When traveling, do you bother with trying to find hotels with EV charging? Can you depend on them?

[animorph]

On our long interstate trips, about 75% of the time there is a decent hotel near our last stop of the day Supercharger. We can get to it without crossing a street. The other times I just pick a hotel along the route and and take the 20 minute hit from not charging to 100% and skipping the next charger.

I was totally dependent on a hotel charger on a trip to Bryce Canyon. That worked out OK, though I did notice that another car was waiting for me to finish, which happened at about 10 PM. I did try to stay topped off just in case, but we were fine. Not that I would want to depend on that again.

 

[beatle]

I used to depend on them when I bought my first Model S in 2019, but now not so much. EVs are just too popular for one or two L2 chargers to be relied on, even if you can check that they're working via PlugShare.

But sometimes it's not very practical to supercharge. I think of how awful it would have been to only rely on supercharging when I visited Sunset Beach, NC back in 2021. It is such a charging desert that the three L2 stations at the hotel 40 minutes away were a real godsend. I don't think I could have made the trip without them.

 

[FOOLSLFDRVNG]

Each time I am travelling I specifically book hotels with charging. But two out of the three times I have arrived to spots being ICEd, or filled with EVs, or even more infuriating, filled with EVs not plugged in.
I always make sure there is charging around the hotel as a backup.

There’s a J1772 extension cord for sale. I personally don’t travel and stay at hotels enough to justify getting one.

Some hotels requires guests to register vehicles, maybe the hotel staff can help if it gets ICED.

 

[Park2670]

There’s a J1772 extension cord for sale. I personally don’t travel and stay at hotels enough to justify getting one.

Some hotels requires guests to register vehicles, maybe the hotel staff can help if it gets ICED.

I have always wanted to be that guy that blocks somebody in by plugging my car in behind the person blocking the stall. But I also like my car too much to risk it getting damaged by somebody that is upset that I blocked them in.

 

[IronCoffee_Max]

This is my pet peeve. I want to use hotels with destination chargers, but rarely have I ever found it to be usable. One had a 4 hour maximum (like I'm going to wake up at 2am and unplug), most get ICED or have just one or two plugs that are in use. Another required valet parking and the valet just didn't bother plugging it in right.

The few times it has worked, it's been absolutely amazing and I would pick those hotels every time no matter the price because the convenience was so good.

 

[Tronguy]

FWIW: Back in 2019, the SO and I took a trip from NJ down to Savannah, GA, Charleston, SC, and back. At that time SC's around those spots were all on I-95, many miles inland and a pain to get to.

In Savannah, all the public parking garages (and there are a lot of these, mostly underground) had Wall Connectors for Teslas at no charge, except for the parking. If one is staying in town and playing tourist for several days on foot, as we were, parking at these garages is very convenient and cheaper than what the hotels charge. The biggest hassle was having to go back underground and move the car to a non-charging spot so somebody else could get in.

In Charleston, we went on cost, not on whether there was a Destination Connector around. But, as it happened, we Scored. The hotel we stayed at was organized with a ground-floor garage, with the rooms arranged in several stories rectangularly above the outside edge of the garage; kind of like there was a courtyard down below. We asked if they had a Wall Connector and was told, "No". But then they said that there was the occasional 120 VAC outlet on the pillars down there and we could use any that we could find, free of charge.

We found an empty spot right next to a pillar and had the mobile connector up and running shortly. 5 miles of charge an hour isn't much, true, but if one is going to be parked for days those miles add up. We were full up before we left going northbound.

We did stay overnight in some $RANDOM place in North Carolina that had a Supercharger up the street and in Lewes, Delaware, likewise. But that's like saying one has been driving an ICE car and stopped in a town with a gas station.

And that's been generally the case with our driving all over the Eastern half of the U.S. over the past five years: SC may not have been that common when we started doing that, but there was always one handy when one needed to charge. And that is, perhaps, the point.

 

[TheHippo]

PlugShare has a feature to check for Hotel with chargers

Map of Hotels with EV Charging | PlugShare

Looking for Hotels with EV Charging? Use PlugShare's community sourced map of Hotel EV Charging Stations.

www.plugshare.com

I would still contact the hotel to make sure that the information is accurate and the chargers are in working condition.

 

[RTPEV]

There is also the Trip Planner feature of Plugshare that allows you to filter stations along your route with particular amenities, etc.:

 

[gagorp]

I generally try to book hotels with chargers that are in the same city as a supercharger so that if hotel charging doesn't work out for any reason, I don't have to stress about it, and just start the next day at the supercharger. What I don't want to do is to completely count on the hotel charger and create lots of stress about it.

 

[SageBrush]

I generally try to book hotels with chargers that are in the same city as a supercharger so that if hotel charging doesn't work out for any reason, I don't have to stress about it, and just start the next day at the supercharger. What I don't want to do is to completely count on the hotel charger and create lots of stress about it.

Good idea !
My version, which I have taught my wife, is to always have a plan 'B', plan 'C' and plan 'D.'
I'm pretty much covered unless the car decides to leave the battery pack on the side of the road.

 

[SalisburySam]

For me, if I’m spending a night on the road in a hotel I’ll hit a Supercharger nearby at the end of my drive day, charging up to whatever amount I need for the next morning’s first leg with appropriate sloppage to account for Sentry losses. I do take advantage of hotel charging IF installed, IF not blocked, and IF actually working. But I see that scenario as a pleasant surprise rather than a decision factor for staying at that hotel. Rather like traveling in an ICE vehicle…fill up at the end of day to save time in the morning and avoid any water condensation in the tank.

 

[wws]

It is a nice perq, but not essential. It can save a Supercharger stop the next day.

One place I've stayed at a lot has two Clipper Creek charging stations. Free for overnight guests. Unfortunately they've been a victim of their own success. One has been broken for at least the last year, and the other often gets taken before I arrive. Since there is a Supercharger in the same town, it isn't a big deal.

I recently stayed at an inn that had a four Destination and two J1772 charging stations. They charged $10 to use them for the night. Fair enough, as if one arrives at a low SoC, it would cost more to charge at the nearby Supercharger.

I always let the desk clerks know that one of the reasons I stay there is because of the EV charging. And when I stay at a place that doesn't offer EV charging, I recommend they install some stations. BTW, sometimes there are 120V receptacles hidden around the parking lot for the maintenance staff to use. Same in cold climates where there may be receptacles for plugging in block heaters for ICE cars. These are often 20 amp receptacles - so carrying a 5-20 adapter can give some extra miles compared to the 5-15 adapter.

 

[Tesly2000]

You can not rely on hotel L2 chargers, if not ICEd, some EV owners still doesn't have the charging etiquette, like parked but not charging or done charging but it will stay there till the next day.

 

[Tman458]

I workout at a luxury hotel nearby with 4 chargers. maybe once every couple of months do I find one open. I would never depend on it.

 

[David99]

I rarely pick hotels based on availability of a charger. I pick hotels most often for other reasons. If there are chargers, that's great. At this point in time the typical 2 plugs at a hotel are just not enough and either blocked or someone else is using them. I have had that issue a few times. If I travel I pick a hotel near a Supercharger. Betting on a hotel L2 charger is too much of a gamble. If I can't use it, I'm potentially stuck in that place for a long time. For longer stays at hotels I usually don't drive much so I don't need charging right at the hotel necessarily

 

[Mikey321]

It's a great question to ask when planning a road trip with an electric vehicle. When choosing a hotel, it's essential to factor in EVSE charging availability, especially if you are looking for a convenient way to keep your EV charged. Well, I'll help you out.

I usually plan my trip this way:

- Find all the superchargers on my route and hotels with EV charging points with Plugshare.
You can also locate it easily: Tesla Supercharger Map | PlugShare & Map of Hotels with EV Charging | PlugShare

- Also, you can go to Trip advisor, set the filter, and add an EV charging station. (Both Plugshare and Trip Advisor are credible sources)

- Read reviews of other EV owners and also check if there's a parking space (there are many charging stations with paid parking)

- Book your hotel and plan your route accordingly.

Keep in mind that you may find Non-tesla charging from superchargers. Also, add a parking space budget in your vehicle. If you do some RnD, you'll find affordable charging stations as well.

 

[Tesly2000]

With minimal available public charging stations and lack of charging etiquette, ICE is still more convenient for less trouble out of town long distance driving.
Such as this, both L2 charging stations blocked by Tesla and Volt.

 

[OxBrew]

Cousins' Country Inn in The Dalles Oregon has a supercharger in the parking lot. It's a crappy motel, with a crappy "saloon" but it's super convenient.

Cousins' Country Inn · 2114 W 6th St, The Dalles, OR 97058

★★★★☆ · Hotel

maps.app.goo.gl

The Max Hotel downtown Seattle has 2 Tesla L2 chargers, and I've stayed there about 8 times. Parking is $50 and first come, but you can pay for a spot after check in time if you call ahead, and if they have an opening (weekends are pretty full). They'll usually block the spot for you if you reserve it, depends on who you talk to.

Only 1 time was another car in the second spot, and 1 other time the lot was full.

Free beer when you check in.

 

[DelPhonic1]

I always look for charging at a hotel, because waking up to 100% is the best feeling, even better than doing it from home. I check for where chargers are around in case they aren't working or busy. But hotel night charging is the best, especially if the valet maintains the charging. Airport valets that charge are amazing too, as you watch them charging your car on your app, from your departure city.

 

[Olle]

I participated in a conference at JW Mariott in Austin yesterday and one of the main topics on the agenda was EV charging in general, not Tesla charging. Most people I talked to had a Tesla. I think we were around 1000 delegates and the hotel had all of two (2) Tesla connectors. Hilarious when you think about it.

This got my head spinning, so I looked up the stats: Tesla cars comprise 70% of the EV fleet in the US. Additionally, consider that Teslas are generally used for road trips with overnight stays more than others, since rest of fleet contains many LEAFs and other short range EVs and even long range EVs that are constrained by CCS1 for fast charging. This probably means that of the EVs that visit hotels overnight, over 70% are Teslas.

Wall Connector:

• $425
• likely >70% of guests
• almost always works
• generates hotel bookings through Tesla nav and destination website.

J1772 station:

• $1000 or more depending on brand
• <30% of guests
• almost always broken
• does not show in Tesla nav and destination website

With this in mind, why do some hotels install J1772 instead of Tesla (NACS) wall connectors?
Mindblowing when you think about it, or?