As electric vehicle (EV) adoption surges, multifamily property owners face crucial decisions about the most effective way to provide charging for their tenants. At first glance, installing simple smart outlets—often marketed as an easy “bring your own charger” solution—may seem like an affordable entry point. But when you peel back the layers, the hidden costs and pitfalls of relying on smart outlets quickly outweigh their perceived savings.
The biggest misconception about smart outlets for EV charging is that they offer true Level 2 charging speeds. In reality, these outlets typically deliver charging power in the 16–20 amp range, which translates to roughly 3.5–4.5 kW of power. That’s faster than a standard 120-volt household plug (Level 1), but well below what modern EV drivers need.
For example, at Buzze we deploy the Autel MaxiCharger, which delivers up to 12 kW of power—almost three times what a smart outlet can provide. More importantly, our Buzze platform actively manages load balancing across all connected chargers. This ensures that residents can charge their vehicles faster overnight without overloading the property’s electrical capacity or incurring unexpected peak demand costs.
Tenants plugged into smart outlets are stuck with speeds that fall somewhere between Level 1 and Level 2—like being in the slow lane while everyone else is cruising on the expressway. As EV battery sizes increase, these limitations will only further frustrate tenants, driving them to compete for limited charging hours and spaces.
One of the biggest selling points for smart outlets is that they supposedly require less infrastructure than installing dedicated Level 2 chargers. In reality, this is misleading. A properly installed 240-volt outlet still requires upgraded wiring, conduit runs, panels, breakers, and load calculations—just like a Level 2 charging station does.
There’s no shortcut around the fact that moving from a basic household plug to any higher-power EV charging requires significant electrical capacity and professional installation. So if you’re already investing in the backbone infrastructure, why not go the extra mile and provide residents with safe, reliable, fully networked Level 2 chargers that deliver real performance—and don’t depend on whatever portable device they bring from home?
Smart outlets shift the responsibility of purchasing and maintaining the actual charger hardware to your tenants. While this might sound like a hands-off approach for property owners, it introduces real risks. Not all portable EV chargers are created equal—many are low-cost models with minimal safety certifications. Poorly made chargers can overheat, cause electrical faults, or even damage your building’s infrastructure.
Even high-quality chargers can pose problems when improperly installed, misused, or plugged into aging electrical systems. In a multifamily environment, where multiple tenants come and go with their own equipment, the likelihood of user error or incompatible hardware goes up dramatically. And when something goes wrong, who gets the call? Your management team.
Another overlooked cost of relying on smart outlets is the impact on your eligibility for state and utility incentive programs. Many of these programs offer generous rebates for properly networked Level 2 chargers that meet strict installation, metering, and safety requirements. Smart outlets with tenant-owned chargers rarely qualify.
This means your “budget-friendly” approach could actually limit your access to thousands of dollars in rebates, not to mention ongoing incentives tied to energy management and load balancing. Worse yet, you could run afoul of local code updates that increasingly require dedicated, code-compliant Level 2 infrastructure for new or renovated parking areas.
At Buzze, we believe your multifamily EV charging strategy should work for your residents, your infrastructure, and your bottom line. Smart outlets may appear convenient, but the slower charging speeds, hardware risks, misleading infrastructure claims, and lost incentive opportunities make them a costly compromise in the long run.
A professionally installed, networked Level 2 charging system—like our Autel MaxiCharger, managed through the Buzze platform—ensures faster, safer, and more reliable charging for tenants while maximizing your access to incentive funding. It also puts you in control of the equipment quality, maintenance, and user experience—keeping your residents happy and your property value strong for years to come.
Want to see how smart outlets stack up against all your other options? For a deeper dive into planning, incentives, load management, and resident billing, check out our comprehensive guide: Everything You Need to Know About EV Charging for Multifamily Properties
Ready to future-proof your property? Learn more at buzze.biz.