Range, purchase cost and the widespread availability of charging points are three of the most important factors in the uptake of the electric car. As regards the third — that is, the availability of charging stations — people often refer to public ones or privately owned ones open to the public; in shopping centres, for example. In reality, it is also possible to install a charging point at home. This is not always feasible, it must be said, but with a little goodwill — both on your own part and on that of the fellow residents with whom you share common spaces (those living in a detached house obviously have no such concerns) — it can be done. How? MoDo, the Volkswagen Group portal dedicated to the mobility of tomorrow, has compiled the answers, case by case. And it is often the car manufacturers themselves that offer advisory services in this regard.

1. I have a garage (or a private area within the apartment building): can I sort everything out myself?

It should be noted first that this is the easiest situation; even so, anyone wishing to install a private charging station is still required to inform the building manager. What's more, there are two possible scenarios.

• The first is one in which it is possible to install an electricity meter registered in the name of the individual private resident: taking it as given that the work must be carried out in accordance with the law, it is sufficient to send a written notification to the building manager, who will take note of the decision.
• The second is one in which the charging station is connected to the building's shared electrical network: the building manager is required to appoint a technician to carry out the preliminary checks and provide a cost estimate. In addition, the building manager must ensure that a meter is installed on the branch line running from the shared supply to the private one, so as to determine the energy consumption precisely and charge the cost to the individual resident accordingly.

2. I would like to install a charging station in the shared communal area. What do I need to do?

In this case, as one might easily imagine, there are additional conditions. One in particular may not be straightforward to fulfil: the agreement of the other residents. Fortunately, in order to obtain authorisation to install a charging station in a communal area, a unanimous vote at the residents' meeting is not required: a majority of those present and at least half the value of the building in thousandth shares is "enough". That said, to "reassure" anyone who may be opposed to their building moving in this direction, it should be noted that nothing will be asked of them in terms of costs if they do not wish to use the service. By the same token, anyone who initially chose not to participate in the scheme will be able to do so at a later stage, by paying their proportional share of the (updated) maintenance and installation costs.

3. Can I install a charging station in the communal areas anyway, if the residents' meeting refuses to give its consent?

Yes, but in this case there are far more "constraints". First and foremost, before proceeding in any way, three months must have elapsed between the submission of the request and the refusal of consent. Once this period has passed, the resident (or group of residents) may nonetheless go ahead with the installation of the charging station, provided it does not compromise the structural safety of the building, does not damage the communal areas or affect the ability of residents to use them. It should also be borne in mind that if the charging station is installed without the consent of the residents' meeting, the area adjacent to it cannot be used exclusively by electric car owners. In other words, all residents would be entitled to park their car next to the charging station, effectively rendering it almost unusable.

4. What if it is the residents' association itself that decides to install a charging station?

If the installation is approved at the residents' meeting and all residents contribute to the costs (including construction costs), the asset becomes communal property. If, on the other hand, even following approval at the residents' meeting, some residents decide not to contribute to the costs, they will have no right to use the service.

5. How much does it cost to charge an electric car at home?

The calculation is straightforward: take the average perceived cost of electricity for domestic use (which between 2019 and 2020 stood between 0.16 and 0.22 euros per kWh) and multiply it by the battery capacity (the net capacity should strictly be used, but for simplicity we refer here to the gross capacity). Let us assume the latter is 50 kWh (for reference, the Volkswagen ID.3 offers three options: 45 kWh, 58 kWh and 77 kWh): the cost of a private charge works out at between 8 and 11 euros. Which, given an average consumption of around 6 km per kWh of energy, gives a minimum cost per kilometre of 2.7 euro cents and a maximum of 3.7 euro cents. These figures do not take into account the possible presence of a photovoltaic system, which would make home charging even more economical.

6. Are there any incentives for installing charging stations?

Yes: a tax deduction of 50 per cent of the costs incurred for the purchase and installation of the charging point, including costs for increasing capacity up to a maximum of 7 kW, for a total amount not exceeding 3,000 euros (the benefit will therefore amount to 1,500 euros). This incentive is valid until 31/12/2021, on condition that the infrastructure is equipped with one or more standard-power charging points that are not accessible to the public.