I've been tracking every dollar I've spent charging since I got my Model 3 four months ago, mostly because I got annoyed at the number and wanted proof. About $187 a month between public L2 and DC fast charging, more than I ever spent on gas for my old car. I don't have an assigned parking spot at my building. I found out that mattered the week the car showed up, not before.
Before buying, I did the normal research: range, trim, whether the tax credit still applied. I never once walked down to the parking area behind my building and checked whether there was an outlet anywhere near where I'd actually be parking on a given night. There isn't one within reach of any spot that regularly opens up. The one outdoor outlet on the whole property sits on the opposite side of the lot from where the open spots usually are.
If I'd done that walk before signing anything, I would've known exactly what I was getting into instead of finding out through a spreadsheet four months later. Renters can still make this work. Just do the parking-and-outlet math before you sign, not after — after is a far more expensive place to learn it.
