Chargemaster offers AA hotels ‘free’ EV charge point

All 4,000 or so AA hotels and B&Bs are being offered electric vehicle (EV) charge points installed at no cost, thanks to a strategic partnership with Chargemaster.

The first hotel to benefit from the offer is Sandford Springs Hotel in Kingsclere, Hampshire, which is now able to offer EV charging to guests and visitors with a Chargemaster 50kW rapid charger, which is available for any EV driver to use on the Polar network.

Edmund King OBE, president of the AA and a keen advocate of electric cars, officially opened the charge point at the Sandford Springs Hotel.

Chargemaster, which is now part of BP, will work with any AA-inspected establishments interested in taking up the offer to determine the best charging points for their location, with rapid chargers being perfect for hotels along high-traffic routes to encourage visitors to stop for a charge on a longer journey, and destination chargers being suitable for guests to charge overnight.

David Martell, chief executive of Chargemaster, said: “We believe that within the next five years, all hotels will offer EV charging, just like they provide Wi-Fi today.

“Our offer for AA hotels is a great opportunity for hotel owners and operators to get a competitive advantage with a facility that could attract hundreds of thousands of customers in the coming years.”

Research by Chargemaster shows that 90% of EV drivers will seek out destinations that have charging points over those that don’t, meaning that having a charging point provides an additional draw for hotels while the EV market continues to develop, it said.

Edmund King OBE, president of the AA, concluded: “Alongside our automotive heritage, the AA has been involved in the hospitality industry since 1908.

“We know that when EV drivers are looking for hotels, they will actively seek out those with charging points. We have witnessed enormous changes in both the automotive and hotel sectors over the last 110 years, and we are delighted that our AA recognised hospitality businesses can benefit from this tremendous offer.”