The information below cannot be guaranteed. It is provided in good faith and intended to be accurate at the time of writing.
No problem! Review the "Rules" and "Instructions" sections on this site.
The price is called the Charging Rate, which is in dollars per kilowatt-hour (kWh). In other words, you pay for exactly what you use.
The Charging Rate covers 3 real costs:
Mostly, the actual cost of electricity paid to Pasadena Water and Power.
A small percentage goes toward recoupment of the original installation cost.
A small percentage funds the continued maintenance of the charging system.
The Rate is set deterministically pursuant to Section (12)(D)(4) of the Madison Walk Rules and Regulations.
The maximum charging speed is about 6.6kW, consisting of 32A at 208V. While mileage varies significantly between vehicles and drivers, this ranges between 17 to 30 miles fueled per hour of charging. Below are approximate charging times for some common vehicles.
Vehicle → Battery Capacity → 20% to 80% Charge Time
Tesla Model 3/Y Standard Range → 60 kWh → 5.4 hr
Tesla Model 3/Y Long Range → 80 kWh → 7.2 hr
Tesla Model S/X → 100 kWh → 9.0 hr
Mercedes EQB 250+ → 74 kWh → 6.7 hr
Audi Q4 E-Tron → 82kWh → 7.4 hr
All chargers are controlled together by an Automatic Load Management System to share a 'budget' of power between them. So if several vehicles are charging simultaneously, the system may temporarily reduce the charging speed for everyone until some vehicles have finished charging.
** "How fast" a car charges is expressed in kilowatts (kW), whereas "how much" a car has charged is expressed in kilowatt-hours (kWh). So, a car charging at 5kW for 2 hours has charged its battery a total amount of 10kWh.
There is a fee of 7.5% or $0.35 - whichever is greater - added to each transaction. This fee is collected by Killswitch, a third-party provider.
The fee fully pays for the Killswitch charging management software and transaction processing expenses. This allows for direct payment from the driver, saving the HOA the effort of managing access and billing for usage. This is a low and transparent fee compared to competing providers, who embed a higher fee into the total price.
The fee should be considered in the context of the total cost, including the Charging Rate as explained above. Compared to a condo owner installing their owner charger, the total overhead is 6x - 11x LESS after 5 years with typical driving.
Charging is pay-as-you-use for EV/PHEV owners, with no cost or obligation to other drivers or residents. You or your tenant may use the system at any time in the future with a compatible vehicle. Furthermore, vehicle chargers are a lucrative modern amenity for a property to feature.
At present, non-residents are not permitted to charge their vehicles in either assigned (deeded) or unassigned (guest) parking spaces. This is due to potential liability issues and legal use restrictions. It also prevents further congestion of guest parking spaces, which are a limited commodity.
The complete installation is currently expected to be at zero net cost to homeowners. The initial spending was effectively 'borrowed' from HOA reserves, following a vote of approval from a majority of all homeowners.
Over 80% of the expenditure has been subsidized upfront by a generous rebate from the City of Pasadena, which indirectly utilizes some state funding as well. The remaining costs are estimated to be recouped within 5 years:
Installation and maintenance costs are recouped through direct payment from EV drivers. A few cents are added to the charging price, as explained above.
Upon installation of the chargers, the use of ordinary 120-Volt receptacles for charging has been prohibited. This constitutes considerable savings, since electricity consumption was paid through common funds.
The bottom line is that having a self-funded charging network which benefits all residents is indeed a rare privilege.
The placement of the chargers was carefully determined by a number of factors:
Equity - Each unit has access to at least one (1) charger from at least (1) of their assigned parking spaces.
Vehicle Port Location - Due to a lack of standardization, charging ports can be located anywhere on a vehicle -- front or rear on the left/right/center. Assuming a vehicle can easily be parked either head-in or back-in, the charger should reach at least 1/2 of the parking space area for compatibility with all scenarios.
Safe Reach - The cable should reach the vehicle without crossing through other space and should remain in contact with the floor.
Redundancy - Wherever possible, allow a parking space to reach more than one charger.
Avoid Obstructions - Avoid areas where cables may be left on driving or walking paths.
Guest Spaces - Place some chargers on unassigned spaces, to serve as backup chargers when assigned chargers are out of service. They also allow for future uses as needs change.
The charging system is owned and maintained by the HOA, which means it is owned in common between all homeowners. The alternative would have been for each unit to install their own individual charger connected to their existing residential electrical meter.
After careful consideration of both options, it was determined that HOA-owned charging infrastructure is highly advantageous over individually-owner chargers for a number of reasons:
Overall Cost - Installing all chargers at once consolidates the cost of labor, equipment, permitting, and engineering. It also requires a fewer number of chargers overall. Estimations revealed that 48 individual installations would cost between 2 to 4 times as much overall, even without inflation.
Available Incentives - The HOA was able to take advantage of major rebates available to commercial customers only. Residential rebates provide smaller subsidies in comparison.
Immediate Availability - Instead of homeowners gradually installing chargers over time as needed, every resident benefit from this amenity immediately.
Electricity Costs - Residential electricity rates vary significantly by usage and generally cost more. The chargers utilize commercial electricity rates, which are lower and flat. Even with the necessary upcharges imposed by the HOA, the Charging Rate is competitive with both residential rates and public chargers.
Maintenance - The HOA is responsible for maintaining the chargers. Individual homeowners may delay maintenance or lack familiarity, leading to unsafe conditions. The responsibility would also need to formally transfer between homeowners upon sale of a property.
Electrical Capacity - The chargers are installed on the building's electrical service, which is completely separate from residences. If installed individually, chargers would not only compete with one another but with domestic loads like air conditioners and ovens. This is because even though each condo has a separate meter, the electrical capacity upstream is shared and finite. Load management would be required, with more complexity and risk than for communal chargers.
Consistency - All chargers being installed at once leads to consistent results -- identical equipment, coordinated routing of conduit, and uniform usability.
Effort - Individual installations would have generated considerable effort for Architectural Review over many years. It would have required implementing procedures and specifications for installations, including coordination of new chargers added to a load management system. Each homeowner would then have needed to understand the technical requirements well enough to navigate the equipment, engineering, contractor, and permitting elements.
In conclusion, the chosen approach avoids all the above issues and is an ideal solution for Madison Walk.