For several years now, much of the world has been preoccupied with the question of how to reduce the carbon footprint we leave on the planet. The electric car, for many, is the ultimate in eco-friendly transport and as such is becoming ever more popular in the UK.
Sheffield Best Western Plus Mosborough Hall Hotel believes that the time is now ripe for the introduction of electric vehicle charging stations, and has made history in being the first hotel in the city to install two of them for use by the general public and hotel guests.
Although the demand for charging stations is not high at present, the number of electric vehicles in the UK is set to soar in the next few years. By 2020, experts believe that around 2 million electric cars and vans will be on British roads, requiring 1.22 million charging stations altogether to keep the nation running.
Unfortunately, this means that UK businesses have a rather large amount of work to do by way of installation works, as at present there are only around 10,000 charging stations throughout the country.
Owners of second generation electric vehicles will be able to charge their cars in 40 minutes by using the type of stations the Best Western has installed, possibly opening up a number of options for hotels.
As these motorists will have a 40 minute wait while their cars power up, perhaps offering incentives to remain at the hotel and spend will be the next move for savvy hoteliers taking similar steps across the country.
The charging stations were launched in a ceremony presided over by Sheffield Councillor Jack Scott, for Recycling and Streetscene, and Sheffield’s sustainable development officer and Cabinet Member for Environment, Mark Daly. Also in attendance was Paul Brown, director of Saxon Hotels Ltd which owns the Mosborough Hall Hotel.
He said; “We are very proud to be the first hotel in the city to support this initiative.
“Best Western are leading the way on green tourism and are working very hard to support hotels around the country to offer this service to their guests.
“I would also like to thank Zero Carbon World for their support in this project.”
With sustainable energy and environmental protection becoming increasingly important to consumers in the UK, it is highly possible that initiatives of this kind will soon become the norm for a variety of commercial properties in the country. And with some of the biggest names in the hotel industry jumping on board, it seems Britain is set for a much greener future.
Do you think all hotels should be examining the possibility of installing EV charging stations given the predicted boom for eco-friendly vehicles, and should they be offering use of them to the general public as well as for paying guests?
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