As electric vehicles continue to grow in popularity, opportunities have arisen for hospitality businesses that have their own EV charging facilities. By installing electric vehicle chargers, hospitality businesses are able to attract more customers and then benefit from their custom while they wait for their vehicles to charge.
We reveal the benefits of installing electric vehicle charging stations, as well as the current shortage of EV charging facilities for those visiting hotels, restaurants and other hospitality venues.
7 Benefits of EV charging facilities for hospitality venues
There are multiple benefits of introducing EV charging facilities within the hospitality industry. These include:
- Attract customers that need to charge their electric vehicles
- Encourages vehicle owners to spend with your business as they wait
- Offers something that your competitors do not
- Supports a reduction in carbon footprint
- Backs up sustainable brand values
- Puts businesses on the map as drivers locate charging stations
- Customers stay longer
Current EV charging facilities
Analysis by renewable energy company Drax shows that the majority of hospitality businesses in the UK don’t yet have enough charging facilities to capitalise on opportunities to increase revenue, created by growing numbers of customers driving EVs.
The study, which looked at a range of sectors including hotels, restaurants and leisure parks, found that many venues are yet to install any EV charge points for their customers, and those that have, usually have just two charge points.
This is despite battery electric vehicles (BEVs) accounting for more than one in 10 new vehicle registrations in July, and company-owned BEV registrations increasing by 77% in the first quarter of this year, compared to 2021.
Hotels were found to have two charge points on average, which was the same as restaurants and pubs, despite generally having larger carparks.
How many EV charging points do hospitality businesses need?
The research found that if businesses want to keep up with the rapidly growing EV market, at least one in every 10 parking spaces should be an EV charge point, with that number increasing to one in five over the next five years, as EVs become more commonplace.
Adam Hall, Director of Energy Services at Drax, said: “If hospitality businesses want to keep pace with their competitors, they should invest now in good EV charging facilities. It will help to attract new customers as well as better serving their existing ones.
“Customers are likely to spend more during their visit if drivers are there for longer, charging their vehicles. Combining this additional spend with any profits made for charging makes it easy to see the business benefits and return on investment.”
Introduce electric vehicle charging points now
With electric vehicles expected to soar in popularity in the coming years, now is the perfect time to begin installing the infrastructure for EV charging facilities and reaping the benefits.
Holly brings a wealth of experience in both print and digital publishing and is very passionate about the hospitality industry.