It’s called Level 1 charging, trickle charging, or simply “plugging into 120 V.” For many new electric vehicle owners living in apartment buildings, these standard outlets are the only solution available to them—and it’s free.
However, nothing is free in a condominium, and it’s certainly not harmless. This makeshift connection that helps you out today hides a financial burden for your neighbors, a legal headache for your homeowners’ association, and a real risk of overloading the building’s electrical system.
Electricity Theft
Outlets located in garages or outdoor parking lots of a condo building are almost always connected to the common areas’ meter.
- Who pays the bill? The electricity consumed by these outlets is paid for collectively by all co-owners through their common charges (condo fees).
- The real cost: Even though charging at 120 V is slow, an EV plugged in every night can easily add several dozen dollars a month to the association’s utilities bill.
- The consequence: By plugging into this outlet without written authorization and without a reimbursement arrangement, you’re using your neighbors’ money to power your car. Technically, this is electricity theft, and it’s the surest way to start a neighbors’ feud.
A real risk of overloading and fire
The 120-volt outlets found in garages were never designed to handle peak power demand for 10, 12, or 15 consecutive hours.
- The weak link: A standard household outlet wears out over time. Continuously plugging in a device as power-hungry as an electric car generates intense heat at the outlet’s electrical contacts.
- The danger of overheating: If the outlet is old or of basic residential quality, this heat can melt the plastic housing or, worse, start a fire behind the drywall.
- The circuit breaker tripping: These outlets often share the same electrical circuit as garage door openers, security lights, or sump pumps. By plugging in your EV, you risk tripping the building’s circuit breaker, plunging the garage into darkness or blocking access to your neighbors’ cars.
Refusal of Insurance Coverage
This is the ultimate argument that should convince any homeowners’ association or co-owner to ban this practice: property insurance.
- If an incident (such as a fire or electrical damage) occurs in the common areas and the investigation shows that it was caused by the unauthorized charging of a vehicle using a non-compliant outlet:
- The homeowners’ association’s insurer could refuse to pay for the damages.
- Your own liability insurer could also deny coverage due to improper use of common-area equipment.
- You could find yourself personally sued for hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages by your own homeowners’ association.
A Discouragingly Slow Charge (Especially in Winter!)
Beyond the risks to the building, charging at 120 V (Level 1 charging) is frustratingly slow. On average, it restores only 6 to 8 kilometers of range per hour of charging.
- The trap of a Quebec winter: In very cold weather, much of the energy from your 120-volt outlet isn’t even used to charge the battery… it’s simply used to warm it up so it can accept the energy! At -20°C, the range you regain could be close to zero after a full night of charging.
- An inadequate solution: For the daily commutes of the average worker, 120 V quickly proves insufficient, forcing you to use public fast-charging stations (BRCCs), which are much more expensive.
Murbly’s Advice
If you see a neighbor plugging into a shared outlet, don’t wait for the situation to escalate. Instead, suggest to the board of directors that they open a discussion about fully electrifying the parking garage. Now is the perfect time to take advantage of available government grants (such as Écorecharge) to get the project off the ground once and for all!
To get support from our experts during this shift to electrification and receive a quote for an EV-Ready Plan, click here.