How to Charge Your EV if You Live in a Flat or Apartment
Quick summary:
- Residence EV drivers, such as those living in flats and apartments, can easily charge their electric car by following these routes: using on-site communal EV chargers, public charging stations, destination charging, on-street EV charging infrastructure, workplace EV charging, community EV charging platforms (such as Co Charger), or asking a friend to borrow their chargepoint.
- If residential EV owners don’t have EV chargers installed, 75%, or specifically, £500 of government grant funding is available for EV owners living in flats and apartments. Check your eligibility in our OZEV EV charger grant guide. Alternatively, for multi-dwelling residents, inform your residential landlords that they can get £500 off the cost of buying and installing EV chargers, up to a maximum of 200 sockets. That’s a whopping £100,000 of grant funding towards the cost of installing flat or apartment chargers.
New electric car? Living in a flat or apartment? Struggling to figure out how to charge? You’re in the right place.
Don’t let living in a flat or apartment stop you from experiencing the perks of electric vehicles (EVs). In fact, charging your electric car despite living in a flat or apartment can be simple, and is getting vastly easier as time goes on. New on-street EV charging solutions, expanding public EV charging infrastructure, and grant funding are opening up a new world of charging.
Today, we cover EV charging for apartment blocks and flats, including how and where to charge your EV.
1. Install an EV charger – or multiple.
Shared parking and communal EV charging may seem like it would be a pickle: fighting over EV charging points, petrol cars parking in EV bays despite the clear markings, and anxieties surrounding how payments would work.
But this is far from the case.
In reality, investing in communal EV charging infrastructure, with multiple charging bays always ready and available, can amplify your EV charging game.
Whether you’re at a block of flats or a shared apartment, park up, plug in, and get convenient EV charging sessions. Forget driving around trying to find your nearest public charging spot or queuing up for a spot. You have EV charging infrastructure ready and waiting for you.
With smart features such as dynamic load balancing, there can be EV chargers available for everyone, as this intelligent feature safely manages and adjusts the power available across all charging points.
To top it off, you can currently get £500 off a flat or apartment EV charger and installation costs with the EV chargepoint grant. Or, if you live in a multi-dwelling property, your landlord or property manager could claim up to £1000,000 in grant funding with the EV chargepoint grant for residential landlords.
But this won’t last forever: there’s only one year left for both grants. As nationwide EV charger installers, we have DBS-checked, accredited and experienced EV charger installers across the UK. Get in touch to discuss your affordable residence EV charging solution with the experts now.
Bottom line: Installing EV chargers at your flat or apartment block is the best way to charge your electric car, by a mile, and should always be your first point of call. Currently, there are over 1 million home EV chargers in the UK – and there’s a reason why. Charging at home is the best way to charge.
2. Public EV charging network
Using handy apps like Zap-Map and Octopus Electroverse, and locate your nearest public charging point in seconds. Simply search, go, and plug in.
120,000 public charging stations are available far and wide across the UK, so never fret about EV charger availability; EV charging infrastructure is always growing. And with universal access, public charging points are always on hand.
Public charging points are popular among people without parking spaces at home to install a charger.
3. Destination charging
The simple route: charge your electric car when you’re already on your way out. Think en route to the daily shop at your local supermarket, lift some weights at the gym, or have a quick bite at a restaurant. Maximise convenience by plugging in when you’re naturally heading out of the house.
The best destination charging point spots include:
- Supermarkets
- Gym
- Restaurant
- Shopping centres
- Cinemas
- Tourist attractions
Sometimes, you might find that these destination charging points are free. Explore free electric car charging near you.
4. Charge your EV at work
Double-duty: work and charge. Save time and money by plugging your electric car into a workplace charger when you arrive for your 9-5.
Bonus points: Workplace EV chargers are usually heavily subsidised, and if your employer is generous, free.
5. On-street residential charging points
Go outside and glance around: can you see any EV chargers? Sounds strange, but check kerbside, lamp posts, and bollards. A new and improved way to add to the UK EV charging infrastructure is with on-street EV charging points, installed on pre-existing infrastructure.
6. Community EV charging
Not interested in public charging? We don’t blame you. While handy in close calls when your battery is less than 10%, or before a long haul journey, using public charging stations daily is not the most cost-effective option (76p per kWh against as little as 8p per kWh with the right smart charging setup and Intelligent Octopus Go). This habit can also be damaging to the heart of your EV, the battery. In fact, frequently using rapid and ultra-rapid EV chargers can encourage premature battery degradation.
Instead, use new community EV chargers via platforms such as Co Charger. These emerging platforms connect electric car drivers with fellow EV charger owners, allowing for cheaper EV charging costs.
With these, your neighbours can open up their private EV chargers to you – for a small fee. Usually, you simply book a space via your chosen app– and then park up.
Get complete peace of mind knowing you have a charger to go to. And without the queue, too. More convenient, plannable and affordable charging option.
Available community EV charging:
- Co Charger
- JustCharge
- GoPlugable
- Charge My Street
- Wattly
7. Ask a friend
Back to basics: have an EV friend? Do they own a smart EV charger? Be cheeky and ask if you can plug in. Most home EV chargers come with advanced billing data and cost tracking features, so you can easily transfer the price of your home EV charging session.
Get your affordable, safe residential EV charging installation from the experts.
Electric car charging in apartment blocks in the UK or multi-dwelling buildings can be simple with a We Power Your Car EV charging solution. Power supply, grants, EV chargers, regulations and features: we cover the charging solution from start to finish. All, with first-class customer service.
Don’t believe us? Browse over 2,500 Trustpilot reviews. Spoiler: We’re rated 4.9 ‘Excellent’. Alternatively, take a closer look at our credentials:
- Safe Isolation Provider
- TrustMark approved
- ISO accredited (ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001)
- OZEV-approved
- NIC EIC approved
- Safe Contractor Approved
- HERS accredited
Ensure you’re providing affordable EV chargers for your residents today. If you’re a landlord, get your personalised, comprehensive flat or apartment EV charging solution quote.