UK: RAW Charging has published a whitepaper exploring the value of electric vehicle charging to the hospitality industry, which includes how guests view hotels without EV charging stations.
The UK provider of EV charging solutions published the whitepaper, ‘Powering Up the Guest Experience: The importance of EV charging for your guest journey from RAW Charging’, which explores the role EV charging infrastructure plays within luxury venues and hotels.
The paper highlights both the business opportunity for hotels and guest experiences, citing that nearly half (48 per cent) of EV drivers have said they would not book a hotel without an EV charging station. The report says this could equate to losses for hotels from £58 to £142 per night per available room.
RAW says more than 1.3 million fully electric vehicles are on UK roads (2024) and it is estimated that 55 per cent of all vehicles will be electric by 2030.
However, currently, only 8 per cent of the UK’s 37,000 public EV charging points are located at hotels. That’s just under 3,000 locations.
There are also significant regional distribution disparities with the South West, South East, and Scotland having a higher concentration of hotels with charging points, while regions like Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Shropshire are less served.
Leading cities are Greater London, with 74 hotel charging locations, York, with 16 and Cheltenham with 15. Conversely, areas such as the A1 north of Peterborough and parts of the A38 near Birmingham have been identified as charging ‘cold spots’.
According to RAW, many of those are also not reaching suitability levels – in terms of reliability and reaching newly released government legislation. 31 per cent of hotel guests reported negative charging experiences due to unreliable infrastructure (30per cent), complex payment systems (47 per cent), and slow charging speeds (59 per cent).
The report includes a foreword from Simon Numphud, managing director at AA Hotel and Hospitality Services who says: “The growing need for EV charging solutions is not merely a trend – it’s a shift in how guests view their travel experience.”
Jason Simpson, CEO of RAW Charging, said: “Our new whitepaper underscores the importance of EV charging as an extension of the guest experience and a critical business driver. We are proud to support hotels in becoming destinations of choice for EV drivers by providing fully funded, turnkey charging solutions that enhance guest satisfaction, future-proof properties and generate additional revenue.”
Key insights from the whitepaper include:
● Details on new legislation, effective from November 2024, which mandates updated requirements for public charge points over 8kW include operating with at least 99 per cent uptime, ensuring reliability, accepting contactless credit and debit card payments on chargers above 8kW and providing transparent pricing displayed at the charger. Locations must also offer a free 24/7/365 helpline for EV drivers and support at least one roaming payment contract and adhere to OCPI-compliance standards for data sharing and reporting. Businesses could face fines of up to £10,000 per charger for non-compliance although charging companies such as RAW says it assumes all responsibility for non compliance risk as an operator;
● Research shows that nearly half of EV drivers refuse to stay at hotels without EV charging, making infrastructure a significant factor in booking decisions;
● The financial impact on hotels without EV charging, with potential losses from £58 to £142 per night per available room;
● Future-proof properties and generate additional revenue
● Regional disparities in EV infrastructure across the UK, presenting strategic opportunities for hotels in underserved locations;
The full whitepaper, ‘Powering Up the Guest Experience’, is available to download for free.
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