Ottawa condo owner’s electric car loses power with board

Purchasing an electric car like the Chevy Volt is a great way to save on gas — but only if you've got somewhere to charge it.

Mike Nemat, an Ottawa condominium owner, has been told by his condo board that he can't charge his electric car in the outlet provided near his parking spot. CBC interviewed Nemat about his predicament:

The board's argument against is that they shouldn't have to pay for Nemat's electricity for the Volt, since they don't pay to fuel everyone else's cars. Despite Nemat's offer to pay for the electricity his car uses to charge (which is about $1 per night), the board says he would need to install an individual meter to track his power usage, the CBC reports. That meter would cost Nemat $3,000.

"This isn't some evil electric car that consumes a ton of electricity," said Nemat to the CBC. "It's just a drop in the pond compared to what the whole building pays."

Nemat doesn't have many options to charge his car elsewhere, either. Openfile Ottawa reports that charging stations aren't readily available throughout the city, and businesses will have to take the lead in installing places for electric cars to power up. Some hotel chains like Fairmont and Starwood have installed charging stations at some of their locations across Canada, but none have made it to any of their Ottawa properties.