How to electrify Your Car When You Don’t Have Parking
7 mins
May 2026
Overview
One of the biggest myths about electric vehicles is that you need a driveway or garage to own one. The truth? Thousands of Australians already own and charge EVs without off street parking - and it works.
EVs offer huge benefits: lower running costs, quiet driving, zero tailpipe emissions, and far less maintenance than petrol cars. But when you live in an apartment or park on the street, charging looks a little different.
Like many people, Sarah doesn’t have off street parking. In this episode, we dive into how to electrify your car when you don’t have parking at home. We’ll walk you through the charging options available, what they cost, and how to make EV ownership work no matter where you live.
By the end of this episode, you’ll understand your real world charging choices and how to confidently own an EV - even without a driveway.
And when you think about it… we don’t have petrol stations at home, so maybe it’s not all that different!
Watch
Read
0:00
Welcome to How to Electrify Your Car and charge when you don't have off-street parking.
0:05
I'll be sharing what I've learned from my electrification journey to help make yours simpler and easier.
0:17
One of the biggest myths about electric vehicles is that you need a driveway or garage to own one.
0:23
This simply isn't true.
0:24
The reality is thousands of people are already owning and charging EVs without off-street parking and doing it successfully.
0:31
I'm one of those people.
0:33
In this episode we're focusing on one of the most important and often overlooked topics, how to own and charge an EV if you don't have off street parking.
0:42
70% of the Australian population can charge at home, but for us 30% we've got to talk about it.
0:47
I've been testing EVs for over 2 years now and recently became a proud owner of the Kia EV3.
0:53
I don't have off street parking so I'm keen to share with you what I do and talk through what options might be available for you. If you can't charge at home or run a cable out to the street like I can.
1:06
The very first thing you should do is download an app called PlugShare and this will show you all the chargers in your area.
1:13
You'll see that there are lots and lots of chargers in this area, which is probably surprising to many people.
1:18
Green are 22-kilowatt chargers like the one behind me or AC charges.
1:24
Orange is DC chargers, so fast chargers and then the brown ones are private charges within probably apartment buildings, we’ll tap on this one.
1:33
It's at 22 Carillion Ave.
1:36
It's rated 10 on PlugShare, so people like it.
1:39
It's an EVX charger, so a 22-kilowatt pole charger, and you can see exactly how much it costs to use.
1:46
During the daytime it's $0.50 a kWh and off peak after 8:00PM, it's $0.39 a kWh.
1:52
If you tap on the DC charger, So this one, for example, this is a South Everly Ampol charger.
1:59
We've got 6 chargers there.
2:01
There are 150-kilowatt DC chargers all in this area, so this is $0.75 a kWh.
2:08
And you can even see that five of six of them are available.
2:10
So one person is using one of those charges right now.
2:13
So you can even see availability.
2:15
And if you scroll down, you can see things like when they're open, what amenities are there, are there restrooms, is there food?
2:23
So this app really tells you everything you need to know.
2:26
And a lot of these charges are at places that you spend time.
2:29
They're called destination charges.
2:31
So maybe you can go to the gym or you can do your grocery shop, do something else while you charge.
2:37
And that is how you get away with having an electric car without having a driveway.
2:44
So an option for someone who can't charge at home is to actually run a cable from your home out to the car on the street.
2:49
Inner West Council, where I live, they do allow this.
2:52
It's a trial for now.
2:53
In the UK.
2:54
They're actually cutting gullies into the footpath and it has a lid and it's not a trip hazard and people have that option to charge from home.
3:00
I have no say on whether I can get that parking spot out the front.
3:03
It's just luck and I have a type 2 charger here which I plug in.
3:09
When I take it outside.
3:11
I'm going to have to put cable cover over it.
3:14
You need to have public liability and you need to display your footpath license which is free and given to you by Inner West Council. Plug in like this.
3:23
Now we're going to go put the cable cover on.
3:27
This is obviously a trial, so it's not perfect in that you don't really want people having cable covers at the front of their house, but permanent gully charging is a fantastic permanent safe solution.
3:38
You don't lose on street parking.
3:40
If you want to be able to run a cable out and charge your car, lobby your council to do so.
3:44
It's being rolled out in the UK and I think we need this in inner suburbs in Australia in particular.
3:51
Let's go see some more solutions.
3:55
So for this kind of charger, you have to BYO your own cable.
4:00
This is a type 2 to type 2 charger.
4:04
When you plug it in, this is locked, so no one can steal your cable.
4:08
The reason you might want to think about where your charge port is positioned is that some cars have them on the rear of the car.
4:14
So in situations like this, that's going to mean you can have a shorter cord.
4:18
But on my car, it's a little bit further away.
4:22
It’s why you want 7 metres.
4:28
Let's get charging. A 22-kilowatt charger like this on a pole, it's about $0.38 a kWh.
4:34
It's one of the cheapest public charges you can use.
4:37
Depending on the charging speed of your vehicle, you could add anywhere from 40 kilometres to 120 kilometres in just one hour.
4:46
So these little babies are excellent.
4:48
I love them.
4:49
Open the app, select your charger.
4:52
I have my fantastic RFID card on my keys.
4:56
All I have to do is tap to the start charging.
5:03
Something I do want to talk about is the unfortunate inherent inequity of EV charging.
5:08
We are all equal at the petrol bowser, but that is not the case, unfortunately with EV charging.
5:13
If you can charge at home, you can charge for free from your solar or just a couple of bucks.
5:18
But if you don't have a driveway, you're going to be paying a lot more.
5:21
So yes, we do have pole charges that are probably about $20 to fill up.
5:25
If you're using DC chargers, you could be paying anywhere up to $50.00, but it's still cheaper than petrol.
5:33
The more public charges we can have that are affordable for people, the better.
5:40
So this is a 50-kilowatt DC charger.
5:43
These are technically slow now.
5:45
These are one of the first charges to go in.
5:47
If you were charging on one of these, it would maybe take around 45-50 minutes.
5:52
This one's about $0.60 a kilowatt.
5:54
We're at a service station.
5:56
There's not much shade.
5:57
You can certainly charge at other places that have more amenities.
6:01
Think of it like a petrol bowser for electric cars.
6:04
It always has that cable built in, but it's more expensive.
6:09
But it's much quicker.
6:10
Probably about 45-50 minutes and you'd be on your way.
6:14
But there are much faster chargers than this.
6:16
Tesla Superchargers, for example are nearly a dollar at peak time.
6:20
It's still cheaper than petrol though.
6:25
All right, let's break down the three key things that will make your EV journey way easier.
6:30
Even if you park on the street.
6:32
You can buy an EV even if you don't have off-street parking.
6:36
It just takes some planning.
6:38
Start by checking out PlugShare.
6:39
You can look online or download the app to see what chargers are in your area.
6:43
Lobby your council or strata to install more chargers or allow you to run a cable out to the street and utilise AC and DC public chargers to charge while you do something else.
6:55
Remember, you can make charging part of your everyday routine.
6:59
See you next time.
7:01
Don't forget to check out our other videos in this How to Electrify series to help you on your journey.
7:07
If you'd like more information or handy resources on electrification, visit goodenergy.ausgrid.com.au.
Welcome to How to Electrify Your Car and charge when you don't have off-street parking.
0:05
I'll be sharing what I've learned from my electrification journey to help make yours simpler and easier.
0:17
One of the biggest myths about electric vehicles is that you need a driveway or garage to own one.
0:23
This simply isn't true.
0:24
The reality is thousands of people are already owning and charging EVs without off-street parking and doing it successfully.
0:31
I'm one of those people.
0:33
In this episode we're focusing on one of the most important and often overlooked topics, how to own and charge an EV if you don't have off street parking.
0:42
70% of the Australian population can charge at home, but for us 30% we've got to talk about it.
0:47
I've been testing EVs for over 2 years now and recently became a proud owner of the Kia EV3.
0:53
I don't have off street parking so I'm keen to share with you what I do and talk through what options might be available for you. If you can't charge at home or run a cable out to the street like I can.
1:06
The very first thing you should do is download an app called PlugShare and this will show you all the chargers in your area.
1:13
You'll see that there are lots and lots of chargers in this area, which is probably surprising to many people.
1:18
Green are 22-kilowatt chargers like the one behind me or AC charges.
1:24
Orange is DC chargers, so fast chargers and then the brown ones are private charges within probably apartment buildings, we’ll tap on this one.
1:33
It's at 22 Carillion Ave.
1:36
It's rated 10 on PlugShare, so people like it.
1:39
It's an EVX charger, so a 22-kilowatt pole charger, and you can see exactly how much it costs to use.
1:46
During the daytime it's $0.50 a kWh and off peak after 8:00PM, it's $0.39 a kWh.
1:52
If you tap on the DC charger, So this one, for example, this is a South Everly Ampol charger.
1:59
We've got 6 chargers there.
2:01
There are 150-kilowatt DC chargers all in this area, so this is $0.75 a kWh.
2:08
And you can even see that five of six of them are available.
2:10
So one person is using one of those charges right now.
2:13
So you can even see availability.
2:15
And if you scroll down, you can see things like when they're open, what amenities are there, are there restrooms, is there food?
2:23
So this app really tells you everything you need to know.
2:26
And a lot of these charges are at places that you spend time.
2:29
They're called destination charges.
2:31
So maybe you can go to the gym or you can do your grocery shop, do something else while you charge.
2:37
And that is how you get away with having an electric car without having a driveway.
2:44
So an option for someone who can't charge at home is to actually run a cable from your home out to the car on the street.
2:49
Inner West Council, where I live, they do allow this.
2:52
It's a trial for now.
2:53
In the UK.
2:54
They're actually cutting gullies into the footpath and it has a lid and it's not a trip hazard and people have that option to charge from home.
3:00
I have no say on whether I can get that parking spot out the front.
3:03
It's just luck and I have a type 2 charger here which I plug in.
3:09
When I take it outside.
3:11
I'm going to have to put cable cover over it.
3:14
You need to have public liability and you need to display your footpath license which is free and given to you by Inner West Council. Plug in like this.
3:23
Now we're going to go put the cable cover on.
3:27
This is obviously a trial, so it's not perfect in that you don't really want people having cable covers at the front of their house, but permanent gully charging is a fantastic permanent safe solution.
3:38
You don't lose on street parking.
3:40
If you want to be able to run a cable out and charge your car, lobby your council to do so.
3:44
It's being rolled out in the UK and I think we need this in inner suburbs in Australia in particular.
3:51
Let's go see some more solutions.
3:55
So for this kind of charger, you have to BYO your own cable.
4:00
This is a type 2 to type 2 charger.
4:04
When you plug it in, this is locked, so no one can steal your cable.
4:08
The reason you might want to think about where your charge port is positioned is that some cars have them on the rear of the car.
4:14
So in situations like this, that's going to mean you can have a shorter cord.
4:18
But on my car, it's a little bit further away.
4:22
It’s why you want 7 metres.
4:28
Let's get charging. A 22-kilowatt charger like this on a pole, it's about $0.38 a kWh.
4:34
It's one of the cheapest public charges you can use.
4:37
Depending on the charging speed of your vehicle, you could add anywhere from 40 kilometres to 120 kilometres in just one hour.
4:46
So these little babies are excellent.
4:48
I love them.
4:49
Open the app, select your charger.
4:52
I have my fantastic RFID card on my keys.
4:56
All I have to do is tap to the start charging.
5:03
Something I do want to talk about is the unfortunate inherent inequity of EV charging.
5:08
We are all equal at the petrol bowser, but that is not the case, unfortunately with EV charging.
5:13
If you can charge at home, you can charge for free from your solar or just a couple of bucks.
5:18
But if you don't have a driveway, you're going to be paying a lot more.
5:21
So yes, we do have pole charges that are probably about $20 to fill up.
5:25
If you're using DC chargers, you could be paying anywhere up to $50.00, but it's still cheaper than petrol.
5:33
The more public charges we can have that are affordable for people, the better.
5:40
So this is a 50-kilowatt DC charger.
5:43
These are technically slow now.
5:45
These are one of the first charges to go in.
5:47
If you were charging on one of these, it would maybe take around 45-50 minutes.
5:52
This one's about $0.60 a kilowatt.
5:54
We're at a service station.
5:56
There's not much shade.
5:57
You can certainly charge at other places that have more amenities.
6:01
Think of it like a petrol bowser for electric cars.
6:04
It always has that cable built in, but it's more expensive.
6:09
But it's much quicker.
6:10
Probably about 45-50 minutes and you'd be on your way.
6:14
But there are much faster chargers than this.
6:16
Tesla Superchargers, for example are nearly a dollar at peak time.
6:20
It's still cheaper than petrol though.
6:25
All right, let's break down the three key things that will make your EV journey way easier.
6:30
Even if you park on the street.
6:32
You can buy an EV even if you don't have off-street parking.
6:36
It just takes some planning.
6:38
Start by checking out PlugShare.
6:39
You can look online or download the app to see what chargers are in your area.
6:43
Lobby your council or strata to install more chargers or allow you to run a cable out to the street and utilise AC and DC public chargers to charge while you do something else.
6:55
Remember, you can make charging part of your everyday routine.
6:59
See you next time.
7:01
Don't forget to check out our other videos in this How to Electrify series to help you on your journey.
7:07
If you'd like more information or handy resources on electrification, visit goodenergy.ausgrid.com.au.