Our building has three different charging etiquette messes at once — how have other buildings actually handled this?
Our complex added shared EV spots about six months ago and it's turned into a mess in a few different ways at once: people not reserving spots so it's first-come-or-nothing, someone leaving their car plugged in for hours after it's already done charging, and arguments over whether unplugging someone else's car to free up the outlet is ever okay. Management hasn't put any actual rules in place yet. What's actually worked for people dealing with the same problems in their own buildings, not just what a policy document says should work?
Filed under: General EV Talk
68
9 answers
9 ANSWERS
@saltmarsh99July 06, 2026
From the property management side, the single biggest improvement across every building I've managed was a posted time limit with an actual enforcement mechanism, not just a sign nobody reads.
@sleetburnJuly 06, 2026
Reservation app was the fix for us specifically once we crossed five regular EV users. Honor system worked fine before that, stopped working the moment it didn't.
@duskbuttonJuly 06, 2026
ICE'd spots, non-EVs parked in the EV spot, was our actual worst problem. Towing enforcement worked, signage alone did not.
That's basically our situation exactly — we don't have a towing policy in place either.
@snowbolt_rJuly 07, 2026
Lockable outlet covers for anyone in a shared-outlet situation specifically, cheap fix for the 'someone unplugged me' problem before it becomes a whole dispute.
Worth being specific since "lockable cover" gets used loosely: the $15 in-use covers only lock the flip lid, not the plug itself, so someone can still yank the cord. If you actually want to stop unauthorized unplugging, you need a cover with a keyed latch over the plug body itself — that's a different SKU at most electrical suppliers, maybe $10 more than the basic in-use cover. Ask for a "lockable" or "keyed" in-use cover specifically; "weatherproof cover" alone usually just means the flip lid. Cheap fix that actually closes the loophole instead of half-closing it.
@orbit_snackJuly 07, 2026
One safety note worth adding: don't let an etiquette dispute lead to anyone modifying shared electrical equipment themselves. That's a liability problem, not a parking problem.
Hadn't thought about that liability angle at all, thanks for flagging it.
@greylantern_kJuly 07, 2026
One more for the list: a direct conversation with the neighbor before escalating to management — most people don't realize what they're interrupting.
Delete post?
Once you delete this post, it can't be restored.