Before adding EV charging to your apartment property, check who needs it and how much power the site can supply. Decide who will run it after installation. Start by asking residents about charging needs and having an electrical contractor assess the site. Use those findings to choose the number of chargers, their location and a budget you can review.
The Department of Energy’s guide for apartment owners covers parking access, power supply and billing. Plan who will run the chargers and pay for upkeep after installation.
The historical panel behind this article
Bisnow covered a Southern California construction and design event in a report dated May 19, 2022. According to that report, AvalonBay’s Mark Janda said the company was considering chargers in as many as 25% of parking stalls. That was a reported consideration, not an installed outcome, a legal requirement or a target for your property.
The same report attributed this observation about one transit-oriented development to McCullough senior associate Benjamin Arcia:
“We designed everything under the parking podium as retail space that’s temporarily occupied by parking. We’re going to remove parking and insert retail modules under these residential buildings as the neighborhood becomes more and more ready for it.”
This describes a project-specific design intention reported in 2022. It does not establish that the conversion happened or that your parking can be converted. The practical planning steps below come from separately checked guidance and owner decision-making, not those historical predictions.
Check demand and how residents park
Ask residents whether they already drive an EV or plug-in hybrid, when they normally park and whether they have reliable charging elsewhere. Separate current users from people considering a future vehicle purchase. Record requests from prospective residents too, but don’t treat every expression of interest as committed usage.
Map those responses against assigned spaces, shared parking and overnight access. A charger in a space assigned to one household serves a different purpose from a shared charger. For shared equipment, decide how someone will get access and what happens when a vehicle remains after charging. A daytime turnover policy may be impractical for residents who arrive in the evening and leave in the morning.
DOE’s installation checklist recommends considering Level 1 and Level 2 charging for multifamily housing. Ask the designer to compare both against residents’ charging windows and driving needs. Faster equipment is not automatically the best match for a vehicle parked overnight.
Plan electrical capacity before choosing equipment
Give your electrical contractor and utility a parking plan, existing electrical drawings if available, utility bills and the proposed charging schedule. Request an assessment of service capacity, panels, circuit routes and the need for utility-side work. DOE recommends engaging the utility early to identify capacity and upgrade needs.
Ask about load management: controlling charging power so multiple vehicles can share available capacity. Get the proposed power limit in writing, along with how much charging drivers can expect when they plug in together. Check what happens if the network connection fails. A design that limits power still needs to meet residents’ charging needs; it does not replace an electrical assessment.
Compare the first installation with a layout that prepares for later expansion. Conduit routes, trenching and panel arrangements should be considered together. Ask which future work becomes easier and what would still need replacing. Have your project team confirm the property’s applicable permits and code requirements before equipment is ordered.
Design parking and charging for independent use
Review more than the painted stall. A driver needs to exit the vehicle, reach the charger, handle the connector and get to the vehicle’s charging inlet. The U.S. Access Board’s design guidance explains that inlet locations vary and that cables, curbs, wheel stops and bollards can affect access.
Walk through the proposed design with your accessibility professional. Review routes, maneuvering space, controls, cable storage, payment interfaces and lighting. Preserve usable pedestrian paths and existing accessible parking in the plan. Include residents with different access needs in the review where possible.
The Access Board distinguishes legally binding requirements from additional design recommendations. Its document is not a universal parking ratio or a property-specific compliance approval. Ask your design team and local authority which standards apply to your building and project; don’t assume that painting an accessibility symbol resolves the design.
Decide who operates, bills and repairs the chargers
Choose between owning the equipment and contracting with a third-party operator after comparing the responsibilities in each proposal. Establish who pays the electricity bill, controls pricing, handles resident questions and can access usage records. Check network coverage at the actual parking location, including inside garages.
Request the full fee schedule, payment options, warranty terms and an exit plan if the provider stops service. Check that equipment will work with another network before assuming you can switch providers. DOE’s procurement guidance distinguishes networked equipment, which can support payment and usage tracking, from simpler non-networked options.
Put maintenance responsibility in writing. DOE’s operations guidance recommends maintenance agreements that address response time, repair time and uptime. Assign someone to check connectors and cable storage, report faults and notify residents during outages. Include a test of charging and payment functions when the system is handed over.
Compare staged costs with realistic usage
Request itemized project proposals that separate equipment, electrical and utility work, trenching, surface restoration, design, permits and network setup. For ongoing costs, include electricity, software, payment processing, maintenance and replacement allowances. Ask the utility whether peak-power charges apply. Use the utility’s actual rate schedule rather than a generic electricity price.
Build a low-use case alongside your expected-use case. In a hypothetical month, assume residents buy 1,200 kWh at $0.45 per kWh and the electricity costs $0.30 per kWh. Revenue is $540 and energy cost is $360, leaving $180. If other monthly operating costs are $120, only $60 remains before installation recovery, administration, taxes and any omitted costs. These are illustrative assumptions, not a price recommendation, installation quote or ROI forecast.
Compare installing a small initial group of chargers with completing more infrastructure now and adding equipment later. Base expansion on recorded use, waiting time and service reliability. Count any hoped-for retention or rent benefit separately until you have property-specific evidence. Your apartment management plan should identify who reviews those records and decides when the next stage is justified.
General information, not legal, engineering or tax advice. Accessibility, electrical, parking and billing requirements depend on the site and jurisdiction. No current subsidy, installed parking percentage or universal financial return is assumed here.
Sources
- Bisnow: “You Need More EV Charging Spaces Than You Think”, May 19, 2022. Historical event reporting, Janda’s consideration and Arcia’s attributed quotation; no outcome verification. Checked October 6, 2026.
- U.S. Department of Energy: Electric Vehicle Charging for Multifamily Housing. Owner planning considerations. Checked October 6, 2026.
- U.S. Department of Energy: Procurement and Installation for Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure. Charging types, utilities, siting, ownership and project costs. Checked October 6, 2026.
- U.S. Department of Energy: Operation and Maintenance for Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure. Payments, maintenance responsibility and usage data. Checked October 6, 2026.
- U.S. Access Board: Design Recommendations for Accessible Electric Vehicle Charging Stations. Physical and communication access; requirements distinguished from recommendations. Checked October 6, 2026.
