Which EV charger to install?

[Joshua1354]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask, if not i would appreciated you pointing me in the right direction. I'm going to be adding Ev chargers to my properties. What  i would like to know is if there are some that are better than others that make it easy for clients to use, and also how do i go about charging for usage. If there is any insight for this, it would be much appreciated. thanks in advance!

[Rebecca]

Hi @Joshua1354 👋

I think this is a great place to ask your question about EV chargers. We actually had a topic come up in our Festival of Sustainability about EV chargers: ⚡ EV Charging at Your Airbnb: What Guests Want & What Hosts Need to Know 

I think that some of the hosts would enjoy sharing their opinions and advice here: @Felicity11, @Pascal1252 and @Kelly333, can you offer @Joshua1354 any support with EV charging in your homes?  

[Pascal1252]

There are a few levels of chargers out there:

Level 1: basically plugging the car into a 110V outlet, which takes an overnight charge to top off an EV.
Level 2: dedicated charger on a 240V line, requires installation by a licensed electrician, and is what Airbnb is partnering with Charge Point on (https://str.li/Charge-Point-Airbnb)
Level 3: commercial super charger

We have Level 2 chargers on our properties. 

We charge a flat nightly rate. Charge Point's app allows you to measure the electricity used to charge your vehicle. Go to your local utility bill and see what your price for a kilowatt hour is, and you can figure out what to charge your EV Guests (don't forget to factor in the cost of the charger and installation). 

All that being said, we have not had a single guest use our EV chargers during their stay, although the cost of charging at our properties is about half of what it would cost to charge at a public charging station. We host in Miami, and there are tons of EVs here, so it's not like there is no market for this amenity where we host. 

[Felicity11]

Hi @Joshua1354 

What a great post and as @Pascal1252  has said when it comes to charging guests to charge there EV the cost to you will depend on what type of charging you offer. Is it level 1 - slow trickle charge, or is it a faster level 2 option?  

You may also find that by simply showing you have an EV charger, you attract guests to stay with you over others, and the cost premium for this may offset the cost to charge the car, and then there is no need to pass on the cost to a guest. 

What ever option you go with a couple of suggestions I have are

1. Select the EV charging ammenity in your listing
2. Add photos of the charger and the charging space to show guests how close they are able to park to the charger. 
3. Let guests know if they need to bring there own charging cable or if you provide one. Add this detail to the caption under the photo and to your listing description and confirmation letter.
4. Let guests know what speed you are offering - level 1 or 2. Add this detail to the caption under the photo and to your listing description and confirmation letter.
5. Let guests know if there is a charge to use the charger.  Add this detail to the caption under the photo and to your listing description and confirmation letter.
6. If you add a level 2 charger to yoru home do consider adding this to the plug share app so ev drivers can find you and book to stay with you. 

[Joshua1354]

Thanks for your insight on this i didn't know you couldn't collect money outside of Airbnb because there has been many times i was charged for electricity usage in central America.

[Rebecca]

Just stopping by again to tag @Felicity11 so they get a notification of your reply! 

Quick tip: if you type "@" and then the username, this will tag the member that you're replying to. 

[Felicity11]

hi @Joshua1354 

This is not a problem that is unique to Airbnb. Many accomodation operators want to offer EV charging. Some include the cost in the nightly rate others pass it on. Also we see many tourism operators now realising that offering EV charging is a way to attract EV drivers to come and spend money with them and many pass the cost of charging on to the user. Many EV chargers these days come with chargeback functions to make it easy for the user to pay for this service. 

[Emerita9]

I want superhost to my airbnb

[Guy991]

Hello @Joshua1354  ,

I really don’t know how to do it right without losing money or crossing Airbnb terms.

Let’s start from the basics. It is against Airbnb rules to collect money outside of the Resolution Center. Here it is:

Hosts are not permitted to collect any fees related to Airbnb reservations outside of our platform, unless expressly authorized by us. Hotels may also collect payment off of the Airbnb platform for optional fees where it is in the course of normal business practices (for example, parking). Other hosts must collect payment for optional fees using the Resolution Center.

So basically, when you use one of these companies that provides a charger, collects money from the guest, takes a fee, and then returns the remainder, it sounds to me like crossing Airbnb rules. If a guest wants to take revenge, all they need to do is report that you asked for payment outside the system, and Airbnb’s AI system will suspend your listing. Good luck with that.

The other option is to provide it for free. That’s a great idea, but it means you lose money.

Adding it as a premium in the nightly cost is also a great idea, but then your pricing will be too high for guests with no EV. You might attract guests who are happy to pay more for the convenience of an EV charger, but at the same time you’ll lose guests with no EV because the price will seem too high.

Another option is to ask for a flat rate. If a guest arrives with an EV and uses the charger, you collect a payment. But Airbnb is not designed for upsells. How will you monitor it? You’ll ask the guest to pay for charging, and they’ll simply say they didn’t use it at all, even if they did. Call their bluff and then deal with the 1-star review afterwards. Good luck with that too.

@Rebecca If Airbnb really wanted to promote this, they should explicitly add in the rules that collecting money outside the system for electricity is allowed. I would be the first to install four stations in my parking area. Providing it for free is out of the question, just as I don’t offer breakfast or gasoline for other vehicles.

@Joshua1354 So my only suggestion to you is to make sure you don’t cross Airbnb rules and to think carefully about how to collect money without jeopardizing your listing.

If you do decide to install it, please share your experience. It would be amazing to learn from it.

[Anika191]

@Joshua1354 

Hi Joshua,

What a great idea.  As someone who recently bought an EV and installed a charger in our garage, may I suggest that you look into any rebates offered by your city or electricity provider?  That may help inform your decision.

In our location, the City offers $500 rebate, but only on 5 brands of chargers.  It's worth looking into.  

Various manufacturers also offer apartment or multi-family chargers, with the ability to charge the user.  It's likely a higher upfront cost, but your guests would pay for on-site charging, and it would all be outside of the Airbnb app. 

A Level 2 charger is what you are looking for.  It allows for overnight charging on 240 v. 

[Basha0]

I installed ChargePoint level

2 and offers an amenity. Not worth charging guests in my opinion. 
it seems that most guests fly in and rent cars that aren’t an EV. So I haven’t had that many guests actually use it