This summer, many travelers started to see more of a rental car option they never would have considered a few years ago — electric vehicles (EVs).
EVs are becoming an option for renters, especially at Hertz — 10% of the car rental company's total fleet is electric. Some people may want to drive an EV they don't own for the first time, but the big question is: Where do you charge them? Several hotels are trying to answer that question with mixed results.
EV owners also expect their hospitality destinations to help ease the burden of charging a vehicle that, on average, has a range between 110 and 300 miles per charge, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. EV chargers are "still largely absent" in traveler accommodations, according to a 2020 survey by the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA), which found that of over 17,000 hotels surveyed, only 26.6% had EV charging stations on their properties.
That's changing quickly, but the hotels that install chargers on their property sometimes only install one unit. Determining who gets to use that charger and when is a dilemma. Companies like Michigan-based Future Energy are stepping in to help hotels manage the charging units and help them determine the best way to increase revenue by offering them. The company says it's working with national hotel chains to provide solutions.
"What we're doing is much more advanced than just putting some chargers in the parking lot. We're engaged in a full-service solution helping hotels integrate EV charging into their business model and add to the customer experience," Future Energy CEO Sam DiNello told Benzinga. "We really think that by working with national hotel groups, we will be able to help improve the guest experience and provide new and additional revenue and brand opportunities."
Future Energy has been tasked with developing and managing technology that will help reduce hotel guest complaints, including being unable to use a charger because a guest left his car plugged in for hours and sometimes overnight. Some hotel guests have found that, in some cases, hotel chargers are nonoperative.
Electrek.co forecasted that 28 million EVs will enter the American auto market by 2030, and hotels are trying to determine how many chargers they need and how that will affect electric distribution. Future Energy's DiNello says his company has solutions for those issues, too.
"What we've done is create a method to calculate how many and what type of EV chargers should go into each hotel property based upon their specific business attributes," he said. "For example, many have parking decks offsite, which adds to the complexity of their project."
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