tech will help streamline and speed up fleet electrification.
Both companies already work with major vehicle OEMs, which Electreon asserts will make integrating wireless charging into future vehicle platforms easier.
Electreon CEO Oren Ezer said the deal would combine the two companies into “a truly global powerhouse for wireless EV charging.” He added that “the decision by InductEV’s shareholders to invest in Electreon is a tremendous vote of confidence in our shared vision.”
InductEV CEO John F. Rizzo said, “Together, we’re combining world-class innovation with real-world experience to deliver even greater value to our North American and European customers and accelerate the shift to wireless power for sustainable commercial transportation.”
Read more: Michigan installs the US’s first wireless EV charging public roadway
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The Dolphin Surf is already one of Europe’s cheapest EVs, yet BYD may have an even more affordable electric car up its sleeve.
Is BYD launching the Racco mini EV in Europe?
BYD revealed the Racco at last month’s Japan Auto Show, its first EV designed exclusively for overseas markets.
The mini EV, or “kei car,” is launching in Japan, where over 1.55 million of them were sold last year, accounting for about a third of new vehicles sold.
Although Japan has been a brutal market for foreign brands to crack, BYD believes it may have an edge. The Racco measures 3,395 mm in length, 1,475 mm in width, and 1,800 mm in height, or about 600 mm longer than the Dolphin Surf.
That’s about the size of the Nissan Sakura EV, Japan’s best-selling electric car. Like the Sakura and most kei cars, the Racco has a boxy, upright stance. It has four doors, with the back two sliding open.
Powered by a 20 kWh battery pack, the mini EV is expected to have a driving range of around 180 km (112 miles).
BYD is using its Blade lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery packs to keep costs down. Although prices have yet to be revealed, the Racco is expected to start at around 2.5 million yen ($18,000) in Japan, putting it on par with the Nissan Sakura.
If it launched in Europe, the Racco could go on sale for under £15,000 ($20,000), putting it on par with the Dacia Spring (£14,995) and Leapmotor T03 (£15,995). The BYD Dolphin Surf currently starts at £18,650 ($24,300).
Although it will arrive in Japan first, BYD may launch its smallest, cheapest EV in Europe after all. BYD’s vice president Stella Li suggested to Autocar that the Racco could play a key role globally as an affordable, entry-level EV.
“In Japan, we are already launching a kei car; we will be very interested to follow the EU regulation,” Li said, adding, “If there’s some space, we can bring that car here.”
The regulation Li is referring to is the new “E-car” segment that the European Commission president, Ursula Von der Leyen, called for in September.
Von der Leyen said that Europe “should have its own E-car,” where “E” stands for efficient, economical, and European, and added “we cannot let China and others conquer this market.”
The Racco could sit underneath the Dolphin Surf in BYD’s growing European lineup. However, the company is focusing on expanding hybrid options. Li said launching Racco was “not a topic” the company is immediately focused on.
The Seal U, Europe’s best-selling plug-in hybrid through September, will be the first vehicle built at BYD’s new factory in Turkey, as it seeks to gain an edge through local production.
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