BY Juliáe Riva

When I moved back to Portland after college and attempted to be as car-free as possible, I ultimately realized I (unfortunately) should have a car. The used car market was out of control, and it did not look like it was coming down anytime soon. I knew it was time to enter the electric vehicle (EV) market.

Making the shift to an EV was exciting and did come with some challenges, including how to navigate apartment-living without a dedicated car-charger. Here is my personal EV journey.

Several months into joining the Transportation Electrification team at Portland General Electric and after looking at used gas vehicles, I decided to take the plunge and buy a new 2023 Chevy Bolt EUV. I lived in an apartment complex and parked on the streets in the neighborhood. I knew that I could not charge at home, which was different from the experience of everyone I knew who owned an EV.

At the time, I did not know anyone outside of work who drove an EV, so I knew that this could be an opportunity to help show folks that EVs are attainable for most people. Unfortunately, the ordering process was long and frustrating. There was a lot of back and forth with the dealership, trouble over tax credit eligibility and several changes in timeline. But after a lot of communication, hardships and persistence, I was able to get my vehicle three months after ordering. 

I was ecstatic once I had my Bolt. I was enamored with all the fun features that come with driving a new car. But a new car isn’t without surprises! My first surprise was that the range was much lower than expected due to the colder weather. In fact, I initially wondered if something was wrong with my car. I did not realize just how much temperature (and therefore, climate settings) affect range. I did not get to experience true “summer range” until almost 7 months later. Since I could not charge at home, I relied on workplace and public charging.

Charging Level 2 once a week at the office was usually more than I needed to get through each week (I drive roughly 100 miles a week). I originally thought that I would use Level 1 charging whenever I visited my parents’ or my partner’s house, but once I tried it out, it was too slow for me without a designated parking space. Since I could not charge at home, I decided to almost completely rely on workplace charging knowing that the public charging network is only going to grow, and I do not drive that many miles to worry about it.

Now, about 1 year into the EV ownership experience, I feel like I have the charging plan down. I even drove up to Seattle and back in my Bolt and navigated fast charging on the road (less scary than it seems). I charge at work about once a week, and I occasionally supplement it with a fast charger here and there when convenient.

Here are some of my takeaways from the last year:

• The range that is advertised is more like a maximum range – and it can often be below that during hot, cold, or fast (highway) conditions.
• Without reliable, affordable workplace charging, it is hard to form a charging strategy without at-home charging. If I couldn't charge at my workplace, I wouldn’t have gotten an EV.
• Relying 100% on fast chargers (DCFC) when running errands, such as grocery shopping, has been unsustainable for me, and is a supplement, not a primary charging strategy.
• Public Level 2 charging is fine, but if you are only charging when you are quickly running to the grocery store for 30 minutes, it can be insufficient to fully charge, for example.
• Workplace charging is critical in helping folks who cannot charge at home. It is one of the only places where folks spend multiple hours on a consistent basis, and this is the only reason I was able to get an EV.
• Pole and curbside public charging are also critical in helping folks who cannot charge at home. I’m excited about our growing network of pole chargers through the Municipal Charging Collaborative Program!

I have recently moved to a house where I will be able to share an L1 charger with a roommate who also has an EV (a used Chevy Spark), and I am curious to see how my learnings as a renter will change as the EV market evolves!