EV chargers are categorized in several ways, e.g., by the connection type and by the time it takes to fully charge a vehicle, and by private home installed or semi-private access, metered chargers.
So called Level 1 chargers charge via a normal 120 V household electrical socket. There are cables that apparently come with the vehicle from the manufacturer.
There are Level 2 charges that themselves come in two main types, ones for private use, say for individual homes, and ones for semi-private (community) use. The latter is what a community association like Laurel Mews would primarily be considering, though we do have a few owners for whom a private L2 charger might be a practical solution. The main thing about L2 chargers is that they require electrical capacity that’s upworked from what’s normally in homes, and for sure from our outdoor lighting circuit.
There is another level, Level 3, aka fast-chargers , which as of 2022 are still super-expensive.
Semi-private L2 chargers are the ones you might see at grocery stores or strip malls, and more and more at rest stops along interstate highways. (Some of those might be L3 chargers.) In our situation, what seems likely is that we would install L2 chargers along the Exxon wall. They would be connected to an upworked electrical junction box near the shed at 6711-I. Each vehicle charge would somehow be metered such that each user would have some kind of card or code so to capture individual use for back-billing. The chargers would thus have to be somehow connected via telephony, broadband, or satellite communications.
Cost estimates run ~$20k for the electrical upworking, and $15-20k for each charger. So if we got 3 chargers (6 charging stations) today, the cost estimate would be ~$80k.
(Private L2 chargers are a lot less expensive, depending on how much electrical upworking you might require.)
There is a lot to consider before any decisions get made. Dedicating spots for EV charging might be a bit much, and some of those parking spaces might be needed for disabled spaces going forward. There are a few other issues in the law that stand to be tested in state and federal courts.
We would have to start thinking about how to finance the project. Just off-hand, if this community was to implement this project for 2036 (when major manufacturers say they’ll be selling only EVs) then we as a community would have to start saving maybe ~$6400 per year ($120 per owner), assuming we can get an above-inflation interest rate on the fund, and that cost accelerations are normal at 3-4%.
But fourteen years from now is a long time, and we can expect EV charger technology and economics to turnover several times.
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