Various VAG EVs still get some amount of free unlimited charging (VW, Audi, Porsche) but it varies by model. The new Q6 etron with 1-year free unlimited charging is my personal choice. Makes sense since EA is a subsidiary of VAG. Most non-VAG EVs only get limited charging credit (eg xKW)
Funny how we are openly talking about cross charging VINs now.
BMW currently offers 1,000 kWh through EA on, I believe, â25 i4, i5, and iX.
And double that on i7
Frankly, I would not consider free EA as a factor for a new lease. I had free charging with Mercedes Benz for 2 years and there were always issues or long lines to charge. While I did use the benefit every now and then, I ended up charging at my house most of the time. I donât have time to sit and wait in line or deal with people jumping the line. Also, it seems like there is a rule that at least one charger at every station must always be inop. I donât understand how these machines break so oftenâŚ
Someone mentioned above that people wait 20 minutes in line at Costco to fill up and that there should not be an expectation to be able to fill up immediately at EA. I disagree, I know a lot of people, myself included, that will not wait 20 minutes to save 10 bucks to fill up. I will also not wait an hour + to save $20 at an EA station, especially when I can just go home and plug in.
On 2024 BMW EVs with unlimited free EA charging sessions, I know that the free charging isnât transferable to the 2nd owner.
On 2025 BMW EVs with 1000 free kw, the free kw are not supposed to be transferable. But Iâve heard of 2nd owners (actual 2nd owners, not 1st owners after demos) that have been able to use the balance of the 1000 free kw. Has anyone else been able to âtransferâ or continue using the free credits as a 2nd owner on a 2025?
Oh its an absolute nightmare, but Iâm legally not allowed to charge at the house (HOA), so without it an electric car is basically dead in the water for me. Plus, its so much more expensive to charge here than it is for gas.
How can an HoA dictate this? Isnât it just using your homeâs power to charge your car?
Someone might see an unsightly charging cable and faint at the thought someone would resort to such barbarity.
In a private garage with the door closed? Sure.
But I agree with prohibitions on outdoor charging in visible common and private areas, just like I wouldnât want people driving up to a bank of gasoline pumps next to my home or the neighborhood pool.
Plus itâs a slippery slope from driveway charging to someone âtemporarilyâ moving that function to the lawn.
I tried charging my old i3 via window of my ground floor apt years ago but my parking spot was 50ft from my window, Hoa said nope; creates hazard.
I recall reading where people added some cards to Apple Pay something rather upon transfer (I donât speak iOS) but it seemed like a temporary solution if I recall correctly.
This is why I dont buy house with HOA, I charge my car on my driveway and itâs perfectly fine
I get that it isnât for everyone.
To me itâs a small price to pay for civilization.
For us, specifically, its the communityâs insurance thatâs pitching a fit. We donât have garageâs here, even though weâre not a condo development, and donât âownâ our parking spaces. The insurance sees a large charging cable as the same as a garden hose - a tripping hazard. Thatâs not even taking into account the fact that it has live electricity coursing through it.
Also, this.
Youâre thinking of something like an EA station. Iâm talking about putting a Grizzl-e charger on my front wall and running the cable to my parking space.
Same concept.
Then donât buy a new house in this market. Almost every single home development being built these days has an HOA attached to it. I think its runs around 90% down here.
I donât want to look at charging of any kind.
No issue if your parking spot is private / canât be seen by others. But a visible cable / cord? No.
Looks like a public air compressor attached to an Exxon station.
It also looks private, so it would be up to the owner.
A Dolt with a Bolt? Paying ridiculous vanity plate fee CA DMV charges on top of outrageous annual renewal fees? Talk about bad financial decisions while driving a â8olt".
Private? Do you mean its a gated compound like heâs Jeff Bezos?
So are you opposed to any homeowner in a development, with neighbors, having charging if they donât have a garage?
