More than a quarter of Americans live in an apartment or condo, and nearly all of them will have a hard time owning an electric car.
But why?
Most buildings are already nearing power capacity or have already reached it, meaning no new electrical infrastructure can be added without costly upgrades. Without that infrastructure, electric car chargers cannot be added and that will make owning an electric car a real pain.
The recently released Tesla Model 3 already has half a million reservations and will only continue to grow with the glowing reviews. However, even with the expansion of the Supercharger network, these vehicles are going to need more chargers. Those who want to consistently leverage the public network can, but as even Tesla will tell you this isn't a great way to enjoy your vehicle. As the number of electric cars on the road grows this becomes an untenable solution.
If owners truly want to enjoy their electric cars they are going to need a charging station at home, but if you live in an apartment it's not so easy.
While adding more infrastructure can solve the issue, it should not be the solution. Not only are these upgrades incredibly expensive they do not address the underlying problem. The grid, at some point, cannot produce unlimited power. When this happens cities begin to face the real possibility of rolling blackouts or worse.
To make things worse this solution does not future-proof buildings for the ever growing demand for electric cars. Putting the building into a never ending cycle of expensive infrastructure upgrades. As time goes on and the dependency for power continues to grow, the solution of adding more and more power doesn’t scale.
This hits apartment and condo dwellers who own or want to own electric cars hardest as most buildings will force residents to foot the bill if they want on-site electric car charging. Many times these upgrades cost tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Buildings need a way to tap into the grid without adding never ending amounts of infrastructure, while still future-proofing themselves for even more EVs in the coming years. Constantly tapping into new power sources is like putting a band-aid on a major wound, it just doesn’t make sense.
What does make sense is giving every building the ability to intelligently allocate power as needed. Instead of every charging station drawing power regardless if it's plugged in or not, the system can move that power around freely. This solution not only saves many buildings (and residents) from adding expensive and, in some cases, unnecessary upgrades, but also expands the capacity for the future.
That's what makes SmartPower so unique. It allows each charging station to communicate with each other and understands how much power is readily available, then directs that power to where and when it's needed most. Using this technology allows the building to maximize its existing infrastructure by using power efficiently. Doing this not only eliminates expensive infrastructure but also can add more charging stations as needed, meaning electric car owners living in an apartment can not only get charging but also save a lot of money too.
Owning an electric car in an apartment can be difficult but with EverCharge and SmartPower it really doesn't have to be.