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Ok, so this isn’t exactly the most stunning of travel news stories, but I thought it was interesting nonetheless.
Tesla is the only electric car manufacturer that has succeeded in making serious inroads into the motor industry (you can’t move for Tesla Model S vehicles in LA) and, as more and more people jump on the Tesla bandwagon, it’s becoming increasingly important for hotels to provide guests with somewhere the can charge their vehicle overnight.
In areas where Teslas are already quite popular there’s no shortage of places for owners to charge their vehicles but in countries like Australia it’s a different story.
The issue becomes pretty obvious when you take a look at how many charging stations there are in a comparatively small area like Southern California….
…and compare it to the number of charging stations there are in the whole of Australia:
Right now Australia, a country covering approximately 7.7 million square miles, has just 20 Tesla charging stations while the city of Pasadena in California, which covers approximately 23 square miles, has 21.
I have no idea how many Tesla driver they have in Australia but I’m prepared to bet that not many are making big road trips!
Still….
Tesla is building more supercharging stations in Australia and it looks as if IHG want to help the Aussies & Kiwis go electric too.
Here’s what IHG has had to say:
Crowne Plaza is the first hotel network to install Tesla Destination Chargers at all of their properties across Australasia, connecting 12 properties with cutting-edge technology for a growing customer segment.
Tesla owners can now travel throughout NSW, VIC, ACT, WA, QLD and New Zealand with peace of mind knowing that multiple Crowne Plaza properties across the region will keep them fully charged and ready to hit the road. This is one of many innovative amenities that allow IHG customers to customise their stay.
Tesla owners can plug in and top up their battery while enjoying hotel facilities, event spaces or staying overnight.
Tesla Destination Chargers are available at all Crowne Plaza hotels including Crowne Plaza Coogee Beach, Crowne Plaza Terrigal, Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley, Crowne Plaza Hawkesbury Valley, Crowne Plaza Melbourne, Crowne Plaza Canberra, Crowne Plaza Surfers Paradise, Crowne Plaza Alice Springs Lasseters, Crowne Plaza Perth, Crowne Plaza Auckland, Crowne Plaza Christchurch and Crowne Plaza Queenstown.
It’s worth pointing out that the chargers IHG has installed into its Crowne Plaza properties aren’t Tesla Superchargers (they’re Tesla Destination chargers) so vehicles aren’t going to be charged super-quick…but it’s still better than nothing.
Each Crowne Plaza Hotel has installed two electric car chargers that can offer charges that give between 40km and 80km of range per hour.
Additionally, IHG says that the electricity charging the vehicles is “100% GreenPower” which “provides owners with zero emissions charging”.
If any readers happen to be based in Australia and also happen to know a Tesla owner out there, will you let me know just how hard (or easy) it is to find somewhere to charge an electric vehicle when you’re away from home?
