I'm thinking about getting a BMW i4 and wondering if it's worth installing my own wallbox. I'm renting in an older apartment building in Baden-Württemberg. Are there any subsidies from the state or federal government, and does my landlord have to approve it? What should I clarify with an electrician beforehand?
The Wallbox itself costs between 500 and 1,500 euros depending on the model, and installation by an electrician adds another 1,000 to 2,500 euros - heavily dependent on how far away your meter is and whether the existing electrical system is sufficient. With your landlord, you definitely need written permission, that's not optional, and honestly the bigger hurdle than the costs themselves. Good news: there's KfW funding (programs 441/442) with up to 900 euros in subsidies per Wallbox, and Baden-Württemberg sometimes adds a bit more on top - check out the L-Bank.
Before you get a quote from the electrician, you should clarify: what's your house connection rated at (usually 3x16A or 3x32A), do you need a new line to the parking space, and can the meter even handle a higher load or does the grid operator need to get involved. If your landlord agrees, he usually demands that you split the costs or that the box gets removed when you move out - that should be settled beforehand.
Have you already talked to your landlord about whether a wallbox is even possible? That's actually the first hurdle because he has to approve it - with rental apartments that's not straightforward. The costs for materials and installation are roughly between 800 and 2500 euros, depending on the effort involved and whether your house's electrical infrastructure is adequately sized. There are subsidies from KfW (up to 900 euros per charging point), but you only get them if you apply for the wallbox before installation - after that there's no money available. You should clarify with the electrician beforehand how your current power supply looks, whether a new main connection is needed, and what charging capacity makes technical sense for you (11 or 22 kW make a big difference in price).
What's the state of your electrical system like - do you know if it's still running on 230V or if you already have 400V available? That's crucial because a proper wallbox with 11 or 22 kW usually needs three-phase power, and if you don't have that, things get expensive or complicated fast. As for costs: the wallbox itself runs 500 - 1,500 euros, but the really big line item is usually the electrician plus potentially running new cables, and that can easily eat up 2,000 - 3,000 euros. You should definitely ask your landlord beforehand - legally it's hard for him to forbid it if you can remove it again later, but if the electrical system is older, he'll probably want to have a professional take a look before he signs off. One trick a lot of people miss: ask the electrician directly for a full cost estimate site visit with photos (free or cheap), then you can show those to your landlord - that makes the whole thing less speculative for him and you've got clarity before anything gets agreed on.
Don't forget to check with your electricity grid operator first to see if your house connection has the necessary capacity - that's often overlooked and can get expensive if you need to upgrade later. A practical tip: don't just ask your landlord out of the blue, but bring him a concrete quote from an electrician who would handle the installation - then he'll see that you're serious about it and it's not just a vague idea. With the subsidies (KfW, possibly Baden-Württemberg), it depends on whether you buy the i4 yourself or lease it, the conditions are different for those, but generally you'll need written approval from your landlord before you submit your application. So first sort things out with your landlord, then call an electrician to get exact costs on-site - without doing that, you risk ending up paying for everything yourself and not getting any subsidy.
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