A Tennessee hotel's electric vehicle charging fee prompted debate after one driver questioned whether the convenience of an overnight charge was worth the price.
The hotel offered eight hours of charging for $25, a rate that the driver declined. Other drivers, however, argued that filling a battery while sleeping could be worth avoiding another stop.
Here's what to know
The driver recounted the exchange at the unidentified rural Tennessee hotel in a Reddit post on the site's r/ElectricVehicles forum.
The original poster wrote, "I pulled into a hotel the other day and asked if they have EV charging available. They said yes, $25 for 8 hours. Since I was in a PHEV and didn't need energy to continue I politely said no thanks…I can't imagine many takers on that rate. This was in [the] middle of nowhere, Tennessee."
Several commenters, however, disagreed with the notion that few people would be interested. Some also saw overnight charging as a way to avoid a separate stop.
One wrote, "Some places charge more just to park a car, let alone charge it." Another commenter said, "ummm that seems fairly reasonable. Keeps people at 70% from plugging in to 'just top up' unless they really need to, but lets people who need the charge fill up overnight without having to make a second stop where charger functionality is a crapshoot. I'd pay it."
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The top comment read, "it's because you were in the middle of nowhere Tennessee and they knew that you could get that."
And another user suggested, "There's great convenience to be had for waking up to a 100% charge… I would pay this rate for the privilege of guaranteeing me a charge when I get to the hotel and for 100% when I leave it."
The OP didn't provide a price for their subsequent Supercharger stop, but clearly considered it a better deal for their EV.
Where can I learn more?
Whether the hotel's $25 fee is a good deal depends on how much charging a driver needs and how much they value the convenience.
• Virginia EV drivers face a 72% charging rate increase at Arlington County chargers.
• A Costco shopper spotted new store fast chargers, but drivers worried about potential rates.
• A Pittsburgh EV owner said 35-cent peak electricity rates erase savings from cheaper overnight charging.
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