Multi-Unit Dwelling Plug-in EV Charging Innovation Pilots

Nearly one-third of residences in the U.S. are multi-unit dwellings (MUDs), e.g., apartments and condominiums, and MUDs with five or more units account for approximately 45% of rental households. While 80% of EV charging takes place at home, less than 5% of home charging takes place at MUDs. With public electric vehicle (EV) charging still underdeveloped, lack of access to reliable home charging is a major barrier to EV adoption for MUD residents. Challenges to siting electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) at MUDs include the high upfront cost of EVSE installation, physical and/or electrical infrastructure constraints, a lack of clear incentives for property managers to invest in installing EV charging for tenants, and a limited number of EV charging service providers that offer solutions adapted to the unique needs of MUDs. Through award DE-EE0008473 from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Center for Sustainable Energy (CSE), Energetics, and Forth, along with a diverse team of partners, led a three-year project to address barriers to EV charging at MUDs by developing an online toolkit geared toward residents, homeowner associations (HOAs), and property managers. The project, referred to as Vehicle Charging Innovations – Multi-Unit Dwellings (VCI-MUD project), engaged stakeholders across the country to identify real and perceived barriers to EV charging at MUDs and explored innovative technologies that attempt to alleviate the identified barriers. Over the course of three and a half years, the project conducted 60 interviews with industry stakeholders, compiled findings in an easy-to-use toolkit, and disseminated the toolkit across national, regional, state, and local channels. Key findings and outcomes of the VCI-MUD project include: Identifying six primary barriers to the installation of EV charging at MUDs; Developing five fact sheets and eight case studies highlighting innovative charging solutions to address barriers, including real-world operational and financial data; Developing a user-friendly, online empowerment toolkit with five important points for “making your pitch” to support EV charging to assist residents, property managers, building managers, and HOAs explore options for MUD charging.

• Record URL:
  • https://doi.org/10.2172/1991542
• Supplemental Notes:
  • © 2023 Center for Sustainable Energy.
• Corporate Authors:

  Center for Sustainable Energy

  San Diego, CA  United States 

  Department of Energy

  Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
  1000 Independence Avenue, SW
  Washington, DC  United States  20585
• Authors:
  • Teebay, Rick
• Publication Date: 2023-7

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Edition: Final Report
• Features: Appendices; Figures; References;
• Pagination: 26p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Apartment buildings; Case studies; Dwellings; Electric vehicle charging; Stakeholders; Technological innovations
• Subject Areas: Energy; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01901983
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: DOE-CSE-8473-1
• Contract Numbers: DE-EE0008473
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Dec 12 2023 9:19AM