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Brad Poirier is a Cybertruck owner from Las Vegas, Nevada, and says his Homeowners’ Association has banned him from charging his truck in the common area.
According to Brad, the HOA's primary justification for this ban is that charging his Cybertruck in the shared space raises fire concerns.
Brad is still allowed to charge his Cybertruck in his home; unfortunately, the Cybertruck’s size means it’s too big to fit in his garage.
The Cybertruck owner, who says he didn’t like his HOA in the first place, shared his latest frustration on the Tesla Cybertruck group on Facebook.
Here is what he wrote…
“The HOA only reinforces my dislike for them. I parked my Foundation Series Cybertruck at my place and couldn't fit it in the garage. So, I parked in spaces on the edge of the garage and plugged into an outlet on the outside wall of the garage.
I got a call today from HOA telling me my Cybertruck has been reported for charging using a "common area" plug-in and needs to be unplugged due to a "fire concern." I told them my situation, and they said they were "talking to the board" and "understanding my inconvenience."
The last part about understanding his inconvenience might seem like Brad has a chance of sorting things out; however, he says, “The last time, the HOA said “we’re talking to the board,” they fined me for having a flag in my window.”
Finally, Brad concludes his post by asking the Tesla community what he should do, writing…
“Any thoughts on course of action?”
It must be frustrating to get banned from charging your $100,000 vehicle in your own neighborhood, especially when the reason given is that the vehicle is a fire concern.
The recent fires in California may have spooked people, which could explain why his neighbors, after so many months of ownership, finally reported him to the HOA for charging in the common area.
However, after reading through Brad’s situation further, it appears that in addition to the fire concerns, there is an issue with using a common-area plug to charge his Cybertruck practically for free.
All residents pay for electricity in the common area, and by plugging into a shared outlet, it appears that everyone in the community is chipping in to charge Brad’s Cybertruck.
A fellow forum member, Scott Chou, even goes so far as to say that he is stealing power from the community by charging his Cybertruck using a shared outlet.
In response to Brad’s original post complaining about his HOA’s decision, Scott writes…
“You should either move into a house or find a way to use public chargers. The fire concern is stupid, but you can’t argue with fear. It just is what it is. But stealing power from the common area plug is a no-no.”
However, in response, Brad argues that he is not stealing power since he pays almost $300 every month in HOA fees.
Brad writes…
“How is it stealing power when you literally pay for common area usage? I pay for common area usage in my HOA fees. I am paying almost $300 a month, and I am more than paying my fair share for the outlet use.”
Taking Las Vegas’s electricity rate of 15 cents per kilowatt hour, it means that one full charge on a Cybertruck costs about $20.
Assuming Brad drives 1500-2000 miles a month, charging his Cybertruck, which his HOA covers, costs $100- $150 a month.
Naturally, the first thing people suggested was that Brad install an outlet outside his garage and charge his Cybertruck using his own power; however, Brad says that the unique setup of his neighborhood doesn’t allow him to do so.
Brad writes…
“The garages are separated from the residents, and all run side by side.”
Overall, looking at the comments, people seem conflicted between their general dislike for HOAs and a feeling that Brad is trying to get away with charging his Cybertruck for free using the common area plugs.
However, please let me know what you think in the comments. Share your ideas by clicking the “Add new comment” button below. Also, visit our site, torquenews.com/Tesla, regularly for the latest updates.
Image: Screenshot from DragTimes YouTube channel
For more information, check out: I’m Suing Tesla & Selling All My Tesla Stock After My Cybertruck Failed Me at a Critical Moment During the Los Angeles Fires – I’ve Been Trying to Get This Issue Sorted Out for 5 Months
Tinsae Aregay has been following Tesla and the evolution of the EV space daily for several years. He covers everything about Tesla, from the cars to Elon Musk, the energy business, and autonomy. Follow Tinsae on Twitter at @TinsaeAregay for daily Tesla news.
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