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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

to charge an EV at AirBnB?

179 replies

1805 · 17/08/2022 21:10

We have booked an air BnB which does not stipulate it has a car charging point.
I said we should use our electric car to get there, then use the 3 pin plug cable (through a window probably) to give the car a trickle charge overnight.
DH says we should pay to use a public charger. I reckon it would cost around £7 to charge it up overnight. £15 on a public charger.
WWYD? Charge or not charge?

OP posts:
SuperCamp · 18/08/2022 10:06

HairyMcLarie · 18/08/2022 09:04

We've actually got friends staying who charged their EV at the weekend. Compared to our normal electric bill it was £6.80 more than our usual daily bill.

It's the cost of a beer. It's the cost of us hiring 3 extra towels in our Airbnb. Compared to the hundred(s) a night you are paying it's nothing.

But AirBnB guests charging their car every day could cost the owner £1,500 a year extra.

caringcarer · 18/08/2022 10:09

It's rude not to ask and pay for what you use extra.

ErrolTheDragon · 18/08/2022 10:31

There is a risk to the holiday let owner if people try and use an ordinary socket. Some older installations are not rated for it. I had to have a dedicated spur from my consumer unit and update all my circuit breakers to an ultrafast one although the current one was perfectly ok.

This is a very valid consideration. Afaik our general ring main which serves our sockets is rated for about 30 amps. As I understand it, it can go over this for limited periods but would cause overheating which would damage it in the longer term. So, what else is on that circuit? I think a kettle and the EV would each draw ~10 amps. How many other things are there running which need a 13 amp rather than 3 or 5 amp fuse? Maybe not much at night but you do need to think it through a bit.

HelloThereObiWan · 18/08/2022 10:40

We've fixed our tarrif recently, taking a gamble that whilst we're paying more now we will be paying less than than the price cap come January.

As a result it costs around £30 to fully charge our 90Kw car.

So please don't assume it's only £7 a charge.

gamerchick · 18/08/2022 10:41

Just a taste of Mumsnet threads in the future. How to say no to CFs who ask to charge their cars Grin

ginghamstarfish · 18/08/2022 11:04

Given the often extortionate prices of airbnb accommodation I would use it. If they did not want it used then perhaps they should install some kind of locking device - surely this must be available? I don't have an EV but can't imagine they are just left there, outside, with anyone potentially able to use.
Re the charging in communal flats, would be really pissed off with that as a non-EV owner! That really needs to be addressed, very unfair on the other residents.

ErrolTheDragon · 18/08/2022 11:08

ginghamstarfish · 18/08/2022 11:04

Given the often extortionate prices of airbnb accommodation I would use it. If they did not want it used then perhaps they should install some kind of locking device - surely this must be available? I don't have an EV but can't imagine they are just left there, outside, with anyone potentially able to use.
Re the charging in communal flats, would be really pissed off with that as a non-EV owner! That really needs to be addressed, very unfair on the other residents.

Did you not read even the OP properly? She's talking about running her cable through a window to a normal 3 pin socket. If there was an outside EV socket then sure, the host should make it clear if it can be used or not. But that's not what this thread is about.

MrsSkylerWhite · 18/08/2022 11:10

Don’t be cheeky. Pay for your charge.

Ohheythereitsme · 18/08/2022 11:12

Multiple Airbnb properties with EV charging stayed in here. I don’t agree that it will get less popular. Supply and demand. People want charging points just like they want good wifi. If the demand is there it will be provided for to encourage clients in. They will just pass the cost on to everyone instead in the daily rates.

Ohheythereitsme · 18/08/2022 11:13

Oh and I would charge using 3pin if needed through the window. Unless there is a fast charger very locally which was convenient to me.

10HailMarys · 18/08/2022 11:24

Josephsrose · 17/08/2022 21:17

It's awful. I'm having to do my spare room on Air BnB because of poverty and bills. My big fear is people like you.

Renting out your spare room to pay the bills is quite different from owning multiple properties that you rent out as holiday accommodation, though. If you're renting out your spare room you can simply explain on the listing that you don't allow EV charging. It's not like they would be able to do it in secret if you live in the property they're staying in.

RB68 · 18/08/2022 11:36

I think the keys words here are domestic use - anything else is unreasonable UNLESS they provide a dedicated EV charger at which point they can choose to measure what is used and charge separately for this either by calculating or having a charger that allows the user to pay directly

TrashPandas · 18/08/2022 13:38

RB68 Could you explain how charging your own car is commercial use?

Or how renting out your property isn't commercial use, for that matter?

bellac11 · 18/08/2022 17:58

FinallyHere · 18/08/2022 09:13

How do you feel about leaving a 'fridge or freezer running overnight?

Or even a central heating pump in the winter?

They're not batteries/chargers.

bellac11 · 18/08/2022 18:00

latetothefisting · 18/08/2022 09:16

A bit of googling suggests that watching a TV for 8 hours would cost less than 20p - obviously variable depending on the size and type of tv and cost per unit of electric. So if ops calculations of seven pound to charge the car, its more than 30 x more.

Plus would most people watch 8 hours of tv anyway?

Just pop into a supermarket to grab food and charge it while you're there! The tescos by me offers free charging.

I was just commenting in response to someone else who said it was comparable to people having the telly on all day

bellac11 · 18/08/2022 18:05

TrashPandas · 18/08/2022 13:38

RB68 Could you explain how charging your own car is commercial use?

Or how renting out your property isn't commercial use, for that matter?

Filling your car up with fuel (even if electricity) is not domestic use, its paying for travel costs.

Tulipomania · 18/08/2022 18:10

Long time EV owner here.

Yes, I would charge the car up. I would also pay extra for the power I used.

ErrolTheDragon · 18/08/2022 18:10

TrashPandas · 18/08/2022 13:38

RB68 Could you explain how charging your own car is commercial use?

Or how renting out your property isn't commercial use, for that matter?

She didn't mention 'commercial use'. From the context, pretty obviously 'domestic' is being used in the sense of 'within the home'. I wouldn't call a car a domestic appliance.

Christmasiscominghohoho · 18/08/2022 18:13

Just do it.
You pay through the nose for air bnbs and I’d expect to be able to use as much gas and electric as I wanted

ErrolTheDragon · 18/08/2022 18:21

'Paying through the nose' compared to what? We stayed in one this weekend, a heck of a lot cheaper than a hotel, much better facilities inc parking.

Christmasiscominghohoho · 18/08/2022 18:34

ErrolTheDragon · 18/08/2022 18:21

'Paying through the nose' compared to what? We stayed in one this weekend, a heck of a lot cheaper than a hotel, much better facilities inc parking.

Hotels but Maybe I just like nicer air bnbs then you.

I have one booked for next year and it’s £2,100 for 2 nights so yes it’s bloody dear and il use as much electricity as I like.

Dasher789 · 18/08/2022 18:57

I think its ok if you are renting an entire property and to be honest, how can they stop you but strangely i think its different if you are in someones house renting their spare room in which case i think it would be inappropriate

PuzzledObserver · 18/08/2022 19:04

Re the safety: the issue is that if the wiring is not in tip top condition, the high current draw over many hours can cause overheating. A socket intended for use for EV charging is supposed to have a dedicated circuit and a particular sort of safety device at the consumer unit. Since the accommodation doesn’t advertise EV charging, you can guarantee this won’t be in place.

Chances are it will be absolutely fine, but at a minimum I would eyeball the wiring, make sure there are no other high-power items in use (to the extent that unless I was certain the kettle was on a different ring main, I would turn the charger off to boil the kettle) and check the plug for warmth several times over the first few hours.

I would also ask permission and offer to cover the cost.

33kw is how much their battery can hold when it is full. 7kwh is how many kw the charger can put into the battery each hour.

180 degrees wrong, I’m afraid. kWh is a unit of energy. 33kWh is the amount of energy the battery holds. It’s the amount of energy you get if you charge at 1kW for 33 hours, or 3 kW for 11 hours, or 33kW for 1 hour.

kW is a unit of power, or energy per unit time. 7kW is the speed with which the charger can put energy into the battery. A 7kW charger will add 7kWh in 1 hour, 14kWh in 2 hours and so on. Filling a 33kWh battery would take a little under 5 hours.

(Actually a bit longer, because charging is not 100% efficient, but ignore that for now.)

So we have a 77kw battery and a 7kwh charger so it would take 11 hours to charge our battery from completely empty to completely full (77/7 = 11).

You have a 77kWh battery and a 7kW charger, but yes, 77/7 = 11.

ErrolTheDragon · 18/08/2022 19:32

And if you've got 7kw charger then fgs only use it on a dedicated circuit!
To continue the calculations, Amps=watts/volts so in the U.K. thats 29 amps.

(It obviously won't be 7kw though if it's got a 13 amp fused 3 pin plug)

CapMarvel · 18/08/2022 22:45

Christmasiscominghohoho · 18/08/2022 18:13

Just do it.
You pay through the nose for air bnbs and I’d expect to be able to use as much gas and electric as I wanted

Nobody forces anyone to "pay through the nose".

Charging an EV overnight uses far more power than normal usage. It's cheeky as fuck.

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