If you are thinking of buying an electric car and charging the vehicle at home, there are details you should be aware of, especially if you live in an apartment. If this is your case, one of the first aspects you should take into account is the existence of sockets that guarantee the charging of electric cars.

    

Can I charge an electric car from a conventional outlet?

Of course yes. Most electric vehicles come with a charger that allows you to charge the battery in a conventional socket (Schuko), as long as it has an earth connection and is of good quality.

What if you don't have outlets?

If you do not have a socket in the garage or a connection to the electrical panel of the apartment, it is allowed to use the common electrical energy of the building.

However, it is important that you contact the condominium administrator in advance for an agreement on how to account for the energy consumed with charging and how to pay for this consumption.

There are currently solutions on the market that allow a charger to be connected to the common services board of the condominium, which communicates with a consumption monitoring platform, normally through an application installed on the customer's mobile phone with authentication to unlock the charger.

In this way, it is possible to control, with detail and security, the consumption of the user, as well as safeguard the settlement of the energy consumed with the condominium.

But what if you just want to install one outlet? 

If you want to install a socket to charge your EV, you must communicate your intention in writing to the condominium administration.

Can the condominium administration object to the installation?

Only in specific situations. In accordance with Decree-Law no. electrical appliances for shared use that meet the same objectives.

They may also object when the building already has a charging point for shared use and in cases where the installation of the charging point puts the safety of people and goods at risk or harms the architectural line of the building.

What if there is no parking space or box? What is the solution?

Without a parking space inside the building, charging an electric vehicle parked on the street becomes impossible.

As it is not possible to safely connect directly to a socket, the alternative is charging at one of the more than 1,950 charging stations in Portugal, of which 300 are fast or ultra-fast charging.