Electric vehicle charging for hotels is still relatively new and there is a lot of information online that can be conflicting and confusing. To help you cut through this we’ve listed the top 10 things you should consider before you get started.
EV Chargers use electricity
Shocking we know! But what we mean here is that your hotel has a specific amount of electrical power available to it. EV chargers, especially when you have multiple chargers, could exceed this. You do not need to do anything about this now but please bear in mind that your electrical supply cannot exceed a certain level without additional power being installed by your supplier.
Charger location
Obviously, you want your chargers to be conveniently placed for guests but consider where your electricity supply is. The further the chargers are from your electricity supply the more costly they will be to install. Not only will you require more cabling but, more importantly you may require groundworks, such as digging up car parking areas, which adds to cost.
Do chargers need to be freestanding and mounted on a post or can they be fitted to a wall? Chargers fitted to walls are generally less prone to damage from vehicles. Also consider where charging cables may run; they should not run across walkways creating trip hazards.
How many chargers?
Consider not only how many you want initially but how many you may want over time. Where will they be needed? This is important because some charging systems are designed to make it easy for you to add more chargers.
How powerful do you NEED your chargers?
7kW chargers will add around 25m of range per hour. For guests charging up overnight this is more than enough charging power. Higher power chargers are available but not all cars can charger faster than 7kW/h and high power chargers come at a higher cost and use up more of your available electricity, limiting the number of chargers you can have.
Ease of use for guests
This is a key consideration. Chargers that are complicated to use mean guests continually coming to reception to ask for help. This is time-consuming and distracting for your staff. Most chargers require guests to download the charger App, registering themselves and their payment options before they can even begin to use the chargers. Other software allows guests simply to scan a QR card and start charging.
Charger Security
Would you only like your chargers to be used by your staff or guests? Charger software can be used to allow this.
Software management
All chargers come with comprehensive software to manage their usage. This includes monitoring, reporting, security and contactless charging. You may not need this initially but future proofing your charging system is vital at this point as some of this this functionality cannot be retrofitted to your chargers.
Wi-fi connection, GSM or ethernet
Chargers all use internet connections to connect to their online management software. Yours will ideally use an ethernet connection (data cable) but if that is not possible they can use GSM or wi-fi. It is a mandatory requirement that your chargers are connected to the internet.
Failure!
Thankfully rare but also not unknown. What happens if you arrive at work one morning and you chargers have stopped working? Whilst equipment is guaranteed for 3 years, damage from users/vehicles or other issues are not. An emergency service call out is always a worthwhile addition to your chargers.
OZEV Grants
All our charging systems are eligible for the OZEV grant scheme of £350 per charging socket. However, as with any charger grant, we do not know how long this will last for. If you are planning a larger number of chargers, it may be prudent to do so sooner rather than later. On just 4 chargers this is £1400 towards the cost of your installation.
EV chargers will have a significant impact on the number of guests using any hotel accommodation and this impact will only increase over the following years. Please get in touch with us to find out more about how we can support your hotel with EV chargers too. or visit our dedicated Hotel page on our website.
If you would like to speak to a friendly and helpful member of our team, ask questions, discuss your EV charger options or would like help with anything related all you have to do is call us on the number below.