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I tried to add EV chargers to my rental property

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Re: I tried to add EV chargers to my rental property

#2
TL;DR improving a property triggers mandates like bringing the whole thing up to code (I'm personally OK with this generally) and also the potential to shoulder ore share costs to improve the surrounding infrastructure (I'm against this, it's similar to the problems broadband rollouts face when attaching to aging poles in that if they find an issue it's suddenly their problem to pay for).

IMO the solution is top down and should require public planning to scale infrastructure to desired standards in a planned way. It should also require updates to modern code rather than allowing older and probably unsafe (code changed for good reason) buildings around until they fail (usually in a catastrophic way).

It's also bad that there aren't good ways to save for such updates, far too often short term needs prevail rather than doing things right the first time. I'm not sure if taxes to encourage and fund improvements or ways of saving money tax free towards major expenditures (which are then taxed at that time) are better, but there should be some process.

Re: I tried to add EV chargers to my rental property

#3
This is one of the many reasons why I firmly believe that hydrogen hybrid are the future to replace gas vehicles. Charging at mass scale is just not feasible nor practical for most people.

We can't even roll broadband out properly let alone the massive amounts of infrastructure required to deliver enough power to every home. That leaves centralized charging hubs which will quickly become overwhelmed and a massive time sink.

Re: I tried to add EV chargers to my rental property

#4
"I'd have to bring my electrical systems up to code and that's expensive for my 80 year old house"

Well, yeah. I suppose it would be. I'm a bit surprised this is a surprise to the landlord. Also, many of the costs here are looming anyways. It's a matter of when, not if, the electrical needs updating to meet code.

Re: I tried to add EV chargers to my rental property

#5
post #2

TL;DR improving a property triggers mandates like bringing the whole thing up to code (I'm personally OK with this generally) and also the potential to shoulder ore share costs to improve the surrounding infrastructure (I'm against this, it's similar to the problems broadband rollouts face when attaching to aging poles in that if they find an issue it's suddenly their problem to pay for). IMO the solution is top down…

Honestly, if you are renting out a unit as a landlord, you should be required to keep the property in compliance with code.

Re: I tried to add EV chargers to my rental property

#6
post #3

This is one of the many reasons why I firmly believe that hydrogen hybrid are the future to replace gas vehicles. Charging at mass scale is just not feasible nor practical for most people. We can't even roll broadband out properly let alone the massive amounts of infrastructure required to deliver enough power to every home. That leaves centralized charging hubs which will quickly become overwhelmed and a massive tim…

Absolutely agreed.

Electric cars are for the rich. And of course they say it's the future and everyone should do it, without realizing it's literally impossible. No grid in the US could come close to handling that, much less in developing countries.

Not to mention due to range limitations, many people and companies are ruled out automatically.

I don't think electric is bad, or should go away. But it's not meant for the masses. I think H has a brighter future worldwide.

Re: I tried to add EV chargers to my rental property

#7
"Almost 1/3 of San Francisco charging stations are broken"

https://www.electrive.com/2022/05/13/almost-1-3-of-san-franc...

There are... a lot of problems yet to be solved in the perfect electrified future. I hope it happens, if only to move all the pollution from cars to the power plants far away. I have found it hard to discuss the negative / illogical aspects with true believers, which is normally fine, except now the developed world is paying a shitload of taxes to fund the dreams of true believers - logic and economics be damned.

Re: I tried to add EV chargers to my rental property

#8

"I'd have to bring my electrical systems up to code and that's expensive for my 80 year old house" Well, yeah. I suppose it would be. I'm a bit surprised this is a surprise to the landlord. Also, many of the costs here are looming anyways. It's a matter of when, not if, the electrical needs updating to meet code.

Grandfathering in electrical codes seems quite dangerous. At some point wouldn't the city just require it or deem the property unsafe?

Re: I tried to add EV chargers to my rental property

#9
The electrical code has evolved not only to enrich electricians, but also to provide a safer environment for the occupants of the buildings. So noting/complaining about having to upgrade an 82 year old rental duplex to modern standards because of electric car charging is a little disingenuous. That wiring is already past the end of life and ought to be updated for the safety of the occupants.

But I wouldn't be surprised if the 2023 (maybe 2026) NEC will require at least 30A 240V service to garages with electrical service.

Re: I tried to add EV chargers to my rental property

#10
post #3

This is one of the many reasons why I firmly believe that hydrogen hybrid are the future to replace gas vehicles. Charging at mass scale is just not feasible nor practical for most people. We can't even roll broadband out properly let alone the massive amounts of infrastructure required to deliver enough power to every home. That leaves centralized charging hubs which will quickly become overwhelmed and a massive tim…

Hydrogen isn't either. The real solution is to not have so many gas vehicles.

There's also no reason we can't provide charging at destinations rather than homes. Workplaces, shopping centers, etc.

Transit, trains, ebikes, etc. are all significantly more efficient, less polluting, and just better solutions all around.

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