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Hotel Charging

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I just posted this question to Hotels.com. I think it would be a good idea for everyone to post something similar (please don't copy/paste what I wrote) on all the hotel searching sites. I think that if they get enough requests, they will start to ask their hotels if they have facilities, which may lead to the hotels installing them.


"I need to find hotels with facilities for charging my EV (Electric Vehicle). This is becoming more important for those of us that drive cross country. Please add "EV Charging" to the list of checkboxes in the search criteria, and ask your hotels to respond, so that we can find the hotels we need.


Thank you."
 
Great idea. I will follow up myself.

Also, I have had some success with the smaller independent hotels, which are my preference anyway, of talking them into installing at least a Nema 14-50. In one case, I paid the $300 for the outlet to be installed and they let me stay free until $300 is used up.

I contacted Trip Advisor, they have a "green" certification for hotels that meet certain standards. You can email them here: [email protected]

I sent this email to Trip Advisor:

"I need to find hotels with facilities for charging my EV (Electric Vehicle). This is becoming more important for those of us that drive cross country. Please add "EV Charging" to the list of checkboxes in the search criteria, and ask your hotels to respond, so that we can find the hotels we need. Many of us who use Tesla electric cars can drive very long distance but we need to charge at night.

There are two kinds of check boxes you can include:

1. Nema 14-50 outlet : This works only for Tesla cars but the investment is small at only $100 to $400 complete with installation. The Tesla is the #1 selling electric car and the only one to travel up to 250 miles at a time. The Tesla Nema 14-50 outlet would be the most beneficial to the hotels.

2. J1772 charger. This costs the hotel $1,000 to $2,000 to install and it works with all cars including Tesla.

Contact me if I can advise with any more details.

Gene Rubin
 
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Tesla is not the number 1 selling EV in the US (or anywhere else on an annualized basis). Now it varies based on criteria but in the US, the Leaf sold something like 2500 in December (a record but still). No question, US sales of the Leaf are greater then Tesla for 2013, 2012 and 2011. There were some months this summer that Tesla exceeded Leaf sales but for the Year, Leaf is recorded at 20k and Tesla at 16k. Obviously the Leaf was much greater in 2011 and 2012 so the total number is much greater for the Leaf.

While the Leaf does not use Nema 14-50, those with upgraded EVSEs (majority?) use the Nema L6-30R. If a hotel doesn't want to pony up for a J1772, then they could install a Nema 14-50 and supply an adapter for the L6-30.

I can't imagine a real hotel not just paying for a J1772 anyway. You can find prices on units below $1000 now and the install is not significantly more than just getting a 240 line to the location. And you are then eligible for tax credits (expired for 2014 but may come back?)
 
Tesla is not the number 1 selling EV in the US (or anywhere else on an annualized basis). Now it varies based on criteria but in the US, the Leaf sold something like 2500 in December (a record but still). No question, US sales of the Leaf are greater then Tesla for 2013, 2012 and 2011. There were some months this summer that Tesla exceeded Leaf sales but for the Year, Leaf is recorded at 20k and Tesla at 16k. Obviously the Leaf was much greater in 2011 and 2012 so the total number is much greater for the Leaf.

While the Leaf does not use Nema 14-50, those with upgraded EVSEs (majority?) use the Nema L6-30R. If a hotel doesn't want to pony up for a J1772, then they could install a Nema 14-50 and supply an adapter for the L6-30.

I can't imagine a real hotel not just paying for a J1772 anyway. You can find prices on units below $1000 now and the install is not significantly more than just getting a 240 line to the location. And you are then eligible for tax credits (expired for 2014 but may come back?)

Do people actually travel cross country in a Leaf? That would be interesting.
 
Send the hotels this link: Destination Charging

Tesla will help with costs in many locations.

From Supercharger | Tesla Motors FAQ:

How can I charge at my destination?
Tesla is working with hotels, resorts, and other destinations to encourage the installation of High Power Wall Connectors where our customers spend time away from home. If your organization is interested in offering charging to Tesla owners, send us a note here, or email [email protected]
 
Great idea. I will follow up myself.

Also, I have had some success with the smaller independent hotels, which are my preference anyway, of talking them into installing at least a Nema 14-50. In one case, I paid the $300 for the outlet to be installed and they let me stay free until $300 is used up.

I contacted Trip Advisor, they have a "green" certification for hotels that meet certain standards. You can email them here: [email protected]

I sent this email to Trip Advisor:

"I need to find hotels with facilities for charging my EV (Electric Vehicle). This is becoming more important for those of us that drive cross country. Please add "EV Charging" to the list of checkboxes in the search criteria, and ask your hotels to respond, so that we can find the hotels we need. Many of us who use Tesla electric cars can drive very long distance but we need to charge at night.

There are two kinds of check boxes you can include:

1. Nema 14-50 outlet : This works only for Tesla cars but the investment is small at only $100 to $400 complete with installation. The Tesla is the #1 selling electric car and the only one to travel up to 250 miles at a time. The Tesla Nema 14-50 outlet would be the most beneficial to the hotels.

2. J1772 charger. This costs the hotel $1,000 to $2,000 to install and it works with all cars including Tesla.

Contact me if I can advise with any more details.

Gene Rubin

NEMA 14-50's are useful for non-Tesla EVs as well. I charge my volt using a 14-50. You just need an EVSE. In the case of the volt it comes with a 120V unit. I bought a 240V unit for ~$350.
 
Tesla is not the number 1 selling EV in the US (or anywhere else on an annualized basis). Now it varies based on criteria but in the US, the Leaf sold something like 2500 in December (a record but still). No question, US sales of the Leaf are greater then Tesla for 2013, 2012 and 2011. There were some months this summer that Tesla exceeded Leaf sales but for the Year, Leaf is recorded at 20k and Tesla at 16k. Obviously the Leaf was much greater in 2011 and 2012 so the total number is much greater for the Leaf.

Volt outsold the Leaf for 2013. Tesla was number 3. Nice to see American cars leading plug in's. I am in the middle of a trip from Sacramento to Santa Barbara to Santa Monica. 2 of 3 hotels have chargers. Have seen several Teslas but have not seen a single Leaf at any of the hotels....
 
Volt outsold the Leaf for 2013. Tesla was number 3. Nice to see American cars leading plug in's. I am in the middle of a trip from Sacramento to Santa Barbara to Santa Monica. 2 of 3 hotels have chargers. Have seen several Teslas but have not seen a single Leaf at any of the hotels....

The Volt and Leaf in sales (less than 500 separate them for the year). Whether you consider the Volt an EV is another issue. The Leaf is in some ways the most American made of all (admittedly a stretch) because the batteries and car are made in the US now.

While only the patient fool drives a Leaf cross country, they do drive to hotels. I know for a fact that I'll never drive cross country (and I suspect the vast majority of Model S owners will not), but I still stay at hotels. CA is much more spread out than the NE so I can imagine a Leaf is rarely hard on a road trip hence the Teslas you see.

Anyway - I'm just saying that a letter to a hotel should at least be accurate. I really think only the J1772 should be encouraged IMO. The Nema 14-50 was not meant for frequent plugging and unplugging. Any electrician would recommend the J1772 in a commercial installation.
 
I've given similar feedback to several hotels I've stayed at... I think the idea of urging the search/rating sites to add EV charging as a search or evaluation criteria is a great one... I'll join in and do so as well.

Thanks for the suggestion.
 
This thread has been a 2 x 4 across this donkey's forehead.

When we re-wrote our establisment's website over the end of December, I completely forgot to include in our "Green" page the fact that we had EV charging. So, although our own Model S is the only fully-electric vehicle we expect to see for some years yet, I'll have to follow the lead mentioned here and put it in our write-up.

Thanks, people!
 
This thread has been a 2 x 4 across this donkey's forehead.

When we re-wrote our establisment's website over the end of December, I completely forgot to include in our "Green" page the fact that we had EV charging. So, although our own Model S is the only fully-electric vehicle we expect to see for some years yet, I'll have to follow the lead mentioned here and put it in our write-up.

Thanks, people!

Audubon,
By Denali Hwy, do you mean the old east/west gravel Denali Hwy? I've been across that a number of times. Again this year, we will be driving from Ventura, CA up through BC, Yukon, NWT to Inuvik and then back to Dawson City and over to Denali NP and then home. Sadly not in my S but our Dodge Diesel (lousy 20 mpg). Might you know John Borg in Eagle?
 
Tesla is not the number 1 selling EV in the US (or anywhere else on an annualized basis). Now it varies based on criteria but in the US, the Leaf sold something like 2500 in December (a record but still). No question, US sales of the Leaf are greater then Tesla for 2013, 2012 and 2011. There were some months this summer that Tesla exceeded Leaf sales but for the Year, Leaf is recorded at 20k and Tesla at 16k. Obviously the Leaf was much greater in 2011 and 2012 so the total number is much greater for the Leaf.

While the Leaf does not use Nema 14-50, those with upgraded EVSEs (majority?) use the Nema L6-30R. If a hotel doesn't want to pony up for a J1772, then they could install a Nema 14-50 and supply an adapter for the L6-30.

I can't imagine a real hotel not just paying for a J1772 anyway. You can find prices on units below $1000 now and the install is not significantly more than just getting a 240 line to the location. And you are then eligible for tax credits (expired for 2014 but may come back?)

If a hotel wants to attract Tesla owners on road trips then they better have at least one 14-50 outlet. At least in my experience, standard 30 amp J1772 chargers only charge at 17-18 miles and hour. That would take about 15 hours to recharge a completely drained 85 kWh battery. 14-50 outlets can usually do the job in 8 or 9 hours which is much more compatible with an overnight stay. After I did the math, I chose the Westin La Paloma in Tucson over another hotel that only had J1772s because I wanted to be back on the road as soon as possible.

And while the Model S may not be the absolute top selling plug-in vehicle, it does seem to account for the bulk of Recargo checkins at hotels that I've stayed at (25 Model S's vs. 4 for Volts and 0 for others at the Venetian J1772s in Vegas for 2013 and 5 Model S's vs. 1 Volt and 1 LEAF at the Oaks Hotel in Paso Robles after they installed their J1772s). I assume this is due to how difficult it is to take long road trips in EVs from other companies and that plug-in hybrids like the Volt don't actually have to plug in to make it to their destination.
 
And while the Model S may not be the absolute top selling plug-in vehicle, it does seem to account for the bulk of Recargo checkins at hotels that I've stayed at (25 Model S's vs. 4 for Volts and 0 for others at the Venetian J1772s in Vegas for 2013 and 5 Model S's vs. 1 Volt and 1 LEAF at the Oaks Hotel in Paso Robles after they installed their J1772s). I assume this is due to how difficult it is to take long road trips in EVs from other companies and that plug-in hybrids like the Volt don't actually have to plug in to make it to their destination.

That was my thought as well. Road trips where you need overnight accomodations are typically farther than 75 miles away...

I'd bet the Model S is the #1 electric car driven by hotel guests during their stay.
 
Right but remember Leafs have QCs also so they aren't limited to 75 (really 84) any more than a Tesla is limited to 265. And why would a hotel want to install something that won't work (possibly) for any other future EVs? You would want to be broad based and use the most universal standard there is.

I've stayed at hotels with my Leaf. Obviously not Vegas even if I lived in SoCA. The West is a different animal.

But the bigger problem is that the Nema plug is not intended for that use. That is a problem to any corporate legal body.

How about this - who has ever seen a Nema plug for EV use (on purpose) at a full size hotel? The boutique hotel that someone paid to have them install it doesn't count. Now - how many J1772s are at hotels? So what is it 1000 to 10?
 
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Here is the response I just received from Trip Advisor:

""Hi Gene,

Thank you very much for getting in touch and for your suggestion. This is actually something we're actively looking at, and already collecting data about through the GreenLeaders program. You'll notice that when you click on the GreenLeader badge, you'll find a list of green practices. If the property has an EV charging system, this information will be listed here. While we currently do not offer the ability to search for properties with EV charging stations, this is something we'll consider as we continue to expand the program.

Ryan Dillon, LEED Green Assoc.
Responsible Travel Specialist

[email protected]
Reviews of Hotels, Flights and Vacation Rentals - TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor
World's Most Trusted Travel Advice"
 
How about this - who has ever seen a Nema plug for EV use (on purpose) at a full size hotel? The boutique hotel that someone paid to have them install it doesn't count. Now - how many J1772s are at hotels? So what is it 1000 to 10?

The large La Quinta spa and resort in La Quinta, CA has four NEMA 14-50 for EVs.

Why would there be a legal liability issue? A NEMA 14-50, while it isn't a dedicated EV plug, charging an EV from it is a perfectly legitimate use of it.

I do agree that a J1772 is a better option, it's just that for a small hotel, they are much more expensive.