Can I plug in my electric car?

[Laura2592]

I have an upcoming guest who just asked this and estimates it will cost "10-20 dollars" for the car to charge during their stay with an offer to reimburse. This is my first such request. We do have an outdoor outlet but its nowhere near where the car would park.

Have you had this? Do you allow it? Do you ask for reimbursement or eat the cost? Is that really what it costs?

[Sarah977]

@Laura2592  A  friend of mine has an electric car. She said it costs about $6 to charge from near empty to full. That is in line with other estimates I've read.

So what is really costs would depend on how many miles they put on their vehicle while staying, ergo how often they will need to charge.

This is going to become more common, so I think it's wise for hosts to come up with a policy and charges for it.

[Laura2592]

@Sarah977I agree. My San Diego born and bred husband is very excited to have a guest with an electric car and went on a long rant about how we need one. I don't want to discourage people to use them but this is the first such ask we have had.

[Sarah977]

@Laura2592  Although she paid  a small fortune for her vehicle new, and will be making payments on it for along time to come, my friend loves it and has zero regrets. She commutes 45 minutes each way to work, so the gas money she is saving she considers well worth it. 

[Scott-and-Mary-Ellen0]

@Laura2592  We love our Chevy Bolt (NH license plate +NOCO2-) but you need to measure the distance from the exterior outlet to the parking spot your guest would use first, to ensure their charging cord will reach. (And you don't want it crossing any pathways.) Can't speak to electricity usage--depends on vehicle and battery size/miles used. 

[Sarah977]

@Laura2592  "Canada will ban the sale of fuel-burning new cars and light-duty trucks from 2035 in an effort to reach net-zero emissions across the country by 2050..."

[Ann72]

@Laura2592  That amount of reimbursement sounds about right and it’s nice the guest offered.  I’ve had guests ask too and I’m soon to install an EV charger.  The issue will then be  the policy, as @Sarah977 noted.

[Deb216]

@Ann72   Do you know if it safe to plug an electric car into a Host's regular household electrical outlet?    I just googled EV chargers and found conflicting info.

[Deb216]

@Ann72   

I dug a little further...and found the following (via AutoMole dot net)

Charging an Electric Car on a 110V Outlet

Most homes come with a standard 110v socket. It’s a level one charger same as the one used to plug in your fridge, microwave, or TV. You can plug your EV into a 110v outlet, but it has the downside of being slow. This outlet provides 3-6 miles of range per hour of charging.

If you own a Tesla Model S, using a 110v outlet gives you only 3 miles of range per hour. Say you charge it for eight hours. You only get 24 miles of range.

On the other hand, a Chevy Volt requires 10-16 hours of charging to get a full battery on a regular 110v outlet.

If your commute is relatively short, you can use a domestic charging outlet on your ride. But if you require more range, it’s best to consider a 240v charging station for your EV at home.

While it’s easy to plug into a 110v outlet and leave it overnight, you need to consider if the power point is old or damaged. Or whether you have other units like a kettle or cooktop using the same circuitry. An EV adds amperage on circuitry, and it can trigger a circuit breaker leaving your car without power.

What’s more, charging on a damaged outlet can result in a fire. That’s why you need to have a dedicated circuit to charge your electric car safely.

[Ann72]

Yes, @Deb216 , all of that is why I’m installing a dedicated charger.

[Ann783]

@Ann72 please post once you install the EV charger. I'm interested in the process and cost!

[Ann72]

Thanks, @Ann783, I will!  Because of the pandemic making places like Maine (and the Hamptons) so popular, it's been challenging to get on the electrician's schedule, so it's looking like the spring 😞

[Lisa723]

@Laura2592 we offer an EV charger at our larger rental, and we have also asked permission to charge our car, as guests. We don't charge extra for it and neither did the hosts who allowed us to plug our car into their regular electrical outlet and even supplied a heavy-duty extension cord. (We were the dreaded local guests, decamping from our own home during a twelve-day power outage.)

[Basha0]

This has been a question I have been trying to reconcile. One guest at $6 to $15 may not be a big deal but add it up every day or many guests per month. Why should that be given away for free? In northern Ca PG&E rates are only going to go up and solar is not an option. I’m trying to figure out what to charge and I don’t want to raise my nightly rates at this point as there aren’t that many electric vehicles yet. 
what to charge? How do I get compensated? 

[Tania646]

I'm with you.

I bought a Wallbox 48A that connects on EVMatch and listing ask guests to pay through EV Match.

My only problem is that the maximum increase to the statewide average electricity cost is 30%.  My cost is more than the statewide average, so I actually lose 1 cent per kwh!  I have discussed this with EV Match and they've promised to get back to me.

I could instead of EVMatch just look how many kwh are used and apply a rate, but I thought that a guest might challenge whether the app was right.  Plus do I take a credit card?  So going through a third party seemed like the option that would eliminate any disputes.