Electric Vehicles – The Sustainable Choice

EVs are becoming increasingly popular. There are many reasons why:

• Lower fuel costs compared to gas

• Lower maintenance costs due to fewer moving parts

• Smooth and quiet

• More responsive to drive

• Becoming less expensive to buy new

• Increasing numbers of pre-owned vehicles available

• More charging stations in more places as time goes on

Even with termination of the Federal tax credits for EVs on September 30, 2025, some incentives are still available for EV purchase. See http://driveclean.ca.gov/ and http://evrebates.pge.com/ .

EV Charging

If you live in Rossmoor, you have a number of options for charging:



• In your own garage or carport with a Level 1 charger (very slow, but fine for Plug-in Hybrid vehicles and for people who take only short trips)

• In some situations, in your own garage or carport with a Level 2 charger (somewhat faster)

• At Rossmoor’s community Level 2 chargers (located in the parking lots at Gateway, the Event Center, and the Fitness Center)

• At nearby Fast (Level 3) chargers outside the gate (Safeway shopping center parking lot, Texaco station at the corner of Tice Valley Blvd and Olympic Blvd)

• The City of Walnut Creek has 174 public EV charging stations, which include 19 that are Fast DC chargers and 22 that are free. See http://plugshare.com/ for details and a map.

Public charging stations typically involve credit card transactions and/or an app on your smart phone.

If you want to charge in your own garage, carport, or entry, consider the following:

• If you have a garage with a standard 120V outlet that is wired to your own electrical box, you can use that for Level 1 charging. However, that outlet must be “dedicated”—used solely for charging because adding load could be a fire hazard. Per your Mutual’s CC&Rs you will likely be required to hire an electrician to verify this.

• If you have an unattached carport with a standard 120V outlet, that outlet is common property that serves your Mutual as a whole. Any energy you draw from that must be reimbursed to the Mutual. Mutual 2 has worked out a system that works well for this purpose. If you are in Mutual 2, consult your Board to tap into this system.

• If you have an attached garage or carport that can support a Level 2 charger, consult an electrician to install it.

• In at least one Mutual, residents have pooled resources to install a shared Level 2 charger. That’s a big undertaking, but may be worth it if you have many EV owners.

For help as you consider your options, contact adrian@byram.org or bradwaite@comcast.net .

RWC currently has no plans to install Level 3 chargers inside the gate.

However, if readers are interested in seeing Rossmoor install Level 3 chargers inside the gate, please contact abyram@rossmoor.com .

See http://mcecleanenergy.org/ for “5 Ways to Slash Your EV Charging Costs”.