Future-proof charging columns for the hotel parking lot

Is it worthwhile for us to install our own charging station for electric cars? Many a hotel manager has probably already asked himself this question. For one thing, there are more and more e-cars whose batteries need to be charged. A modern hotel management should therefore offer this service to its customers. On the other hand, there are also the investment costs. So a charging station should definitely be future-proof so that it can pay for itself within a few years.
In this article, you can read whether the investment in charging technology is worthwhile for you and which charging stations are future-proof.

The right technology
If you want to get an overview of providers of charging stations for e-cars today, you'll be inundated with offers. In addition, there are a lot of technical terms that many people don't know what to do with. As a hotel manager without precise knowledge of the market, it is impossible to distinguish between the good and the not so good offers, let alone to be able to assess which charging station is future-proof.
The problem can be reduced to the following core statement: It all depends on the right technology, i.e., what's in the charging pole.

Simple preliminary decision
The cutting-edge DC charging stations are out of the question for most hotel operators. Often, the expense is too high and, in addition, the charging technology is more expensive.
- AC charging stations with outputs between 20 and 50 kW, on the other hand, are easier to implement in terms of effort, are less expensive, and are still future-proof.
- Charging stations for hotel operators should comply with calibration regulations. This is the only way to ensure accurate billing of the charging current.
- And finally, the charging stations should have dynamic load management. This ensures that the available electricity is distributed intelligently when charging several electric cars.

3 tips for hotel operators
1. don't think too "small" when it comes to setting up charging columns. Installing only one charging point does not make sense. Of course, the number of charging points also depends on the location. In the city, the demand is likely to be greater than in the flat countryside. Nevertheless, the need for charging stations will increase in the short to medium term.
2 Don't just think about your own hotel clientele with your charging offer, but also make the charging points available to the public. The more the charging stations are used, the faster they pay for themselves. Charging stations are also a good way to attract new customers. If the charging stations are also to be available to the general public, they must comply with calibration laws and be equipped with an appropriate billing option.
3. plan for a possible expansion of the charging infrastructure from the outset. In the future, the number of e-cars will increase significantly. The need for charging stations will therefore increase.

Example city hotel at the Römerturm in Cologne
A hotel operator in Cologne has already installed two charging points in the hotel's own parking lot in 2019. Located in the middle of the city center with little parking space and only a few charging points for electric cars, word has now spread about the offer. Not only hotel guests use the charging points, but also other visitors to the city center. Demand has been so great that the operator has already increased the number of charging points to nine. All charging points offer an output of 22 kW and are equipped with technology from Bender, which enables billing in compliance with calibration regulations, masters dynamic load management and also includes numerous safety features. The hotel brought a strong partner on board for the project. This partner took over the entire planning and implementation.

How charging points pay off for hotel operators
The question remains as to the costs of installing charging points. These can vary greatly depending on the provider. If the electrical cable has already been laid on site, hotel operators can expect to pay around 3,000-4,000 euros per charging point. The good news is that the German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure currently provides subsidies for publicly accessible charging points, which means that the actual investment costs can be lower.
The running costs for the charging points, on the other hand, are low. Hotel operators can therefore expect to recoup their investment in charging columns in five to seven years.

And now?
There is still a great need for a future-proof charging infrastructure in Germany. Hotel operators can meet part of the need here. At the same time, charging stations in the hotel's own parking lot are a good advertising tool, both for traditional customers and for day guests. Since the costs for a hotel operator are manageable, the installation of future-proof