Electric vehicles

[Laurie159]

I have a German couple staying and they have hired an electric vehicle.  They asked me if they could plug it in and told me that it would only cost about $3 a charge.  However I looked it up on the internet and it said that if you use a domestic socket to charge it will take 10 to 18 hours and cost approximately $10 per charge.  Has anyone had first hand experience of what the actual cost is?  I said no to them, that I was uncomfortable with it.  I said that if they did I would charge $10 a charge.  They were not impressed.  Seemed to think that I should cover the cost.

[Ria16]

@Laurie159  wow we are certainly moving forward 😉 I didn’t realise there were electric cars for hire yet here in Aotearoa.

Yep I think you did right to quote them the fee and it’s a good warning to have some knowledge around that for future reference, Very cool though. 

i am sure they get issued with a list of all the local charging centres. https://charge.net.nz/map/

[David126]

I have a couple of 5 Gallon Petrol/Gas cans, wonder if I am supposed to supply those free.

Depends on your price of electricity and how much the batteries would take which no doubt depends on how drained they are and the particlar vehicle.

$10 sounds more likey.

[Julian-and-Frances0]

@Laurie159 @David126 @Ria16

Hi,

we have people here now with their EV plugged in. I checked the car and it has a 22KwH battery, so at our rate of nearly 30 cents per KwH, that is $6.60 per 'fill up' - no asking if they could charge off our power in our case though 😞 . They are here for 35 days so it will add up as it seems to be plugged in most days. I have asked/suggested to AirBNB that they add a KwH charge tab to the pricing options.

Like David, I was also thinking it would be the equivalent of going into the shed and taking our petrol can and just filling their car up. I think it might be worth looking at putting in an outside socket with a KwH meter on it and then we could charge exactly to use. Here is another map that has some local charging stations that weren't on the other map https://www.plugshare.com/ 

[Ria16]

I feel I’m missing out, I haven’t had any cars coming through yet! 😉 

[David126]

I do not have any guest accesable exterior outlets so not an issue for me. Slightly intrigued how they are doing it. Envisageing an extension cord out of the bedroom window.

In the US we have lower voltage, 120v where I am, 110v normally so a 20 amp socket would take about 14 hours to recharge, and this is a smaller battery.

[Julian-and-Frances0]

yes extension cord through a window, and plugged in for 15 hours+ from what we saw.

[David126]

Ohh, I so would not have let that happen.

[Joe629]

We just had this issue come up when one of our guests showed up with a Tesla.  They came early and met my wife as she was finishing cleaning, so he asked if he could plug in his car to the outlet next to the driveway (put it there for gardening tools).  He caught my wife off guard, so she said yes without putting too much thought into it.  He even told her that he usually doesn't even ask.  When she told me, I had the same feeling about giving people with gasoline engines free gas for their cars.  I have no idea how much it will cost for him to "top off" his car for the next two days, but it certainly will be an added expense for us.   I believe it would be totally fair to add at least 10.00 per night for charging electric vehicles....just don't know how to go about doing that and how I would even know if they had one.  Any thoughts?  

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

great! another cost for hosts.

[Andy-and-Ines0]

I think it's totally reasonable to pass on the charge unless you listed 'free EV charging' to your listing. $10 is nothing to fill up a car. They're German - you can be totally direct with them. Be willing to show the difference in the price of their electricity use as beyond the norm and pass it on through the resolution centre. Deal with all money through Airbnb - don't do cash in hand.

As hosts - I guess it's our responsibility to host people well, some of that is helping guests to set expectations of their time in our homes/places. The Germans may well be basing their assessment of costs on European electricity prices rather than NZ ones...

[Ria16]

@Andy-and-Ines0 @Laurie159@David126  @Julian-and-Frances0 I see you can now list EV plug as an aminity or has it been there a while. 

[Andy-and-Ines0]

sorry, just reading the date on your post Laurie - way too late! 🙂

[Ashley356]

I have been driving EVs since 2010, so I know the problem well concerning top-up charging at accommodation sites. I am also Airbnb host, but when travelling use Booking.com because they have Facilities Filter for EV charging. Host sites that offer and publicise EV charging benefit from higher demand and therefore higher occupancy, so usually provide EV charging for free. However, I acknowledge the right of accommodation providers to charge a fair and proportionate amount for EV charging, just as some do for using air-conditioning, which can also consume a lot of electricity. However, I do object to being ripped-off on occasions where I have been charged more than 10 times more than the value of electricity consumed. Due to EV Charging Filter option on Booking.com, I recommend using them for travelling and Airbnb for hosting.

[Jennifer409]

Our Airbnb in NH isn’t equipped with a charging station, our guest used a kit and plugged it into an extension cord. Found out that you can go online to see were the nearest charging station is.  There is one  5-6 miles up the road and they charged $10 per usage. Installing a station can run anywhere from $500-$800.  We are waiitong to see what our electricity bill ends up being to determine exact price.