Charging at home is incredibly convenient part of EV ownership. But what if you do not have a garage where you live? Thanks to a growing public charging network, this is largely not a problem. We discuss a few options in Toronto where I live, on how to get by without a garage when relying on street parking. The key is to find convenient charging options, ideally a plan A and a plan B that work with your weekly routine, and can keep your EV fully charged.
Toronto, Ontario is awash in public charging stations. The map below from Plugshare, shows quite a few stations available for use. My 2018 Leaf can charge at a number of DC fast chargers via Chademo and also slower (and yes cheaper) L2 chargers.
Typically, I charge my EV about once a week. Which I hear is pretty typical. Thus you need to find a charging station that is convenient for you for that once a week top-up. A weekly charging session in my case, involves perhaps 10-30 kWh of charging which can take anywhere from an hour to seven hours depending on the particulars. Lets look at a few options near where I live, and see how a ~30% to ~90%, 2018 Nissan Leaf 25 kWh charging session would be cost wise.
| Charging station | Distance | Power level | Cost | Typical 25 kWh “fillup” |
| Flo Neighborhood charger | 1.8 km, 20 min walk | 7.2 kW | $3 per session (overnight), or $2 per hour | $4 |
| Grocery store | 4 km | 7.2 kW | Free for two hours, $3 per hour thereafter | $15 |
| Dog walking area | 4 km | 7.2 kW | $3 per session (overnight), or $2 per hour | $4 |
| Shopping mall | 15 km | 50 kW | $20 per hour | $20 |
| Shopping mall | 8 km | 50 kW | $20 per hour | $20 |
Everyday charging is all about convenience. There is a neighborhood Flo station within a 20 min walk of my house. I could for example, leave my EV to charge overnight at one of these locations. This is both an economical and a convenient choice, at $4 a week, its hard to beat (my own garage charger, when you amortize the installation expense, is only a little cheaper). The two 20 minute treks are a bit of a nuisance perhaps, but my dog would love it, plus there are several bakeries and coffee shops along the way to keep you charged on the trek.
Many grocery stores and shopping malls offer ample charging nowadays, which I could weave into my daily routine. My kids are doing some lifeguard training near a dog park that has a charging station, why not squeeze in a little charging as you run your errands? Some of these can be a bit pricer than the $4 from my neighborhood charger, but the $20 DC fast charging tab, does look modest next to a $50 restaurant bill.
Whichever charging situation works out for you, the goal here is to find convenient charging options, preferably ones that also allow for some fun too.
Electric car adventures 