EV Chargers in condos

Do not choose L1 charging. Ever! It'll take forever to charge your car and you're gonna regret it. Choose L2 and for highest amperage charging if possible to future proof your stall.

GreyMatter22 wrote: ↑ Hello RFD,
We booked a condo a while back to be ready for mid-late 2024, while this was a good decision remains to be seen (haha) .. we did a quick 15 minute call with their design studios and were interesting in spending a whopping $1900 for an EV charger.

L1 EV chargers are through your basic outlet that gives a charge speed of 6 km/h, this solution is quite impractical for almost all EV owners. You can't wait for your car to charge for an entire day, winters are an absolute no go here.

L2 EV chargers on the other hand gives anywhere from 40 to 60km/h, and all EV owners have this option.

Now the developer is saying that $1900 will give is a L1 charger, which does not make sense, especially for that cost. And if I do not select this option, I can NEVER EVER install an EV Charger.

I am thinking an EV charger on the parking spot would be a good deal as there maybe a lot more adaptability for EVs in the future.

So my question is - has anyone installed L2 EV chargers after the pre-construction was ready? Is the developer correct in this? And what are costs aurounding a 240V EV charger if the condo board allows for this.

A $1900 for a standard 120V outlet seems just so unreasonable though.

Thank you!

How much for L2 from the builder?

Cost increase from L1 to L2 is marginal, just get L2 and do it right the first time.

Thats just builder way to rip you off.

They do not offer any L2s.
So I am thinking if I can get the L1 for a ridiculous $1899, the wiring and all would be there, and change the L1 to L2 with the condo board approval. Not sure what costs would be incurred though.

Finding their EV options crazy, all they provide is a standard outlet.

cheapshopper wrote: ↑ Thats just builder way to rip you off.

Yes and no. It's not out of whack with other condo upgrades. The expensive part is metering the energy back to your unit no installing a plug.

I wouldn't pay that much for L1. I am sure in a few years if we go ahead with mandates there will be a massive credit for buildings or individuals to install chargers. There is no way your typical apartment dweller in a lower income building will need to shell out the cash when they force electric on everyone.

GreyMatter22 wrote: ↑ They do not offer any L2s.
So I am thinking if I can get the L1 for a ridiculous $1899, the wiring and all would be there, and change the L1 to L2 with the condo board approval. Not sure what costs would be incurred though.

Finding their EV options crazy, all they provide is a standard outlet.

divx wrote: ↑ Cost increase from L1 to L2 is marginal, just get L2 and do it right the first time.

That is no necessarily true, the cost of L2 charger could be significantly more. I would estimate it at 7k-10k. This is usually because they use the facility 600V and install a transformer to bring it down to 240V. In most cases you won't have access to such a high power drop at 240V.

There should not be a problem installing L2 after you take possession, you would just have to deal with the condo board/corp.

Thank you.
So essentially, while the government wants to fast track EV adoption for 2025-2030, condo developers have literally 0 options for this even for projects readying by mid-late 2024.
In my opinion, a L1 120V outlet is not a solution, it is just an outlet that I can charge my phone from, not for a car, lol.

L2 I am sure will come with a condo board approval, hefty fees and all. Just way too much work trying to win over people in board meeting.
I will just leave it be then, $1900 for L1 does not make sense.

We spent around $500 for a L2 charger in my townhouse. Apples to Oranges but still ..

GreyMatter22 wrote: ↑ Thank you.
So essentially, while the government wants to fast track EV adoption for 2025-2030, condo developers have literally 0 options for this even for projects readying by mid-late 2024.
In my opinion, a L1 120V outlet is not a solution, it is just an outlet that I can charge my phone from, not for a car, lol.

L2 I am sure will come with a condo board approval, hefty fees and all. Just way too much work trying to win over people in board meeting.
I will just leave it be then, $1900 for L1 does not make sense.

We spent around $500 for a L2 charger in my townhouse. Apples to Oranges but still ..

If the builder only has L1, then I wouldnt bother. The wires they use are unlikely to meet the code for L2 (50 amps) so you will need to run new lines and/or rip out the L1 when you decide to get L2. Waste of money.

Mr_Dogg wrote: ↑ That is no necessarily true, the cost of L2 charger could be significantly more. I would estimate it at 7k-10k. This is usually because they use the facility 600V and install a transformer to bring it down to 240V. In most cases you won't have access to such a high power drop at 240V.

There should not be a problem installing L2 after you take possession, you would just have to deal with the condo board/corp.

No problem just spend $10,000?! I haven't spent $10,000 on gas in the last 10 years. (granted I drive under 10k a year)

GreyMatter22 wrote: ↑ They do not offer any L2s.
So I am thinking if I can get the L1 for a ridiculous $1899, the wiring and all would be there, and change the L1 to L2 with the condo board approval. Not sure what costs would be incurred though.

Finding their EV options crazy, all they provide is a standard outlet.

It's not.
L1 charging is a 120v 15 amp circuit, so you need a 14/2 wire run the entire way.
L2 charging is a 240v 40 amp circuit, so you need a 8/3 wire run the entire way.

Much beefier wire, possibly larger conduit etc. So it wouldn't be as easy as "ripping out the old wire and running new wire" after the fact. You may still need to drill, and run larger conduit, need a larger breaker (maybe even larger panel).

I'm surprised the builder isn't offering L2 charging. Even if the price is $10k, it would be worth paying at the time of building.

fogetmylogin wrote: ↑ No problem just spend $10,000?! I haven't spent $10,000 on gas in the last 10 years. (granted I drive under 10k a year)

Good for you, go comment on a relevant thread or start your own.

quick question, are all L2 chargers and wiring same for all manufacturer? be it tesla, hyundai, ford etc? building a new home and thinking of getting an electric in 2024, not sure which brand though. thinking about paying the extra and get AC and electric charging now instead of after possession.

masarwar wrote: ↑ quick question, are all L2 chargers and wiring same for all manufacturer? be it tesla, hyundai, ford etc? building a new home and thinking of getting an electric in 2024, not sure which brand though. thinking about paying the extra and get AC and electric charging now instead of after possession.

Yeah, if the wiring works for one it will work for the others. Regardless of which Charger you install, it will work with all other manufactures as well. You will just need an adapter for the Tesla ones though.

Mr_Dogg wrote: ↑ Yeah, if the wiring works for one it will work for the others. Regardless of which Charger you install, it will work with all other manufactures as well. You will just need an adapter for the Tesla ones though.

thank you , makes sense!

fogetmylogin wrote: ↑ No problem just spend $10,000?! I haven't spent $10,000 on gas in the last 10 years. (granted I drive under 10k a year)

My point is spending that much on a level 2 charger in a condo is nuts. You won't make your money back. Just get an ICE vehicle at that point.

fogetmylogin wrote: ↑ My point is spending that much on a level 2 charger in a condo is nuts. You won't make your money back. Just get an ICE vehicle at that point.

So my question is - has anyone installed L2 EV chargers after the pre-construction was ready? Is the developer correct in this? And what are costs aurounding a 240V EV charger if the condo board allows for this.

That is not the topic of discussion here. The discussion is regarding the cost of getting one installed in a building, when can it be done etc. Nothing to do with if it makes sense to do or not.

masarwar wrote: ↑ quick question, are all L2 chargers and wiring same for all manufacturer? be it tesla, hyundai, ford etc? building a new home and thinking of getting an electric in 2024, not sure which brand though. thinking about paying the extra and get AC and electric charging now instead of after possession.

Yeah, cabling is dictated by the amperage. So long as you're running a 40amp rated cable (and breaker), you can safely charge your car at a sustained 30amps.
I think Tesla has like crazy chargers or something that run at like 50 or 60amps. You'd need a even thicker cable and larger breaker to handle it.

masarwar wrote: ↑ quick question, are all L2 chargers and wiring same for all manufacturer? be it tesla, hyundai, ford etc? building a new home and thinking of getting an electric in 2024, not sure which brand though. thinking about paying the extra and get AC and electric charging now instead of after possession.

Yeah, cabling is dictated by the amperage. So long as you're running a 40amp rated cable (and breaker), you can safely charge your car at a sustained 30amps.
I think Tesla has like crazy chargers or something that run at like 50 or 60amps. You'd need a even thicker cable and larger breaker to handle it.

As long as you've got a 40amp run, you can change the unit at the end (in the garage) to suit whatever vehicle you've got. Which is why I go back to my original point. Why wouldn't the builder offer a 40amp run instead of a 15/20amp run. The cable costs are marginal and can easily just be passed onto the owner. I don't see why they wouldn't charge say $2k for L1 and $5k for L2. You'd be an idiot for not buying L2.

fogetmylogin wrote: ↑ My point is spending that much on a level 2 charger in a condo is nuts. You won't make your money back. Just get an ICE vehicle at that point.

Not to derail the conversation. But ICE cars will one day be gone. If you're planning on living in a condo for the long term, it makes sense to install a charger in your spot.
Similarly people in Toronto pay 40-60-80k+ for a parking spot in their condo. What's $5-10k more on top of that. The argument is that it increases the resale as well.

So I'd honestly rather ask the question, what happens to all the parking spots in condos in 20-30 years from now when ICE cars have begun to vanish and it's electric only?