Charging your EV if you live in an apartment or terrace

If you’re thinking of switching to an electric vehicle (EV) but live in an apartment or the inner city, odds are you are wondering about how you will keep the car charged.

EV charging at home is easy if you have a garage or at least a driveway; you can just simply use a standard power outlet or upgrade to a wall box.

If you don’t have access to these, councils are making moves to help residents make the switch more easily.

There are two ways local government assists apartment and inner-city residents with going EV.

These include installing publicly accessible AC street chargers (sometimes also known as “smart poles” or “kerbside chargers”) and in some cases, DC fast chargers.

Local governments are also developing planning controls for new apartments, and strata guidelines for existing blocks, to make installing EV chargers in private car parks simpler.

To help councils cover the cost of installing AC street chargers, the NSW state government in July 2023 announced kerbside EV charger grants worth $3 million for up to 500 locations, and destination charger grants which are also open to businesses.

Some councils have already started trials of kerbside chargers. One such is the Sydney City Council (this page includes a list of locations), in partnership with Ausgrid and network provider EVX.

In 2022, the EV Street Side Charging Project was announced. This trial, supported by $871,000 from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), includes kerbside chargers powered by 100 per cent GreenPower from Origin in the Inner West Council, Singleton Shire Council, Waverley Council, Lake Macquarie Council, Woollahra Council, City of Ryde, Randwick City Council, Northern Beaches Council and Parramatta City Council.

The locations of street chargers can be found via the Plugshare map. You can download the Plugshare app for free here.

Filter “Type 2” plugs, and then hide dealerships and restricted access sites.

The map will also show locations that are publicly accessible in other locations such as car parks in shopping centres or at other local businesses. Street charger results typically include the word “Parking” or “Street” in the name.

The NSW government has launched an EV charging map that shows locations of EV chargers in NSW.

Some public AC chargers may be tethered, which means they have a cable attached. Others require you to bring your own cable.

Most modern EVs have a Type 2 plug so would require a “Type 2 to Type 2” cable. A few, such as the Nissan Leaf, use a Type 1 plug, so would require a “Type 2 to Type 1” adapter.

Plugshare will indicate if the site is free-to-use or if it is pay-per-use, and which EV charging network manages the site.

Free sites may need no app to activate, but paid sites will first require an app to be downloaded to your phone, and payment details entered. You can find a list of charging network operators here.

To activate a kerbside street charger, plug your car in, open the app and find the location, then activate.

How long you need to charge for depends on the speed of the charger, how fast your car can charge and how empty or full your battery is.

Kerbside AC chargers with a top charge rate of 22kW can add up to 130km of driving range an hour. Some AC chargers may have a top charge rate of 7kW, and add 40km driving range or so an hour. Please see our article here for more information on EV charging times and speeds.

Also, it is good idea to follow EV etiquette by checking in on Plugshare, to let others know when you expect to finish charging and move your car so others can charge there.

If you live in an apartment and want to discuss adding EV charging with strata management, the NSW Government’s EV-ready buildings program helps guide and co-fund infrastructure upgrades.

The ACT has also become the first state or territory in Australlia to adopt new energy efficiency standards in the National Construction Code which state that electrical boards in new apartments must include capacity for the installation of EV chargers in carparks (see Table 4.31 in the Apartment Energy Efficiency Handbook.)

As far as convenience goes, having your own private EV charger outside your terrace or ground-floor flat is as good as it gets.

Also known as cable gullies, privately installed kerbside chargers are a potential solution for terraces or other residences that do not have access to off-street parking but do have street-front access.

Some solutions being trialled involve running a cable out from the home via a channel dug into the footpath. At the kerb, a small charge unit allows access to the powerpoint. Typically, the charging unit sits flush with the pavement until it is needed for use. When needed, the owner uses a key to unlock the unit so that it pops up and then the EV charging cable can be connected to it.

If you are interested in testing a similar solution, you’ll need to get your local council on board to approve the installation.

Also, keep in mind that while you might have the right to use your EV kerb charger, you cannot guarantee that the car parking space next to it will be available – particularly if you live in the inner city. Consider building good relationships with your neighbours to manage access to the parking space outside your home. 

The good news is that the NSW government has introduced legislation as part of its State Environmental Planning Policy aimed at paving the way for private kerbside charging. 

Under the legislation, homeowners or occupiers wishing to install an EV charging unit on public land next to the home must comply with specific conditions. 

Installation is permitted, with appropriate consent from the local council, if the charging unit is placed next to a legal parking area. It must be directly connected to the occupant’s electricity meter and be solely for personal use (not commercial). 

Additionally, the infrastructure must be discreet: cables must run underground, and the charging unit should be capable of retracting below ground when not in use, adhering to the manufacturer’s installation guidelines.  

EV chargers that sell space for advertising to offset the cost of charging are not allowed under the rules, keeping the focus on EV charging functionality rather than commercial interests.

If you live in a terrace, it may be tempting to run an extension cable out to your car from your home. However, be sure to seek an approval permit from your local council first and follow safety guidelines or you may incur a fine.

For example, in 2023 the Inner West Council gave approval to a small number of residents to run a covered cable on the pavement to their electric vehicles for charging.

To find out if you can get a permit for a covered electric car charging cable, try contacting your local council’s Certification team.