A charging station at a highway hotel and restaurant

Those who travel by electric car plan the stops before leaving: where to charge, where to eat, where to sleep. The highway hotel or restaurant that has charging enters that planning, and the one that doesn't is left out. This text shows how to think about the charging point at each type of stop, what weighs on the route and what to check before the construction work.

Why the highway became the topic

In August 2026, by ABVE's provisional count, 1,911 municipalities had charging infrastructure available for electric vehicles, and 1,156 of them had at least one fast charging point. For Davi Bertoncello, executive director of Tupi and Communications director of ABVE, the consumer's question is no longer whether there is a charger in the country but whether there is a charger on the route they take (ABVE study with the Tupi platform). It is on that route that the hotels, inns and highway restaurants sit.

Highway restaurant: charging in the time of a meal

At the restaurant, the stop is short and the driver wants to leave with enough charge for the next stretch. That calls for DC fast charging. At our Pinhais unit, the 60 kW DC charger takes from 20% to 80% in about 40 minutes, a window similar to that of lunch.

The point changes the reason for the stop. Those who drive electric plan where they'll charge, and the restaurant with a charger no longer competes for the customer on the menu alone. For that to work, the space needs to be near the entrance, signposted and free of combustion cars.

In our network, the Araquari unit, in Santa Catarina, is in the parking lot of the Multi Space, on the way for those driving the BR-101: an 80 kW DC charger with two CCS2 outlets. Whoever stops there charges while shopping at the mall itself.

Hotel and inn: charging in the time of a night

At the hotel, the car sits parked for hours, and an AC charger usually delivers the charge by morning without needing much power. For those traveling by electric, knowing they'll wake up to a charged car removes a step from the planning.

Two precautions make a difference:

• How many spaces: with a single charger and two electric guests on the same night, one is left without. It's worth arranging the space at booking or check-in.
• Those just passing through: if the hotel is on the highway and also wants to serve the driver who won't sleep there, a DC point alongside the AC one broadens the audience.

The place on the route

On the highway, what decides the point's use is where it sits relative to the others. The driver looks at the distance to the next charging station, the car's range and the arrival time. A point in the middle of a long stretch with no charging tends to be used more than a point a few kilometers from another. How the driver does that math is in how to plan an electric car trip.

Hours and map

The driver finds the point through the charging apps and maps, before leaving home. The point needs to be listed with the right hours and power, and working when they arrive. If the restaurant closes at night, does the charger close with it or stay accessible? The answer has to be on the map and on the sign. Those traveling at night rule out a point that closes early, and arriving at a closed charger is the worst-case scenario. The apps the driver uses are in a charging station app and charging map.

Energy on the highway

Outside the city, the energy grid doesn't always reach the lot with surplus, and fast charging demands power. The electrical assessment comes before choosing the charger, and the utility may need to do construction work. ABVE points to the timeline and the conditions for connecting new high-power loads as the sector's bottleneck, and ANEEL has opened a public consultation on the connection rules. Since February 2026 a national Fire Department guideline for charging points has also been in effect, with design and inspection parameters.

Charging for it or offering it

A hotel and restaurant can charge for charging: ANEEL allows any interested party to charge electric vehicles, including at a freely negotiated price (ANEEL, electric vehicles). They can also offer it free to a guest or customer. The math for each path is in charging for customers: charge for it or offer it free. If the option is to charge for it, the Velquia blog shows how to calculate how long it takes for the investment to come back: charging station payback, how long it takes for the investment to come back.

Where Elektro Charge comes in

In our network there have already been more than 4,300 charges and more than 100,000 kWh delivered. In partnerships, a restaurant and a roadside stop are among the places where charging fits in the time of a meal: you give up the space, and we install, operate and maintain the point, with engineering partners, and the driver support is ours, 24 hours. A hotel and inn aren't on that page's list: for them, the case is discussed, and we say whether it makes sense. For those who are still going to invest in their own charger, the questions before buying are in is a charging station worth it?, and for those who already have one, there is charging station management. If your business is a gas station on the highway, see a charging station at a gas station.