Installing an Electric Vehicle Charger in the listing

[Felicity11]

Guests who drive Electric Vehicles, simply get it. Reward them with built-in Level 2 chargers and welcome these environmentally conscious guests with the right resources

Jennifer: Canada has committed to having a full and vibrant Electric Vehicle Fleet by 2030. To support this achievement, there is a need for significant infrastructure to appear throughout the country. I can support such initiatives as a host by making chargers available in our listing.

Here’s how we can get a Level 2 charger installed there are various companies that support incentives/mapping out local chargers or being a part of the network such as:

• Plugshare 
• ChargeHub

There are also ways I can support my guests by making an outdoor 110v plug available for my guests to charge their cars overnight. Although it is a slower option, it is still a good one. Once I’ve established a way for guests to charge, I can go back to my Airbnb listing and add it as an amenity. It would be important to let the guests know that we can support EV charging. 

Felicity : It sounds like a great idea to be able to help our guests cut their transport emissions when traveling to our country, by helping them travel in an EV. I’ve heard many car hire companies are now increasing their supply of EV’s as the demand grows and the charging networks around the country grow.  In some parts of the world and parts of Australia the infrastructure to support this is simply not in place yet. For many guests traveling to our country, renting an EV can not only be a great way to create less emissions but also save money.

Here are a few highlights of what we think about installing an electric vehicle charger : 

• Electric Vehicle owners already have an understanding for the importance of reducing emissions.
• Guests who support the environment, and drive electric vehicles often are more cognizant of ways to reduce energy consumptions
• Overall, Guests who drive Electric Vehicles would like to have a Level 2 charger that can be used without additional expense to the visit.  

We are also sharing a few tips we came across for our fellow hosts, that we find valuable to consider while making such a decision : 

• Suggest to  guests that if they are thinking of renting a car - what about an EV! 
• If we do not have EV charging at our listing, mention where the closest chargers are and the type of chargers that are available.
• Considering what are the best EV charging apps for guests to use in our country to locate EV charging locations? If we don’t know, we would ask in our Airbnb hosting community group! 
• Mention any local tips about a reliable car rental company or nearby EV Chargers that are free to use
• If you have an EV charger be sure to specify the type of charger and speed.
• Remember to take a photo and add it to your listing photos and add the details to the photo description also add the details of the charger to your listing description.  If you have an EV charger remember to tick the box in the amenities section. 

We would love to know your thoughts on Electric Vehicle chargers and invite you to participate in this discussion : 

1. What are the best EV Charging apps in your country? 
2. Do you offer EV charging at your place?
3. Where else do you promote your EV charging facilities?
4. Do you know of any special charging deals for customers who rent EV’s in your country?
5. Have you seen an increase in bookings because you offer EV charging?
6. Do you charge guests to charge up at your place? How do you know how much to charge a guest? 
   
   This post is co-authored by Host Advisory Board members Felicity from Australia and Jennifer from Canada.The article is written based on our own personal experiences and opinions as a sustainable Host.

[Felicity11]

HI @Kelly333 

It's wonderful to hear from you and to learn about your experience of operating a couple of homes with EV chargers.   As an EV driver, I know it's challenging to find places that support EV charging, and I'm grateful when I do find one.  Do you know what % of your guests use it?

Thank you for sharing your insights with us! I hope this inspires more hosts to consider adding an EV charger to their property. 

[Kelly333]

Hi Felicity,

I was excited to answer your question regarding % of guests using my EV chargers. I was going to wow you with my analytics. But noooooooo....  ok here's the scoop.

The only way I know if my guests are using an EV charger is I ask them to fill out a guest arrival form when they book and the form asks if they'll be using the EV charger. The form is hosted by Guesty.  And I just learned I cannot bulk download the guest arrival forms, but need to download each reservation form individually. This will definitely give me something tedious to do in the near future. In the future, I'll replace my EV chargers with chargers that have an app so I can track usage. 

That being said, I did an EV usage analysis a while back and think about 10% of guests were using the EV charger.  So, I could assume that the EV charger is increasing my bookings by 10% because, if I did NOT have the charger, then these guests could/would have booked elsewhere.  The 10% booking increase may be a stretch, but it makes me feel good about the EV charger installation expense. 

Both of my 2 properties are driving distance from progressive cities (Seattle, Los Angeles) where EV usage is on the upswing. So, it is just another amenity that helps acquire bookings.

Hopefully, someday, Airbnb will include EV usage like a pet fee and we can charge guests a fee because EV drivers know they have to pay someone for charging (either me or they have to find a charging station nearby).   

Hope this helps! Kelly