A condominium management board in Ottawa, Ontario, has ruled that a the owner of a plug-in hybrid vehicle can’t use an electrical outlet in his building’s garage unless he buys his own $3,000 meter.
The board has prevented Chevrolet Volt owner Mike Nemat from charging his car, which can run on gasoline only but requires a fully charged battery to achieve 30-35 miles of electric-only range.
Nemat told the board that the Volt costs only about $1 to charge overnight and that he would be willing to pay separately for all electrical charges that his car might incur, but that didn’t dissuade his condo’s board.
“They seem to think this car consumes a significant amount of electricity,” Nemat told the CBC.
The Volt driver says his point is especially valid since the condo doesn’t charge vehicle owners to plug engine block heaters in during colder weather.
The board says that the only option for Nemat is to pay to install a $3,000 individual meter at his particular outlet, which would allow the electricity provider to calculate the exact amount of electricity the Volt uses.
Using a standard 120V outlet, the Volt takes about 10 hours to charge and Chevrolet calculates that, in the United States, it costs an average of $1.50 to charge the Volt during off-peak electricity use.
