What’s It Really Like Owning an EV in an Apartment? My On-Street Charging Diary

Everyone talks about the dream of waking up to a "full tank" with an electric vehicle. But what happens when your bedroom is on the third floor and your car lives on the street?

What’s it really like owning an EV without a private garage or driveway?

This isn't a technical guide. This is a diary to owning an EV in an apartment.

One week of my life with a fantastic electric car, a city apartment, and a total reliance on the public charging network. It's a story about planning, patience, and the strange new social rituals of street-side charging.

Monday: The Optimism The week begins with a full battery and a sense of smug satisfaction. The car is silent, smooth, and I feel like I'm living in the future. The public charger two streets away was free last night—a good omen. The day is a breeze of silent commuting and errands. This is easy, I think. What's all the fuss about?

Wednesday: The First Crack The battery is hovering around 30%. The charger two streets away is occupied. So is the next one. And the next. A slow-burn anxiety begins to creep in. It's not range anxiety; it's charger anxiety. My evening plans now have a new, unwelcome guest: the need to find a plug. I end up at a brightly lit servo 15 minutes away, sitting in my car under the hum of the fast charger, feeling strangely isolated. The convenience of "fuelling up" at home feels very far away.

Charging at night isn't fun.

Friday: The Social Dance I find a free spot at a street-side charger. As I'm plugging in, another EV pulls up, the driver's face a familiar mix of hope and despair. We do the charger dance. "How long will you be?" he asks. We chat about apps, broken chargers, and the one street that seems to have a secret, always-free plug. It's a strange, fleeting sense of community, born from a shared inconvenience. We are the on-street charging pioneers.

Sunday: The Verdict Can you own an EV in an apartment in Australia? Yes, absolutely. But don't believe the glossy brochures. It requires a mental shift. You become a strategist, a hunter-gatherer of electrons. You learn the rhythm of your neighbourhood's chargers. It’s not the seamless dream of home charging, but a different kind of adventure. It’s doable, but it’s a commitment.

And for now, it's the real story for thousands of us.