Fully-electric cars are just beginning to hit the streets, and their popularity is growing. But as one Northern Virginia man is discovering, being an electric car owner can be complicated.
Ron Ball just bought a brand new Chevy Volt this week and he's really enjoying showing it off.
Ball is a strong proponent of reducing fuel consumption, and wanted to be one of the first in his neighborhood to own an electric car.
But there are some issues. For instance, Ball needs to install a charging station in his condo's parking lot. But the parking spaces there arent reserved, so if another car blocks access to the charger, he's in trouble.
"Part of what I have to do," he said, "is educate my neighbors to not park in this parking spot so I can charge my car."
Working out these issues can be tricky, but Ball said this is the price of being an early adopter of new technology.
"That's what I hope I'm doing, is establishing a precedent that condos and apartment buildings will say, 'This can work,'" he said.
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Ball says, right now, his plan is to send each of his neighbors a bouquet of flowers with a card that kindly asks them to stay out of his parking space.
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