Charging EV

Nina1161
Level 2
England, United Kingdom

Charging EV

Hi everyone can I ask what you do when guests ask to plug in their Tesla and charge it overnight? We don’t have an EV charge point, or solar panels (yet). It’s a service cost to us and not listed on the cottage amenities. Do you ask for a fee? If so how much? Thanks in advance 

7 Replies 7
Till-and-Jutta0
Host Advisory Board Alumni
Stuttgart, Germany

We had a similar discussion in our community. Some members provide their regular outlet, some don't to prevent fire risk. We are lucky to have a public charger (not the Tesla supercharger) nearby.

 

I've talked to an electrician about this subject: If the current is limited to 10 A (which should be - you could limit your outlet) there is no risk. But it needs very long to fully charge an EV. 

 

The cost is less than 1 € per hour. But it carries when you charge overnight.

Mike-And-Jane0
Level 10
England, United Kingdom

@Nina1161 we have it written into our listing that people can recharge their cars but that we provide no equipment (other than a socket) and they will have to pay the cost of electricity used (about £.15/kWhr). Only been used by one guest but I am sure there will be more.

Adam-and-Rosie0
Level 2
Blairgowrie and Rattray, United Kingdom

Hi. We are in the process of having an EV charger installed and trying to work out how to charge guests for using it. So keen to hear experiences/knowledge/thoughts from others.

Maria15418
Level 1
Churchinford, United Kingdom

I let my guests charge for free during daytime as the solar panels supply most of the electricity but will charge a minimum of £5 for an overnight charge. I provide a regular 3 pin charging cable that can be adjusted according to the weather conditions 

Nanxing0
Level 10
Haverford, PA

Some suggestion as I'm an EV owner and electrical engineer. I don't have any EV charger installed in my Airbnbs for guests so those might not be that helpful. Just my thoughts.

 

First, determine if you want to go with a level 1 or level 2.

 

Level 1 is essentially a 120V outlet with 12-20A current. Typical 16A draw gives about 1.92kW output, meaning about 20 kWh electricity/charge with a ~10 hr overnight session. So a $3-5 charge for such a session is quite reasonable. All you need is an outlet directly wired to the panel. Don't use outlets that share breaker with other outlets or lights -- it can cause fire or trip breaker.

 

However as folks worried, a level 1 charger can only get about 20 kWh overnight so might not be very useful (reference: a Tesla battery is in the range of 85-100kWh). So for a faster charge a level 2 charger means more convenience to guests, but requires some investment from host. Also you need to determine if your electric supply capacity can handle this extra ~240V 40A draw.

 

Level 2 chargers are 240V, typically have 3 types: 16A, 32A and 40A. 32A is quite standard while not all EVs support 40A. I would suggest to have the Wifi enabled ones (like Morec) to track the usage, so charges can be made based on usage. A 240V 32A level 2 charger can give 7.7kW output, meaning about 75kWh per ~10hr overnight charge --- that should get a Tesla battery to ~80% from empty.

 

Better thing is that with those Wifi chargers you can set to limit time of use -- for example if you have peak hours or different price based on time or insufficient panel capacity.

 

 

Leon2330
Level 1
Auckland, New Zealand

Hi all - I’ve just thought of this as I’m seeing a growing number of guests rock up in a hybrid  or EV. These vehicles are increasingly evident in New Zealand so it’s bound to arise as an issue. I need more tech and costing info as I’m not an EV user. 

Mike2906
Level 2
Palm Springs, CA

My county offers a tax credit for Chargepoint wall chargers, and my understanding is that I will be able to see the energy consumption in the Chargepoint app. I don't have many guests requesting to charge, but my plan is to request payment for energy use. Plus, I think making the charger a more prominent feature in my listing will attract more guests.