Hilton Worldwide has announced a major electric vehicle (EV) charging program, which will be available at 50 U.S. hotels by the end of this year with plans to rapidly expand to 100 U.S. hotels by the end of 2016. The program will cover all types of electric vehicles, including Teslas. Current, powered by GE, will provide stations to charge other car makes.
These charging stations are available at a range of Hilton Worldwide properties from luxury to focused service, including The Waldorf Astoria New York, DoubleTree by Hilton Durango, Hampton Inn by Hilton Reno, and Hilton Los Angeles Airport. Hilton also plans to expand its charging program internationally in the coming year.
As part of the charging program, Hilton hotel owners can receive free charging equipment to accelerate the adoption of charging solutions at qualifying hotels and resorts. Hilton is working with property owners to install the charging stations, with the only associated cost being installation and electricity usage.
“By teaming with leading organizations like Tesla and GE to add more electric vehicle charging stations, we’re making the travel process easier for a growing number of our guests,” said Jim Holthouser, executive vice president, Global Brands, Hilton Worldwide. “We believe technology can and should take the friction out of travel – no matter if you’re road-tripping in an electric vehicle or flying into town and need to find the best way to get to one of our hotels. Our goal is to support our guests in their travels no matter what technology they’re using.”
EV sales have increased dramatically in the last few years as the number of affordable vehicle options have increased. Since 2010, more than 350,000 EV’s have been sold in the U.S. and approximately 120,000 of those were sold in 2014 alone, according to InsideEVs Monthly Scorecard. Opportunity abounds for Hilton property owners as guest use of EVs continues to increase.
