No Home Charging option...Bought Spark EV anyways

Hi all!

I just pulled the plug on a Spark EV despite my living in an apartment. Short of me running 110 ft of extension chords out of my kitchen window to my parking spot I have no charging options at home. I am lucky enough to work at the dealership that sold me the car and even luckier to live 4 miles away from the DC quick-charge station that the Sacramento Municipal Utility District hosts for only 22 cents per KWh. I am curious to see if anyone else pulled the trigger on an EV without having the ability to charge at home.

Might be a bit of a challenge doing what you are going to do but I think it should be OK so long as you realize how much slower it is to charge through a wall socket.

But given your situation where you are close to work and can charge at work (I would presume), you should be OK.

I've a home charging unit but even with that, the on board charger on the Spark EV is just too slow IMO...a 6.6kW charger should be the standard minimum these days.

Congrats on the car BTW..how do you like it thus far?

It has been fantastic. Charging at work for free (4 miles from home) and having a DC quick-charge station for 22 cents per kWh. I'm not worried about charging.

KoreanMuscle said:

It has been fantastic. Charging at work for free (4 miles from home) and having a DC quick-charge station for 22 cents per kWh. I'm not worried about charging.

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Nice! I'd have pulled the trigger, too. For sure. Work being 4 miles from home, you may only need to charge once a week. I only charge about that, myself. Though I have a home charger and pay the PG&E EV-1 rate of .10 off-peak. I still use the DCFC, though, at least twice a month, (one roundtrip charge), and often four times, for the longer weekend trips. I use EVGO and it's $4.95 per chage plus .20, I think, per minute. It's like $11, or so, roundtrip. Easily 1/4th what I'd be paying for gas.

Hopefully, your job is "secure" - if there is such a thing these days.

I was promised that I could charger my car there even if I didn't work there in the future. That is a courtesy they extend to all customers.

KoreanMuscle said:

I was promised that I could charger my car there even if I didn't work there in the future. That is a courtesy they extend to all customers.

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I love that logic. All customers can charge at the dealership so you're not using an employee benefit.

Glad it's working out for you.

I wouldn't buy without charging at home. I think of where Mrs EMV worked. One of the employees bought a Smart electric and was allowed to plug in at work. Many was the time somebody would come along and unplug her. They weren't anti-ev but rather they resented her getting a prime parking space.

I like having an evse in my garage, what other car always has a full "tank" every morning?

I have a corner office and my desk faces my parking spot. I'm not worried. I am not worried. I live right next to the quick charge station.

It might still be worth talking to the apartment managing company...
It's in their best interest to embrace the future and think about wiring the parking areas.
There WILL be a time when this will be considered standard! :mrgreen:

I considered that, but the Management company has yet to retrofit other things like dual pane windows or a ventilation in the bathrooms. So i will be picking my battles/