Installing an EV charger in a single-family garage is a half-day job. Installing EV charging in a condo building, townhome association, or apartment property in Mount Prospect or Schaumburg is a project — with a board, a budget, a utility, and a metering problem attached.
This guide covers how multi-unit EV charging actually gets built in the northwest suburbs: the four ownership models, what each costs, how billing works, and the mistakes that turn a $20,000 project into a $90,000 one.
Why This Is Harder Than a House
Three reasons, and they compound:
- Capacity. A 1970s Mount Prospect condo building has a house panel sized for lights, elevators, and laundry. It was never sized for twenty 40-amp loads.
- Metering. Whoever’s meter the charger sits on pays for the electricity. In a shared building, that’s a fairness problem the board has to solve before anything gets installed.
- Ownership of the parking space. Deeded space, assigned space, and open parking each demand a different design.
The Four Models
Model 1: Individual charger on the owner’s unit meter
A dedicated circuit is run from the resident’s own panel to their deeded space. Simplest billing — the resident pays for their own power on their own bill, no reconciliation.
Best for: Townhome associations, and condo buildings where units have individual panels and the parking is deeded and close.
Cost: $1,800 – $6,500 per space, driven almost entirely by conduit distance and whether the owner’s panel has capacity.
Model 2: Shared chargers on the association meter, with usage billing
The association installs two to six networked Level 2 chargers in common parking, on the house meter. Networked software (ChargePoint, Enel X, EvGateway and similar) charges drivers by kWh or by hour and remits revenue to the association.
Best for: Buildings with open or assigned-but-not-deeded parking.
Cost: $6,000 – $14,000 per networked port installed, plus $200–$400/year per port in network subscription.
Model 3: Sub-metered dedicated circuits
Each participating owner gets a dedicated circuit from a common feeder, with a revenue-grade submeter. The association bills back monthly.
Best for: Larger buildings phasing in demand over years.
Cost: $3,500 – $8,000 per space, plus billing administration.
Model 4: EV-ready infrastructure now, chargers later
The association installs the hard part — service capacity, conduit, raceway, panel space — and each owner pays for their own charger and final circuit when they buy an EV.
Best for: Almost every association that isn’t ready to fund full deployment. This is the recommendation we give most often.
Cost: $700 – $2,200 per future space for infrastructure; $1,200 – $2,500 later per activated space.
Costs at a Glance
| Scope | Typical Cost |
|---|---|
| Electrical capacity study / load assessment | $750 – $2,500 |
| New house panel or sub-panel for EV loads | $4,500 – $16,000 |
| Service upgrade (ComEd transformer involved) | $15,000 – $60,000+ |
| Trenching / core drilling for garage runs | $45 – $120 per foot |
| Level 2 charger, non-networked | $450 – $900 hardware |
| Level 2 charger, networked | $1,100 – $2,600 hardware |
| Load management system (whole-building) | $3,000 – $12,000 |
Load Management: The Feature That Saves the Budget
The single biggest cost driver in multi-unit EV charging is the service upgrade. If your building needs a new ComEd service or transformer, the project can double.
Automatic load management (ALM) lets a group of chargers share a fixed amount of capacity. Instead of ten 40-amp circuits requiring 400 amps, ten managed chargers can share 100 amps — everyone charges overnight, just at a shared rate. Since most residents drive 30–40 miles a day and park for ten hours, nobody notices.
We spec ALM on nearly every association project. It routinely turns a “you need a service upgrade” answer into “your existing service is fine.”
Illinois and ComEd Programs Worth Checking
- ComEd EV rebate programs for residential and multi-family charging have offered meaningful per-port incentives in recent program years, with higher amounts for multi-family and equity-eligible areas. Program funds are annual and run out — confirm current-year availability and terms directly with ComEd before budgeting around them.
- Illinois EV-ready requirements increasingly apply to new construction and major parking renovations; check with the village before assuming an existing lot is grandfathered.
- Federal 30C credit may apply to charging property in eligible census tracts — a tax question for the association’s accountant, not for us.
We’ll document equipment and costs in a format that supports rebate applications; we don’t promise incentive amounts, because the programs change annually.
Mount Prospect & Schaumburg Permitting Notes
- Every EV circuit requires a permit and inspection. Non-negotiable.
- Garage installations in enclosed parking structures may trigger ventilation and fire-protection review.
- Conduit must be surface-mounted or core-drilled to code in concrete decks; expect the inspector to look at support spacing and expansion fittings.
- Outdoor pedestal installations need proper GFCI protection, bollard protection, and frost-depth footings — cheap pedestal mounts fail after two Chicago winters.
The Association Process, in Order
- Load assessment first. Before the board debates models, find out how much spare capacity exists. Everything else follows from that number.
- Amend the rules. Most declarations are silent on EV charging. The board needs a written policy: who can install, who pays, insurance requirements, what happens when the unit sells.
- Pick the ownership model based on parking type and capacity.
- Design and bid with load management included as a line item.
- Phase it. Install infrastructure for the whole building; activate ports as demand arrives.
Boards that skip step 1 and step 2 end up with a resident who installed a charger on the common meter and a two-year dispute about it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a single owner install a charger without board approval?
Generally no in a condominium — common elements and common power are involved. Some declarations and Illinois law provide pathways for owner-funded installation in deeded spaces, subject to reasonable board conditions. Get it in writing before spending money.
How much power does an EV charger actually use?
A typical Level 2 charger draws 32–48 amps at 240V (7.7–11.5 kW) but only while actively charging. Most residential EVs need 8–15 kWh per day — roughly two to three hours of Level 2 charging, not ten.
Do we need DC fast charging?
Almost never in a residential building. DC fast chargers cost $50,000–$150,000+ installed and require service capacity most associations don’t have. Residents park overnight; Level 2 is the right tool.
What about NEMA 14-50 outlets instead of hardwired chargers?
Cheaper, but in shared parking we don’t recommend them — no access control, no usage tracking, and higher failure rates from repeated plug cycling. Hardwired networked units in common areas, outlets only for private deeded spaces.
How long does a building project take?
Assessment and design 2–4 weeks; board approval is whatever your board’s meeting cycle is; permitting 2–4 weeks; installation 1–3 weeks for a typical 4–8 port deployment. Service upgrades add months.
Start With the Load Assessment
MMDS does electrical service, panel, and EV work in-house across Mount Prospect, Schaumburg, and the surrounding northwest suburbs — for single-family homes and for associations. The first step is always the same: find out what your building’s existing service can support. Often it’s more than the board fears.
Call (847) 221-6280 or request a site assessment. See our electrical services and circuits & wiring pages for related work. Homeowner installations can be financed through Sunbit and PowerPay.