The LA Planning Commissioner recently imposed a request for a new apartment development to include electric vehicle chargers in at least a fifth of the parking bays in the building. According to the project manager, without adding the 90 chargers, it would have been much more difficult to sell all the apartments. The use of electric vehicles is soaring and, as well as negotiating for a sought-after parking space, an increasing number of homebuyers and renters are also looking for residential charging points so they can plug in their electric vehicle at home. Charging stations are becoming more of a necessity than a perk, and in response, developers are including chargers in new apartment developments and also working hard to retrofit charging stations into older buildings under renovation.
Enjoying the Benefits of Charging at Home
Currently home to over a third of electric vehicles registered in the US, California has been at the forefront of EV adoption for the last few years. With new state regulations for all new car models to be zero-emissions, by 2035 it is predicted that there will be 12.5 million EVs on the roads in California. To meet the needs of the increasing number of EV owners in Los Angeles, developers are under pressure to ensure that their developments can accommodate easily accessible charging stations. Even with faster charging EVs, research from the Department of Energy reveals that the majority of EV owners enjoy the convenience of charging stations at home, where they can leave their vehicle charging whenever it is idle. Having a secure place to charge a vehicle overnight means that drivers can wake up to a fully charged battery in the morning. Driving range is an important criteria when choosing an EV, however, with electric cars capable of covering more than average daily driving distances, residents who can charge their vehicles at home can be confident of having enough power to see them through the day.
Setting a Precedent for Incorporating Charging Points
When it was first opened after renovation in 2014, the Elysian apartment building situated in the Victoria Heights neighborhood offered renters with electric cars the incentive of free vehicle charging for life. The building is now equipped with 46 Blink Level II charging stations for use by residents, employees and visitors. Developed by Linear City, The Elysian sets a precedent for residential buildings throughout LA to incorporate charging stations in their designs, with the ultimate aim of supporting the city’s increasing number of EVs and making EV ownership and management a reality for all apartment residents.
Retrofitting Older Buildings To Accommodate EVs
As charging stations are increasingly considered a necessity for apartment blocks in LA, a prominent and socially conscious development firm is urgently adding them to their new and existing apartments. Cityview has been recognized as the top multifamily developer in LA for the past three years and recently completed projects include Haven, a mixed use community in Culver City, comprising 97 residential units. Although it can be problematic to retrofit charging stations in some older properties, the firm attempts to add as many charging points as each of their buildings can sustain. At the Haven complex, they have worked with Tesla to install a bank of Supercharger stations inside the building’s garage and have even added stations to an existing apartment building with only eight residential units.
Already the state with the most EVs in the country, it is predicted that by 2035 there will be over 12 million EVs on the roads of California. As most EV owners prefer to plug in their cars at home, installing charging stations in apartment buildings throughout Los Angeles is becoming a necessity for apartment developers. As well as meeting requirements from the Planning Commissioner, development firms are working with EV charging companies to install as many stations as possible within both new and existing apartment buildings.
