No Home Charger? Here’s the Blunt Truth About Owning an EV in Australia

The dream of owning an electric car is often pictured with a neat wall box charger in a suburban garage, the car silently topping up overnight.

But what if that’s not your reality? What if you live in an apartment, rent your home, or simply don’t have off-street parking?

This is one of the biggest anxieties for would-be EV owners, and the brochures filled with smiling, garage-owning families don’t have the answers.

So, let's get practical. Can you happily own an EV in Australia without a dedicated home charger?

The short answer is yes, but it’s a lifestyle choice that requires a completely different mindset to both petrol car ownership and traditional EV ownership. Here’s the blunt truth about what it’s really like.

Your New Part-Time Job: The Charging Strategy

When you can’t charge at home, public chargers become your lifeline. This means your relationship with your car’s battery needs to be more proactive. Instead of starting every day with a "full tank," you'll need to integrate charging into your weekly routine.

This could mean:

• The "Shopping" Charge: Making a habit of plugging in at the local shopping centre while you do your weekly groceries. Many centres offer free AC charging.

• The "Destination" Charge: Planning your weekends around destinations that have reliable DC fast chargers nearby.

• The "Workplace" Charge: If your office offers EV charging, this is a game-changer. It effectively becomes your new home charger.

Before you even consider this lifestyle, you need to become a detective. Use an app like PlugShare to meticulously scout the public chargers in your area. Are they frequently occupied? Are they reliable?

The success of EV living in an apartment depends almost entirely on the quality of the public infrastructure within a 5km radius of your home.

The Realities of Cost and Time

Relying on public chargers, especially DC fast chargers, will almost always be more expensive than charging at home on an off-peak electricity rate. You are paying for convenience.

But the biggest cost isn’t money; it’s time.

A weekly 45-minute stop at a fast charger needs to be factored into your schedule. For some, that’s a perfect opportunity to catch up on emails or listen to a podcast. For others, it’s a frustrating chore.

Ultimately, EV living in an apartment is a trade-off. You trade the convenience of home charging for the benefits of electric driving.

For many urban dwellers who have reliable chargers at their workplace or local shopping centre, it's a perfectly manageable and rewarding experience.

Owning an EV in Australia still requires a little planning, patience, and a realistic understanding of what you’re signing up for. The best way to Drive Change - Drive Electric is to do it with your eyes wide open.

If you couldn't charge at home, what would be your biggest worry?

• 0%The extra cost of public charging.
• 0%The time it takes to charge.
• 0%Finding an available, working charger.

You can vote for more than one answer.