Accommodation EV Charging
Attract EV-driving guests and offer convenient overnight charging with a solution designed for accommodation providers. Choose free guest charging, reception-managed charging or automated pay-as-you-go charging with QR-code payments — with equipment supplied from New Zealand stock and managed through our New Zealand-operated Kiwi EV platform.
01 — Why offer guest charging
EV drivers actively plan trips around where they can charge overnight. A hotel or motel with on-site charging removes the need to find a public charger nearby — and that convenience is often the reason a guest books your property over a nearby property.
EV drivers often look for accommodation with charging available and use accommodation filters, charging directories and trip-planning apps to find suitable properties.
Guests who can reliably charge overnight come back — and recommend your property to other EV owners.
Your property can be listed on PlugShare and other compatible EV trip-planning services, helping travelling EV drivers discover your property.
Offer charging free as an amenity, add it to the room account, or let guests pay per kWh automatically.
02 — Payment options
The same charger hardware can support any of these arrangements — and you can change your approach later. The main difference is how the electricity cost is recovered.
The hotel absorbs the electricity cost as part of the stay. The simplest option — no payment software required, and a strong point of difference for your listings.
Best for: Motels and boutique hotels using charging as a marketing amenity.
Add a fixed charging fee to the guest’s accommodation account at check-in or check-out. No charging-platform subscription or transaction fees are required when you manage access and payment yourself.
Best for: Smaller properties with staffed reception and one or two chargers.
The guest scans a QR code on the charger, sees your price per kWh and pays electronically for the energy used. Charging revenue is paid to your account monthly through our Kiwi EV platform.
Best for: Hotels wanting hands-off cost recovery, or chargers also open to the public.
03 — Pay-as-you-go
You set the price per kWh and can adjust it at any time. A low monthly platform fee and card-processing costs apply, and these can be built into the rate guests pay. Kiwi EV is our New Zealand-operated OCPP charger management platform, so support is local.
Learn about the Kiwi EV platform
Pay-as-you-go charging and remote management require a reliable internet connection at the charger. Depending on the charger and site, this may be provided through Wi-Fi, Ethernet or mobile connectivity. We can help identify the most practical option during planning.
04 — Load management
A hotel already places big demands on its electrical supply — kitchens, laundry, heating and hot water. Our chargers support dynamic site load management: a CT sensor at your main switchboard monitors the building’s total demand, and charging automatically reduces when the rest of the site is working hard, then ramps back up as capacity becomes available.
Because guests are typically parked for several hours, charging does not need to remain at full power continuously. A lower average charging rate can still add a substantial amount of range overnight.
05 — Choosing hardware
For overnight accommodation charging, a 7.4 kW wall charger is normally all you need. Over an eight-hour stay, it can supply up to approximately 59 kWh before charging losses, or around 50 kWh to the vehicle in typical conditions. A 22 kW three-phase charger is mainly worthwhile where the site has a suitable three-phase supply and guests’ vehicles can accept faster AC charging.
| Solution | Best for | Key benefit |
|---|---|---|
| 7.4 kW wall charger | Small motels, or one or two dedicated EV parks | Lowest hardware and installation cost; ideal overnight charging speed |
| Multiple 7.4 kW OCPP chargers | Hotels expecting several EVs overnight | Managed together on one platform, installed with dynamic site load management |
| Dual-output pedestal charger | Two adjacent car parks, or open parking areas with no nearby wall | Charges two vehicles from one freestanding unit |
| 22 kW three-phase charger | Sites with suitable three-phase supply | Faster charging for compatible vehicles and shorter daytime stays |
Not sure which configuration suits your property? Read our guide to choosing a hotel EV charger, or tell us your number of rooms, EV parks and supply type in the form below and we’ll recommend a setup.
Wall mount EV chargers
Wall mount EV chargers
Wall mount EV chargers
Wall mount EV chargers
Supplied from New Zealand stock with GST invoices, product documentation and commissioning support. Current pricing is shown on each product page. The electrical installation can be completed by a New Zealand registered electrician — we provide the charger documentation and commissioning support, or can help connect you with an installer familiar with our equipment.
06 — Proven at scale
We supplied and configured an EV charging network across multiple Scenic Hotel Group properties, working with electricians on the installation — giving guests convenient pay-as-you-go Type 2 charging while the hotel group monitors and manages every charger through the Kiwi EV platform.
“Smart EV Chargers were incredibly knowledgeable and helpful, providing us with a tailored solution that perfectly suited the needs of Scenic Hotel Group. With their expertise, we were able to implement an EV charging network across multiple hotels.
Smart EV Chargers took care of everything from installation to configuration, making it a hassle-free process for us.
Thanks to Smart EV Chargers, we now have a reliable EV charging infrastructure in place, contributing to our commitment to sustainability and enhancing the experience for our guests. We highly recommend Smart EV Chargers to any business looking to implement an EV charging solution.”
Chris Clayton — Scenic Hotel Group
07 — Costs and pricing
The total cost of a hotel charging project is made up of:
There is no universal installation price — the biggest factors are the distance from the charger to your switchboard, whether trenching is required, and your site’s available electrical capacity. The closer the charger is to a switchboard, the cheaper the install. We can help arrange an electrician to quote, or you can use your own.
A guest adding 40 kWh to their vehicle overnight uses 40 kWh of electricity. At an electricity cost of 25 cents per kWh, the hotel’s electricity cost is approximately $10, before network charges or other costs.
With pay-as-you-go charging, you set your own selling price per kWh and can adjust it at any time. Most hotels add a margin above their electricity cost to help recover:
How much energy a guest actually takes varies widely — a plug-in hybrid may take under 15 kWh while a large EV arriving nearly empty could take 80 kWh or more — which is why per-kWh pricing is fairer than a flat fee for both you and the guest.
08 — Socket or tethered cable?
Most New Zealand-new EVs use a Type 2 vehicle connection, while many older Japanese-import EVs use Type 1. This is the main reason socket chargers are popular for accommodation.
09 — Start small
Most properties start with one or two chargers. If the initial installation is planned well — cable routes, communications and load management sized with expansion in mind — adding chargers later is far simpler and cheaper. With compatible OCPP chargers, additional chargers can be managed through the same central dashboard.
Tell us your longer-term plans in your enquiry and we’ll make sure the first installation doesn’t box you in.
10 — Why us
11 — Common questions
Yes. Over an eight-hour stay, a 7.4 kW charger can supply up to approximately 59 kWh before charging losses, or around 50 kWh to the vehicle in typical conditions — enough to cover the typical energy required by most guests during an overnight stay. Faster 22 kW charging only helps where your site has three-phase supply and the guest’s vehicle can accept it.
Yes. With pay-as-you-go charging through the Kiwi EV platform, you set your own price per kWh and can adjust it at any time. Guests pay for exactly the energy they use, and revenue is paid to your account monthly.
Yes. Guests scan the QR code on the charger and pay through a secure web payment page with a credit or debit card. No app download is needed to start and pay for a charging session.
Not necessarily. Many travelling EV drivers carry their own cable. With a socket charger, you can optionally keep Type 1 and Type 2 cables at reception for guests who need one, and note cable availability on your PlugShare listing.
Yes. A Type 2 socket charger works with Japanese-import EVs that have a Type 1 vehicle inlet when a Type 2 to Type 1 cable is used. This is a key advantage of socket chargers for accommodation providers.
Yes. Chargers can be limited to authorised users through the management platform, operated through reception, or set as pay-as-you-go so any use is paid for at your rate. You choose whether chargers are private to guests or listed publicly as destination chargers.
Often, yes. Dynamic site load management monitors your building’s total demand through a CT sensor and automatically reduces charging when the rest of the site is under load. The installation is designed so the total charger load stays within your site’s capacity, which can help defer a supply upgrade at many sites.
Yes. If cable routes, communications and load management are planned with expansion in mind, additional chargers can be added later and connected to the same management dashboard.
Yes. The electrical installation can be completed by a New Zealand registered electrician. We provide the charger documentation and commissioning support, or can help connect you with an installer familiar with our equipment.
Installation cost depends on the distance from the charger to your switchboard, whether trenching or a pedestal is required, and your site’s available electrical capacity. The closer the charger is to a switchboard, the cheaper the install. We recommend getting a site-specific quote rather than relying on a universal figure.
Commercial EV charging • Workplace EV chargers • Fleet EV charging • Kiwi EV OCPP management software • Guide: choosing a hotel EV charger
Get started
Tell us your property name and location, how many rooms and car parks you have, how many chargers you’re considering, and whether you want free or paid charging. We’ll recommend a practical setup covering charger selection, payment options, load management and installation.
Phone 022 456 4874 or email sales@smartevchargers.co.nz
