The steady growth of the e-mobility market is a new challenge for anyone running a hotel or other accommodation, because it means knowing how to welcome new customers with new needs. An opportunity to anticipate and seize. Having at least two electric charging points on site offers a significant competitive advantage, according to research published in 2021 by Eviaggio, a website listing hotels, restaurants and campsites with charging facilities, which counts 1,649 listed properties: a sort of Tripadvisor for charging points. Holiday accommodation booking platforms too, from the market leader Booking to niche ones such as Ecobnb, have long included EV charging facilities among their search filters.
Being able to offer this service makes it possible to tap into new market segments, namely tourists, especially from abroad, who are more environmentally conscious. For property owners, letting guests charge their electric car, motorbike or bicycle on site is an extra card that can make all the difference in attracting new bookings.
On the side of business owners and hospitality operators who care most about this issue is the “Bonus colonnine elettriche” or “Bonus Wallbox”, a measure introduced by the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy. It is a grant covering 40% of the cost of purchasing and installing charging points for electric vehicles.
The fund has a budget of 40 million euros for 2022, another 40 million for 2023 and the same again for 2024. The incentive is aimed at private individuals, to install chargers in their own homes, as well as at blocks of flats, businesses and professionals.
For AC charging infrastructure with a power of 7.4 kW up to and including 22 kW, the maximum grant is 2,500 euros for a wallbox with a single charging point, while for charging stations with two charging points it rises to 8,000 euros per station.
For DC charging infrastructure, the maximum grant is €1,000/kW for stations up to 50 kW, 50,000 euros per charging station for installations over 50 kW, and 75,000 euros per charging station for hubs over 100 kW.
[Source: Repower.com https://mobilitasostenibile.repower.com/white-paper/consapevolezza/il-turista-sceglie-lhotel-con-la-colonnina-elettrica]
