Australia’s shift to electric vehicles is accelerating, but for the millions of Australians living in strata apartments and townhouses, buying an EV involves more than choosing a make and model.
Switching cars can mean getting neighbours on board and upgrading infrastructure before plugging in.
From owners’ corporation approvals to building readiness, strata communities face unique challenges with EV ownership. Experts advise strata-dwellers to do their research before jumping into the driver’s seat.
Seeking approval
Since 2024, the National Construction Code has required new residential buildings to include provisions for EV charging. While many new developments now offer individual or shared chargers, older complexes often require significant upgrades.
Depending on the state or territory, installing personal or communal EV chargers in a strata-titled building usually requires approval from the owners’ corporation because the work affects common property or shared electrical infrastructure.
“It falls into three categories: backboning a carpark so everyone has a power point or charger in their own space, communal chargers that people tap and pay for, or an exclusive-use charger in a resident’s car space fed from the electrical room and attached to their meter,” said Ben Cabello, founder and director of Strata Embassy.
Strata communities often have different rules for installing EV chargers.
He said the building type, its age, address and owner demographic can all determine how likely approval might be.
“When buildings are faced with other remedial repairs, which many older buildings are, this sort of issue gets pushed down the agenda,” Cabello said, adding that he personally got approval in his period apartment building for an EV charger attached to his unit meter.
“I packaged it up with all the relevant information for the owners’ corporation, I got a bylaw done, and it was relatively painless.”
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Apartment unit block used by the welfare and housing government agencies to house the needy and less fortunate in society shot against the blue sky of a sunny day.
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Giving owners as many answers as possible will help fast-track the approval process, he said.
“People want to know; Will there be any adverse effects to the building? Will they have to pay any costs? Does it effect on the electrical load of the building?” he said.
“The issue of EV charging in a basement car park, is something people still can’t get their heads around. They think it will automatically effect their insurance premium, but it’s not the case.”
Is the building up to speed?
Getting permission isn’t the only hurdle to getting personal or public EV chargers in apartment blocks. To get EV-ready, the complex might need upgraded switchboards, which could be an expensive exercise according to Cabello.
“With older stock, the trouble you run into is the main electricity board cannot support charging for the number of apartments. Sometimes, there’s barely enough load coming in for the airconditioners, dryers and induction cooking we have these days. Then there are other challenges with boards containing asbestos or other things preventing an upgrade,” he explained.
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Installing a charger is not always straightforward in some apartment parking garages.
“In one case last year, a committee was successful in getting a $80,000 state grant for works, but the feasibility study revealed the upgrade cost to the board itself was in the $100,000s, which was prohibitive. The owners had to cancel the grant and give the money back.”
Aman Gaur, head of legal, policy and advocacy at the Electric Vehicle Council, said adapting existing buildings can be challenging, but not impossible.
“Brownfields have historically been an issue, but there are several companies now working on ways to allow people who are in apartments to access the same low-cost charging solutions millions of Australians use at their home,” he said.
The kerbside solution
If a building isn’t EV-ready, or an owner or tenant is waiting for the necessary approvals, Gaur said there are plenty of options to charge up across Australia.
“The benefits of driving electrical aren’t just for the people who have off-street parking or garages at home. Driving an EV is still definitely cheaper than petrol, even if you’re using public charging infrastructure. Roughly, electricity is four times cheaper than petrol. And if you’re driving a diesel car, then it’s probably six or seven times cheaper,” he said.
“So, even if you don’t have access to the cheapest form of charging, which is trickle charging at home, you’re still going to be saving money compared to filling up your car at the pump.”
NSW Government has committed $2.8 million for more than 500 new kerbside chargers, while the Australian Renewable Energy Agency has pledged $2.4 million to rollout of 250 pole-mounted chargers across NSW, Victoria and South Australia.
“There’s so much public charging infrastructure becoming available. Don’t be deterred by not having the ability to charge at home.”
Rules playing catch up
With more than 157,000 battery electric and plug-in hybrid EVs sold in Australia last year, there was a 38 per cent uptake on 2024. This rapid increase in EV ownership – coupled with approximately two million Australians now living in strata-titled homes – governments are becoming more motivated to remove barriers for apartment residents.
Chinese government subsidies have brought down EV prices, making them more appealing for Aussie customers. Picture: Getty
To help strata homeowners get EV ready, energy.gov.au has state and territory-specific guides for owners’ corporations. Additionally, residents and tenants have information on how to seek approval from their owners’ corporation.
Ultimately, Cabello said owners’ corporations should look to this technology as a long-term investment.
“I can see this going the way of older technologies that eventually became standard, like when buildings advertised they were Foxtel-ready. EV ready is becoming a selling point that should have a check box on property portals for buyers to look out for. I don’t know why it isn’t already.”
Charging into the future
– Approximately 2 million Australians live in strata-titled properties, data from the latest Australian Strata Insights Report reveals
– Electric vehicles accounted for 13.1 per cent of all new vehicle sales in 2025, up 9.6 per cent over 12 months according to the Electric Vehicle Council.
– Industry estimates from energy.gov.au suggest around 70 to 80 per cent of EV charging takes place at home
– Australia increased its public EV charging network by at least 20 per cent in 2025, with new ultra-rapid chargers to support long-distance travel
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