Plug in Hybrid but No driveway. Advice on charging sought
We just bought a plug in hybrid Minivan. We'd like to use it in Electric mode as much as we can because of the environmental benefits, and while I know there are public charging stations none are close by or are practical for frequent charging.
We live in North Oakland and don't have a driveway. We do have a curb cut, and the city has said we can post No parking there and use it ourselves. I knew one couple who lived in more residential area and would simply run an extension cord out to their Volt, and then eventually put in a conduit for the cord. We live where there is a reasonable amount of foot traffic, and don't want to cause a problem for passing pedestrians and strollers etc. So I'm trying to figure out if we could do something like that.
Has anyone else dealt with this? Any ideas?
Parent Replies
we have friends who do it like that and have a few door mats on the sidewalk to cover up the extension cord that goes out to the curb. thats it!
Maybe you can install some kind of box in the parking strip and run a cord under the sidewalk to the box.
While I can't answer your specific question about charging at home, I bet you can find charging stations near your errands or other places you go on a regular basis (park, school, work). The super speedy kind IS super speedy, so you could get a full charge in 30 minutes. If you just charge up as much as you can wherever you go, you can probably keep it charged without worrying about doing it at home.
I have an app on my phone to find charging stations which works great (sorry the specific app I have came with my Nissan Leaf but you'll be able to find one!).
Hi, there. I bought a plug-in hybrid last month, and I'm writing to share a couple of important points about this: 1. When I bought the car, I didn't have an outlet for it yet. My owner's manual told me not to use an extension cord, ever, and to install a dedicated circuit for the plug. I had few options the first few days, so I used an extension cord to a circuit which wasn't in heavy use. But I could tell right away that this was a bad idea! The plug was immediately hot to the touch, making me very nervous about overloading the wiring. I installed a heavy-duty, dedicated, exterior outlet on its own circuit in our driveway within a few days. 2. Security: I saw a post on NextDoor about someone's charger getting stolen. The dealer told me that my charger would cost $1000 to replace, and I was very concerned. The modern plug-ins typically have a lock-on feature on the car, but it's not intended for security - it's intended to keep bad-behaving folks at public chargers from unplugging you and poaching the spot. Less than a month in, with the car parked in my driveway, I came out to find someone had tried to steal the charger during the night. The lock-on feature had kept them from poaching it, but I think it wouldn't be too hard to do damage in the process of stealing the charger; I added a padlock to the outlet cover. 3. In Berkeley, the city allows folks to install dedicated chargers at the curb if they lack a driveway. (You keep it locked, and for your own use, but someone might park in your spot.) I imagine it's super pricey, but it would be good to know if that's an option. Best of luck!
We don't have a driveway either, but we do have a garage. Worth cleaning it out so you can fit the car in and charge safely and securely!