I have a question just to see the response. Please only serious responses as I know this topic is fairly divided right now. Here is the question. If STR owners could make money on their EV level 2 charger from their guests but still be cheaper than quick charge stations such as at parking lots of stores, what would your needs or wants be? This would run on a 220v circuit.
There is no money to be made on charging, electricity is cheap. Last night I added 3.7 KWH to top off my car. So less than a dollar. Sure you could overcharge but it would still take forever to pay for the equipment.
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My response is that there are currently about thirty charging stations within about a mile of my rental apartments.
I’m in the hospitality business and not the EV charging business.
It’s a bit like saying that because many guests go out to eat, I should provide a restaurant service.
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That didn’t answer my question but I understand. I don’t think you are comparing apples to apples.
For me, yes I am. My guests want to rent bikes, rent fishing boats, rent paddleboards, go out to dinner, go to the beach, charge their cars …
I am providing their accommodation, none of the other items. I specialise in what I’m good at.
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I can see both points of view as being valid. If one lives where electricity isn’t hugely expensive, it seems easier to just up your nightly rate by a few bucks to cover the guests with EVs instead of adding an extra fee.
“They wouldn’t expect the host to pay for their gasoline, so why should I pay for their EV charging?” also has validity.
And if you live where electricity is really expensive, guests who have EVs should be understanding if there is a fee attached.
My neighbor who also has an str had a guest stay for a month who had a golf cart they were constantly charging. It more than doubled her electric bill, because where we live, although the basic electric rate is quite cheap, if you go over a certain number of KWHs, the rate quadruples (basic rates are cheap because they are govt. subsidized, but heavy consumers don’t get the subsidy).
Anyway my neighbor freaked when she got the bill- it essentially ate a huge chunk out of the profit she was making on the rental. So she talked to the guests, showed them her past electric bills so they could see how much their EV charging upped the normal bill, and they agreed to cover the difference.
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Thank you for your response. I just think that STR owners will have a decision to make in the not too distant future if all the government mandates for EVs hold up.
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Even if there aren’t mandates, more and more people will be opting for EVs when it’s time to get a new vehicle. It might be because of the cost of gas, it might be because of their environmental consciousness, it might be due to the lack of maintainence required (no oil changes, no fuel injectors, etc.) but it is no doubt something hosts should consider how they are going to deal with, sooner rather than later.
Some of us live in mostly fly-in locations- for instance I’ve only had 4 guests in 5 years of hosting who arrived by car, and those were vehicles they rented at the airport, so the EV thing isn’t really an issue for me. But the next time I need to trade in my vehicle, after seeing how pleased friends are with theirs, I’ll opt for an EV.
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When I used to stay in hotels, sometimes I’d arrive somewhere at midnight after 24 hours of travel, too tired to go find a restaurant but still super hungry. But I hated the idea of paying $7 for a small bag of peanuts from the minibar in the hotel room! Even if I could afford it, the idea of paying for peanuts still rankled.
So when I set up my Airbnb, I decided that one of the ways I could make my guests feel welcome and cozy and indulged was by providing a range of treats for my guests that they don’t have to pay for individually. It makes people feel immediately at home – they don’t arrive there and then have to make a decision about whether to pay for some food, or what internet plan to sign up for, or whether to pay for Netflix, and so on. It’s all inclusive.
Of course, their fees are covering all of this. But together it contributes to an overall feeling that it’s a less transactional experience.
I agree with you, EV charging is going to become more and more important. But if I were able to offer it to my guests, I would just fold that cost into the overall price they pay. Some would use it, some wouldn’t, and I’d set my prices so that it would average out for me. (In the same way, some drink the bottle of wine I leave and some don’t, some use the shampoo and some don’t, etc.)
So, in the same way that I don’t have a minibar or ask them to pay for an internet plan or Netflix, I wouldn’t even consider “making money” off my guests with an EV charger. Not because I’m not making money off my guests, because obviously I am. But because my Airbnb is different than hotels because you aren’t constantly being reminded of what you’re paying for this or that amenity. I cannot imagine a situation where it would be worth the trouble of getting them to pay to charge, but even if it were super easy, I still wouldn’t do it, because it would be contrary to the whole experience I’m trying to provide to guests.
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I had someone ask if they could plug into my power for $5 to recharge their car. But the nearest charger is about 20km away. They didn’t use it in the end. I am hoping to buy an EV in the next few months and a battery and fast charger. So I’ll probably advertise that that is available. But part of that is because I want to encourage people to drive their EVs into the country.
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True. I got rid of the cleaning charge as I ask them to clean up when they leave. I tried increasing my base rate to make up but bookings fell off which just proves people are their own worse enemies.
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It’s a little misleading to say electricity is cheap.
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It’s cheap compared to petrol/gas if filling a car.
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