Apartment & Condo EV Charging (2026): Real Costs and Every Option Ranked

Two drivers buy the same electric car. One lives in a house with a driveway and pays about five cents a mile to charge. The other lives in a third-floor condo over a shared garage — and her bill depends entirely on which of four very different options she can actually use.

By Petra Halvorsen, Energy & E-Mobility Cost Analyst · Published 30 June 2026 · Data current to Q2 2026

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The single biggest factor in what an EV costs to run is not the car. It is whether you can plug it in where you sleep. A driver who charges at home pays the residential electricity rate — about 17.65 cents per kilowatt-hour in the United States in early 2026 [S25] — which works out near five cents a mile. A driver forced onto public charging pays two to three times that. For people in houses with driveways, this is a solved problem. For the roughly one-third of US households who live in apartments and condos, it is the whole question [S1].

This guide is about that question, and specifically about multi-unit dwellings — apartments and condos with shared garages, assigned stalls and surface lots, governed by landlords and homeowners' associations. If you live on a terraced street or rely on kerbside and lamppost charging, our separate no-driveway guide covers your situation; the two overlap on public charging and on the cost penalty of having no home plug, and we cross-reference rather than repeat. Here the defining variables are different: a shared electrical supply you don't control, a board or landlord whose permission you need, and a patchwork of state laws that decide whether they can say no.

The two questions that decide your apartment charging bill

Your apartment charging bill is set by two questions: can you reach home-rate power, and how many miles do you drive a day? Home-rate power — electricity billed at your residential tariff, whether through a Level 1 outlet or a Level 2 charger on your own meter — costs about 17.65 cents per kWh and roughly five cents a mile [S25][S26]. Every step away from it, toward a shared building charger or a public station, raises the price of the same kilowatt-hour. The second question, daily mileage, decides whether the slowest and cheapest option (a standard wall outlet) is fast enough for you, or whether you need something quicker.

Hold those two axes in mind, because the four main options below sort neatly along them. Level 1 from an outlet is the cheapest energy but the slowest fill. A shared building charger is faster but carries a markup. Your own Level 2 port gives home-rate power at full speed but costs thousands upfront. Public charging needs no permission and no install but is the most expensive way to feed a car routinely.

The stakes are not small. Up to 94% of EV drivers in detached single-family homes have home charging; for apartment residents the figure is about 50% — a 44-point access gap that tracks directly into who buys an EV in the first place [S1]. Multi-unit residents are markedly less likely to own one, and only a minority of apartment buildings in major cities offer any charging at all [S1][S2]. Closing that gap is partly a policy job, but for an individual driver today it is a matter of picking the right option from the four that follow.

How many of us are stuck with this problem

Nearly one in three US households lives in multifamily housing, and roughly half of those that want to charge an EV cannot do it where they park [S1]. That is tens of millions of people. The disparity is the central equity problem in the EV transition: single-family homeowners enjoy cheap, convenient overnight charging almost universally, while apartment and condo residents are pushed toward public networks that cost two to three times as much and require a special trip [S1][S2].

The reasons are structural. Apartment garages were not wired for dozens of cars drawing power overnight. Assigned stalls may sit far from the electrical room, making conduit runs long and expensive. Renters cannot authorise permanent electrical work, and condo owners must clear a board before touching shared infrastructure. The result is that the cheapest electricity in the country — the residential rate — is sitting right there in the building, and the challenge is purely one of access and permission, not price. That framing matters, because it points to the cheapest fix first.

Option 1: Level 1 from a standard outlet — the cheapest route nobody respects

A 120-volt household outlet adds 3 to 5 miles of range per hour, which is enough for most apartment dwellers and costs nothing to install [S23][S6]. This is the most underrated option in the entire EV world. Level 1 charging uses the standard outlet found in virtually every parking garage, storage area and utility room in America; the cord usually comes with the car, so the hardware cost is zero to a few hundred dollars [S6][S5]. Because it draws ordinary household current, it runs at your building's residential electricity rate — the same 17.65 cents per kWh as a microwave [S25].

The objection is always speed, and the objection is usually wrong. The average US driver covers about 33 miles a day [S26][S34]. An overnight Level 1 session of 10–12 hours restores 30–50 miles [S23]. The arithmetic works for the large majority of commuters: DOE's Clean Cities program found that overnight Level 1 charging met the daily driving needs of more than nine out of ten Bay Area EV drivers, reserving Level 2 for ride-share drivers and unusually long commutes [S33]. One owner documented living on Level 1 alone for 19 months without trouble [S24].

Worked example — Level 1 overnight. A driver covering the average 33 miles a day uses about 9.2 kWh (at 3.6 mi/kWh). A 12-hour overnight Level 1 session at ~1.3 kW delivers roughly 15 kWh — comfortably more than a day's driving. At 17.65¢/kWh that day's charge costs about $1.62, or roughly $49 a month [S25][S26]. Our calculation; consumption per [S26], price per [S25].

For multifamily properties, the cost case for Level 1 is overwhelming on the install side too. DOE found that installing overnight Level 1 smart-outlet chargers is four to five times cheaper than installing Level 2, which is why building owners on a budget increasingly start there [S33]. The practical hurdles are mundane: you need an outlet within cable reach of your stall, and you need the building's permission to use it — including a way to make sure you, not the whole building, pay for the kilowatt-hours. A simple sub-metered outlet or a smart Level 1 unit that logs usage solves the billing question without a major electrical project [S33][S32].

Level 1 stops being enough above roughly 40 miles a day, or when you regularly need to recover a large chunk of range in a short window — a weekend away, an unexpected long trip [S23]. For those cases you lean on one of the faster options below. But as a daily default for an apartment dweller with a reachable outlet, Level 1 is not a compromise; it is the cheapest charging in this entire guide.

Option 2: A shared building charger — convenient, with a markup

Shared Level 2 chargers in a building typically cost residents around 25 cents per kWh once the energy price and a network markup are combined — cheaper than public charging, dearer than your own outlet [S32][S25]. Many newer or retrofitted buildings install a bank of networked Level 2 stations in the garage that any resident can use. These deliver 20–30 miles of range per hour, so a full top-up takes hours rather than overnight, and you tap in with an app or RFID card while the system bills you for exactly what you draw [S32].

The economics sit between home and public. The energy itself is the building's commercial electricity rate; on top of that, networked chargers carry operating costs — network subscription fees commonly run $100 to $300 per connector per year — that the building recovers through the per-kWh price it sets [S32]. Property managers can bill a flat monthly fee, a per-kWh rate, or a hybrid, and many add idle or session fees to stop one car hogging a charger after it is full [S32]. The transparent and increasingly common model is per-kWh billing, because residents pay for actual use [S32].

The catches are availability and behaviour. Shared chargers are shared: if the building has four ports and forty EVs, you may circle the garage waiting for one, and idle fees exist precisely because people leave cars plugged in long after they finish [S32]. Non-networked equipment avoids the annual fees and lowers cost, which is why DOE found multifamily projects often prefer it, but it makes individual billing harder [S33]. For a resident, a shared charger is the right answer when the building already has one and your daily mileage outruns Level 1; it is rarely worth lobbying to install Level 2 banks if a cheaper outlet would do.

Option 3: Your own Level 2 charger in an assigned space — home rate, at a price

Installing your own Level 2 port in a deeded or assigned stall costs $3,500 to $15,000 in 2026, but it buys you full-speed charging at your home electricity rate [S4][S7]. This is the gold-standard outcome for a condo owner: a 240-volt charger wired to your own meter, delivering 20–30 miles of range per hour at the same 17.65 cents per kWh you pay for everything else [S25]. No network markup, no waiting for a shared unit, no public-charging premium.

The obstacle is the upfront cost, and it is highly variable. New-construction installs sit at the bottom of the range, around $3,500 per port, because the wiring is planned in [S4]. Retrofits run three to five times more — frequently $7,000 to $12,000 and up to $15,000 — because apartment buildings often lack spare panel capacity and require long conduit runs from the electrical room to a distant stall [S4][S7]. A licensed electrician must assess whether the building's electrical infrastructure can support the load; older buildings may need a panel or service upgrade, which is where the high-end figures come from [S31][S29].

Two things soften the blow. First, load-management software lets several chargers share existing capacity, dynamically throttling power so the building avoids an expensive service upgrade — often the difference between a feasible project and an impossible one [S29][S31]. Second, the rebates discussed below can erase a large share of the sticker price [S8][S22]. Where a condo owner has a deeded space, board approval and a state right-to-charge law on their side, a personal Level 2 port is the best long-term answer: it converts the building's cheap residential electricity into the same five-cents-a-mile deal a homeowner enjoys.

Option 4: Public charging near home — the no-permission fallback

Public charging near your apartment needs no installation and no permission, but it is the most expensive way to feed a car routinely — about 28 cents per kWh on Level 2 and 37 to 48 cents on DC fast [S27][S26]. For a renter whose landlord won't allow an outlet, or anyone whose building has nothing, this is the fallback that always works: you charge where everyone else does.

The price is the problem. Public Level 2 runs around 28 cents per kWh; DC fast charging averages about 37 cents and reaches 48 cents or more for non-members on premium ultra-fast networks [S26][S27]. Memberships shave 20–30% off, and some networks offer Level 2 as low as 17–22 cents in standard-rate states, but the routine cost still lands well above home rate [S27]. EnergySage's worked example makes the gap concrete: the same sedan costs about $589 a year to charge at home versus $1,234 on public charging [S26].

The way to make public charging tolerable is to stop treating it as a refuelling errand and start tying it to time you would spend parked anyway — a supermarket Level 2 while you shop, a gym charger during a workout, a workplace plug during the day [S35]. Workplace charging in particular is often free or subsidised, and for an apartment dweller with access it can become the primary charging source [S33]. Used that way, public charging is a supplement; used as the only option, it erodes much of the EV's running-cost advantage and is the case our home-versus-public cost guide examines in detail.

What it actually costs per year, four ways

Charging an average-mileage EV for a year costs about $598 at home, $847 on a shared building charger, and $1,254 on public charging — the same car, the same miles, three very different bills [S25][S26][S27]. The route to the electron is the whole story. The chart below runs the numbers for two mileage levels, using 3.6 miles per kWh and the 2026 rates above.

For an average driver covering 12,200 miles, that is a spread of more than $650 a year between the cheapest and dearest routine option — and over a five-year ownership period, more than $3,000. The lesson is blunt: the effort of securing home-rate access, whether through a Level 1 outlet or your own Level 2 port, pays for itself many times over against a life on public chargers. Even the middle option, a shared building charger, beats public charging comfortably while asking nothing of you upfront.

This is also why the cheapest install is often the smartest. A Level 1 outlet that costs nothing and delivers home-rate power saves nearly as much as a $10,000 Level 2 retrofit, provided your mileage fits — and it does for most people [S33]. Spend the money only where speed genuinely demands it.

Right to charge: what the law lets your HOA say no to

21 states and Washington, D.C. now have right-to-charge laws that bar an HOA or condo board from unreasonably refusing an EV charger in your own or assigned space [S11]. These laws are the legal backbone for condo owners and, in a few states, renters. The strongest protections are in California, Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Virginia and Washington; a narrower group — Florida, Hawaii, New Jersey, North Dakota, Utah and others — offers partial coverage [S12][S11].

California's Civil Code §4745 is the model: an association must approve or deny a reasonable charging request within a set window, and California is unusual in extending protection to renters as well as owners [S12]. Florida's condominium statute (§718.113) bars associations from prohibiting installation in an owner's limited common-element parking space [S12]. Virginia's code likewise stops HOAs from prohibiting chargers in designated spaces, allowing condos to object only where installation is technically infeasible on safety or structural grounds [S13]. Maryland and others have refined their rules into 2026, and a 2026 California change (SB 770) even bars associations from demanding to be named as additional insureds on a homeowner's charging-station policy [S12][S15].

What these laws do not do is hand you a blank cheque. Even in the strongest states, a board can attach reasonable conditions: a licensed electrician, proper permits, liability insurance, and the requirement that you pay for the installation and the electricity you use [S12][S29]. What it cannot do is set conditions so onerous that charging becomes impractical, or dictate a single brand [S12]. Renters have weaker footing almost everywhere — most statutes protect owners more firmly — so a tenant's realistic routes remain a permitted Level 1 outlet, a shared building charger, or public charging [S11][S35]. The interactive picture, state by state, is tracked by Plug In America and the Alternative Fuels Data Center [S11][S13][S14].

The HOA and condo board playbook

Winning board approval for a charger comes down to three things: a clean electrical plan, a fair way to pay, and a proposal that costs the association nothing. Boards resist EV chargers when they fear cost, liability or precedent — so a good proposal neutralises all three before the vote [S29][S30].

• Lead with a load assessment. Bring a licensed electrician's confirmation that the building can support the charger, and propose load-management software if capacity is tight, so the association avoids a panic about service upgrades [S31][S29].
• Make the metering airtight. Show exactly how you — not the building — will pay for your kilowatt-hours, via a sub-meter or a networked charger that bills your account and reimburses the association [S32][S29].
• Put the cost on yourself. Offer to fund the installation and carry the appropriate insurance; in your own assigned space, that is both fair and what most right-to-charge laws assume [S12][S29].
• Pool demand where it helps. If several residents want to charge, a shared circuit or panel funded jointly can be cheaper per person — one common model has a group split the cost of a new panel and each claim a future charging spot [S30].
• Cite the law, politely. Where a right-to-charge statute applies, referencing it early signals you know your rights without turning the request adversarial [S12][S14].

The order matters. A board that sees the technical, financial and legal questions already answered has little left to refuse, and approval typically follows a formal request to the architectural or building committee with the documents above attached [S29][S30].

Who pays, and how the building bills you

Networked chargers add $100 to $300 per connector per year in network fees, which the building recovers through what it charges residents to plug in [S32]. Understanding the billing model matters because it determines your real per-kWh cost on a shared system. The cleanest model is per-kWh billing, where you pay for actual energy and the building passes through its electricity cost plus a small markup for the network and operations [S32].

Property managers choose among a flat monthly fee added to rent, a per-kWh rate, or a hybrid that combines a base fee with usage charges; idle and session fees are layered on to keep chargers free for the next user [S32]. Access is controlled by app or RFID card, with the management software tracking usage and reimbursing the property automatically [S32][S29]. For a resident, the takeaway is to ask how a shared charger is billed before relying on it: a per-kWh rate near 25 cents is reasonable, while a high flat fee can quietly push your effective cost toward public-charging territory [S32][S25]. On your own Level 2 port wired to your meter, none of this applies — you simply pay your residential rate [S25].

The money on the table before mid-2026

The federal 30C tax credit covers 30% of an EV charger's cost — up to $1,000 for a home install and up to $100,000 per port for a business or multifamily property — but it expires on 30 June 2026 [S8]. For anything installed in an eligible low-income or non-urban census tract, that is the most generous federal support in over a decade, and the equipment must be operational by the deadline to qualify [S8][S10]. The business-side credit reaches the full 30% only where prevailing-wage and apprenticeship rules are met; otherwise it is 6%, still capped at $100,000 per port [S8][S9].

State and utility programs stack on top and often dwarf the federal credit for multifamily projects. New York's Charge Ready NY 2.0 pays $3,000 per Level 2 port, rising to $4,000 in a disadvantaged community [S21][S22]. California utilities go further: Southern California Edison's Charge Ready program delivers make-ready infrastructure — everything from the grid to a new circuit panel — at low or no cost to the participant, and in qualifying disadvantaged communities a turn-key option has the utility purchase and maintain the chargers themselves [S19][S20]. After federal, state and utility support is stacked, the net out-of-pocket cost for a multifamily install is frequently a fraction of the sticker price, and sometimes near zero [S4][S19]. Several of these programs share the mid-2026 timing, so the window to act is narrow [S8][S19].

New buildings are solving this by code

From 1 January 2026, California requires 100% of assigned parking spaces in new multifamily buildings to be EV-ready and 25% of common-use spaces to have Level 2 chargers [S16][S17]. The 2025 CALGreen / Title 24 code, effective that date, moves from partial wiring requirements to full unit access: every assigned space gets a complete circuit terminating in an EV receptacle, and developers may now use any mix of J1772 or J3400 (NACS) connectors [S16][S18]. This is a structural fix — it ensures the next generation of apartments arrives charging-ready rather than retrofitted at five times the cost [S16][S33].

The catch for today's renter is that code changes only touch new construction; the existing stock remains the hard case [S2]. But the direction is set, and other states are following California's lead [S14]. For anyone choosing where to live with an EV in mind, a building constructed under the 2026 code — or one that has already installed shared Level 2 — sidesteps almost every problem in this guide. For everyone else, the four options above, ranked by cost, remain the playbook.

How to choose your option

Your daily mileage and your control over a parking space decide everything here:

Match the option to those two facts and you will not overspend — the decision is simpler than the length of this guide suggests.

• Drive under ~40 miles a day and have a reachable outlet? Use Level 1. It is the cheapest energy and the cheapest install, and it covers nine in ten commuters [S23][S33].
• Drive more, or your building already has shared Level 2? Use the shared charger, watching the per-kWh rate and idle fees [S32].
• Own your condo with a deeded space and board sign-off? Install your own Level 2 for home-rate power at full speed — and claim the 30C credit and any utility rebate before mid-2026 [S8][S22].
• No permission and nothing in the building? Lean on public charging tied to errands and workplace charging if you have it, and treat it as a stopgap while you pursue an outlet [S35][S33].

The throughline is that home-rate power — by outlet or by your own port — is worth real effort to secure, because it is the difference between five cents a mile and fifteen [S25][S26]. Apartment and condo living no longer rules out an EV; it just means choosing the right one of these four routes, and increasingly, the law and the building code are on the resident's side [S11][S16].

Methodology & assumptions

Scope. This guide covers EV drivers in US multi-unit dwellings — apartments and condos with shared garages, assigned stalls and surface lots. It is the multifamily/HOA counterpart to our no-driveway guide; on public charging and the no-home-plug penalty the two overlap and we cross-reference. Prices are 2025–2026 and dated alongside each figure.

Electricity and consumption. The US residential rate is the EIA figure of 17.65 cents per kWh [S25]. Per-mile and annual costs assume 3.6 miles per kWh (a mainstream long-range sedan) [S26] and 12,200 miles a year, about 33 miles a day [S26][S34]. Public-charging rates are operators' published prices and third-party compilations [S26][S27]. All calculated figures are labelled as our calculation; every cited figure carries a source number.

Installation and incentives. Per-port Level 2 ranges are 2026 multifamily-installer figures [S4][S7]; 30C details are from the IRS and AFDC [S8][S10]; utility and state amounts are from program pages [S19][S21][S22]; code requirements are the 2025 CALGreen / Title 24 text effective 1 January 2026 [S16][S17][S18].

What is flagged. Right-to-charge counts vary by source and most laws protect owners more strongly than renters; treated as directional [S11][S12][S13]. The 30C credit and several utility programs share a mid-2026 deadline and are labelled time-sensitive [S8][S19].

Common questions

The questions below summarise the points drivers ask most about charging an EV in an apartment or condo; full detail and sources are in the sections above.

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About the author

Petra Halvorsen is an Energy & E-Mobility Cost Analyst who analyses retail power markets and electric-vehicle running costs for ChargeCostLab. Her work focuses on reconciling regulator data, charging-operator tariffs and real-world consumption into figures drivers can act on. She does not accept payment from charging networks or energy suppliers, and every calculation here is reproducible from the cited primary sources.

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Sources

1. Energy Innovation — The State of Electric Vehicle Charging for Multifamily Housing. https://energyinnovation.org/report/the-state-of-electric-vehicle-charging-for-multifamily-housing/
2. EESI — The Argument for Increasing Access to EV Charging for Residents of Multi-Unit Dwellings. https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/the-argument-for-increasing-access-to-ev-charging-for-residents-of-multi-unit-dwellings
3. EVs for All America — The Multifamily EV Charging Pinch Point (CA data deck). https://www.evsforallamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/10/EVAA-CA-Multifamily-Memo-and-Data-Deck-2025-PDF.pdf
4. AmpUp — 2026 Multifamily EV Charging Solutions Guide: Condos & Apartments. https://www.ampup.io/blog/multifamily-ev-charging-solutions-guide
5. CALeVIP — EV Charging 101. https://calevip.org/electric-vehicle-charging-101
6. Qmerit — What is a Level 1 EV Charger? (And When to Upgrade). https://qmerit.com/blog/what-is-level-1-ev-charger/
7. Pando Electric — The Cost of Installing EV Chargers in Apartment Complexes. https://www.pandoelectric.com/post/the-cost-of-installing-ev-chargers-in-apartment-complexes-what-property-managers-need-to-know/
8. IRS — Alternative Fuel Vehicle Refueling Property Credit (30C). https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/alternative-fuel-vehicle-refueling-property-credit
9. Plug In America — Federal Tax Credits for EV Charging Infrastructure (30C). https://pluginamerica.org/learn/federal-ev-tax-credits/ev-charging-infrastructure-30c/
10. AFDC — Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Tax Credit. https://afdc.energy.gov/laws/10513
11. Plug In America — Right-To-Charge Policies. https://pluginamerica.org/policy/right-to-charge-policies/
12. CostToCharge — EV Right-to-Charge Laws by State. https://costtocharge.com/guides/ev-right-to-charge-laws-by-state
13. AFDC — EV Charging Station Policies for Associations (Virginia). https://afdc.energy.gov/laws/12407
14. Yale Climate Connections — How 'right to charge' laws make it easier to own an EV. https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2026/04/how-right-to-charge-laws-make-it-easier-to-own-an-ev/
15. Connie Phillips Insurance — Maryland's EV 'Right to Charge' Laws: 2026 Update. https://www.insurance-financial.net/2026/02/06/marylands-ev-right-to-charge-laws-2026-update/
16. EVmatch — CALGreen Code for Multi-Family EV Charging — 2025 Update. https://evmatch.com/blog/ev-charging-calgreen-building-code/
17. VCA Green — A Guide to California's Title 24 Multifamily Energy Code in 2026. https://vca-green.com/a-guide-to-californias-title-24-multifamily-energy-code-in-2026/
18. California Energy Commission — California's Energy Code Update (2026). https://www.energy.ca.gov/news/2026-01/californias-energy-code-update-guides-construction-cleaner-healthier-buildings
19. Southern California Edison — Charge Ready Program. https://www.sce.com/business/smart-energy-solar/charge-ready
20. CPUC — Charging Infrastructure Deployment and Incentives. https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/industries-and-topics/electrical-energy/infrastructure/transportation-electrification/charging-infrastructure-deployment-and-incentives
21. NYSERDA — Charge Ready NY 2.0. https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/All-Programs/Charge-Ready-NY
22. SWTCH — NY Charge Ready 2.0: Get $4,000 Per EV Charging Port Plus Site Bonuses. https://swtchenergy.com/blog/incentives/ny-charge-ready-2-0-get-4000-per-ev-charging-port-plus-additional-site-bonuses/
23. EVDANCE — Is Level 1 Charging Enough for My Daily Commute? https://evdances.com/blogs/electric-vehicles-charging-knowledge-for-first-time-users/is-level-1-charging-enough-for-my-daily-commute
24. EVDANCE — Living With an EV on Level 1 Charging for 19 Months. https://evdances.com/blogs/blog/living-with-an-ev-on-level-1-charging-for-19-months
25. US EIA — Electricity Monthly Update / Electric Power Monthly (residential price). https://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly/update/end-use.php
26. EnergySage — How Much Does It Cost to Charge an Electric Car? https://www.energysage.com/ev-charging/electric-vehicle-charging-cost/
27. EVgo — EV Charging Costs: Pricing and Plans. https://www.evgo.com/pricing/
28. Kelley Blue Book — How Much Does It Cost to Charge an Electric Car? https://www.kbb.com/car-advice/how-much-does-it-cost-to-charge-an-ev/
29. ChargePoint — EV Charging for Condos: Get Your HOA to Say 'Yes'. https://www.chargepoint.com/blog/ev-charging-condos-get-your-hoa-say-yes
30. Parkade — How to get your condo HOA on board with installing EV chargers. https://parkade.com/post/how-to-get-your-hoa-to-add-ev-charging-to-your-condo-building
31. GreenLancer — A Guide to EV Charging for Condos. https://www.greenlancer.com/post/charge-an-electric-car-in-a-condo
32. Epic Charging — EV Charging Solutions for Apartments: Setup, Billing and Management. https://epiccharging.com/blog/tpost/192ma5e831-ev-charging-solutions-for-apartments
33. DOE Clean Cities and Communities — Project Lessons: EV Charging for Multifamily Housing. https://cleancities.energy.gov/project-lessons-multifamily-housing
34. Insurify — Average Miles Driven Per Year in the U.S. (2026), citing FHWA. https://insurify.com/car-insurance/knowledge/average-miles-driven-per-year/
35. Recharged — EV Ownership in Apartment Complexes: Renter's Guide. https://recharged.com/articles/ev-ownership-in-apartment-complex

Option	Typical cost/kWh	Upfront cost	Best for	Catch
Level 1 from a standard 120V outlet	17.65¢ (your home rate, if metered to you)	$0–$600 (cord often included)	≤40 mi/day, an outlet within reach of your stall	3–5 mi/hr; you need the building's permission to plug in
Shared building Level 2 charger	~25¢ (energy + network markup)	$0	Buildings that already installed chargers	May be occupied; idle fees; per-session app/RFID
Your own Level 2 in an assigned stall	17.65¢ (your home rate)	$3,500–$15,000 per port (− rebates)	Condo owners with a deeded space and board sign-off	You fund it; needs HOA approval and panel capacity
Public Level 2 near home	28¢	$0	Top-ups tied to errands, gym, work	2–3× home cost; wastes time if not multitasked
Public DC fast near home	37–48¢	$0	Occasional fast top-ups, road trips	Most expensive routine option; hard on long-term cost
Workplace charging	0–20¢ (often free/subsidised)	$0	Commuters with an employer scheme	Not everyone has access