Charging at Hotels

[Darmok]

I found this to be an interesting article on the future of charging at Hotels:

http://beta.fool.com/tulipspeculator1/2012/12/27/will-ev-charging-be-next-wi-fi/19708/?source=TheMotleyFool

Hopefully more people asking about charging when reserving a hotel room will lead to earlier adoption by hotels of chargers on site.

 

[harry]

Not only do I ask about charging stations at hotels that I am considering, but for the ones which do not offer them I let them know that they are "out of the running" for our business. For the hotels that do, I leave a printed card at the front desk at check out thanking them for providing the service and underlining that my choice was made based on the availability of the charging station. I also leave the card at restaurants which provide stations. Every little bit of positive feedback is a help at this early stage of infrastructure roll out.

 

[Derek M]

Is there any way that we can get a letter writing campaign started to encourage hotels to install chargers, or at least 240 volt outlets? I would like to take my car on road trips, but plugging it in at a Walgreens does me no good. Charging while on a road trip will take 5 to 10 hours (without superchargers, which are not located at tourist destinations). I want to have the car with me at my hotel to charge overnight. Tesla's superchargers are great for a long stretch of road, but what is problematic is having a place to charge once you arrive at your destination. For example, I see virtually no chargers in South Lake Tahoe, the Monterey penninsula, or even Las Vegas. Marriott has put in a limited number of chargers, and certainly could be encouraged to put in more. Other hotel chains would probably start to install charging stations if they thought there was demand. I think we should point out that our choice of hotel from this point on will be determined by the availability of a place to charge.

 

[mknox]

Here's a tip: Pack one of these in the frunk and look for motels with ground floor laundry facilities. Probably no one would notice if a dryer was unplugged over night :smile:

 

[dj905]

Does anyone have a connection to TripAdvisor.com? We should ask them to start adding EV Charging as an amenity to make it searchable!

Cheers,

David

 

[Doug_G]

Hotel charging is now an absolute requirement for me. If I'm arriving by car, it has to be an EV.

If I'm staying for a couple of days I'm okay with a 110V plug - some hotels have been very helpful with that; the ones that aren't simply do not get my business. I can't go there.

If I'm staying just one night then I need a J1772, end of story. If you don't have one available, then you don't get my business. Just a few days ago I called a hotel to ask if they had a car charging station. They said no, and I said, "Unfortunately I cannot stay at your hotel. Thanks." I booked at another hotel that wasn't quite as conveniently located, but did have a charger.

 

[mknox]

If I'm staying just one night then I need a J1772, end of story.

I think it may be equally important to be able to reserve the charging spot, just as you would a room. It would not be good to show up and find another car using the charger when you need it.

 

[Doug_G]

I think it may be equally important to be able to reserve the charging spot, just as you would a room. It would not be good to show up and find another car using the charger when you need it.

Yeah, I've definitely considered worrying about that. Right now there aren't that many EVs traveling long distances. Eventually it's going to happen, though, and I'm not sure how we'll cope.

I do tell the staff that I need to use the charger when I make my reservation.

 

[Brian H]

Aah, forget the hotels. RV camps and campgrounds have lots of 14-50s! And cabins, etc. Some Tesloons have even rigged Y-connectors to drain 2 14-50s at once, equivalent to a HPHC, 62 mi/hr! :biggrin: