Charging for customers: charge for it or offer it free?
The short answer
Complimentary charging is worth it when it brings in a customer who spends and the cost of the energy fits within the margin of that spending. Charging per kWh is worth it when the point attracts people who are not customers, or when the electricity bill starts to weigh. There are middle paths, like complimentary charging only for those who spend or a discount for customers. ANEEL allows charging for the service at a freely negotiated price.
For hotel, restaurant, shop and mall owners: what complimentary charging really costs and how to decide.
Many a business installs a charger thinking of offering charging as a courtesy: the customer charges while having lunch, shopping or sleeping, and comes back more often. Sometimes it works. Other times the electricity bill rises, the spot sits occupied all day by someone who never enters the shop, and the charger becomes a cost. This article shows what complimentary charging costs, when it pays off and when charging for it makes more sense.
What complimentary charging costs
Charging isn't free for the one offering it. It has three costs:
- Energy: each kWh that goes to the car lands on the venue's electricity bill, at the rate you pay the utility. The math is simple: energy delivered times your rate per kWh.
- Demand: if the venue is served on medium voltage, the bill also charges for demand, and a fast charger switched on during peak consumption can raise that figure. It's worth reviewing your bill with whoever did the electrical design.
- Maintenance and the spot: the charger needs maintenance, and a spot occupied by someone who only charges is one less spot for someone coming to spend.
Before deciding, note how much the customer who charges usually spends in your space and compare it with the cost of the energy they take. If the spending margin covers the energy comfortably, complimentary charging pays for itself.
When complimentary charging makes sense
- Hotel and inn: the guest has already paid for the night, the car sits parked overnight, and an AC charger delivers the charge without rush. Charging becomes part of the stay.
- Restaurant and shop with high spending per visit: when the average ticket is far greater than the energy cost of a charge.
- Launch: a complimentary period helps put the point on the map, as long as the end date is clear from the start.
Anyone who drives electric already knows that free charging is becoming rare, and the reason is precisely this cost. The picture from the driver's side is in free charging at a charging station.
When charging for it makes more sense
- The point attracts non-customers: if the charger shows up in charging apps as free, it draws in outside drivers, who charge and leave.
- The charging is fast DC: more power means more energy per session and, with it, a higher cost per charge.
- The electricity bill weighs: if the charger's energy already shows up as a line that worries you, complimentary charging is no longer a detail.
- Usage has grown: what cost little with two cars a week costs something else with ten a day.
Charging for it is allowed. Under Normative Resolution No. 1,000/2021, ANEEL authorizes any interested party to charge electric vehicles, including for commercial operation at freely negotiated prices (ANEEL, electric vehicles). References for prices charged in the country are in price per kWh at a charging station. How charging turns into money, from who can charge for it to what makes a point profitable, is explained on the Velquia blog: how a charging station works, from charging to money.
The middle ground
| Model | How it works | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Open complimentary | Anyone charges without paying | A launch, with an end date |
| Complimentary for customers | Only those who spend get the charge | Hotel, restaurant, shop with high ticket |
| Discount for customers | Everyone pays, the customer pays less | A point serving the public and customers |
| Charging per kWh | The driver pays for the energy they used | Fast charging and a point open to the public |
Any model with payment works without effort for the staff when payment is made on the charger itself: the driver starts the session and pays there, and no one needs to release or collect. One rule applies to all of them: a time limit on the spot after the charge ends, so the next customer can charge.
Where Elektro Charge comes in
Across our network there have already been more than 4,300 charges and more than 100,000 kWh delivered. At our points, energy is billed per metered kWh, with a receipt for each session, and payment is made on the charger itself. For those who have the space, there are partnerships: you lease the spot, and we install, operate and maintain the point. For those who already have the charger, charging-station management includes time-of-use pricing, like an overnight rate, guided by the usage data.
The ways to have a point in your space are compared in a charging station in the parking lot. If your business is on the highway, see a charging station at a highway hotel and restaurant.
Want charging at your space without putting staff on the job of collecting?
Send the location and a photo of the place. We'll reply whether it makes sense. And if it doesn't, we'll say so too.
I want a point at my space →Frequently asked questions
Is it worth offering free charging to customers?
It is worth it when the charge brings in a customer who spends and the cost of the energy fits within the margin of that spending. It stops being worth it when the point starts attracting people who only charge and leave, or when the electricity bill rises more than the foot traffic.
How much does offering complimentary charging cost?
The energy delivered goes onto the venue's electricity bill: each kWh that goes to the car is billed by the utility at your rate. Add to that the charger's maintenance and, on a medium-voltage connection, the effect on demand.
Can I charge for charging at my venue?
You can. ANEEL allows any interested party to charge electric vehicles, including for commercial purposes and at a freely negotiated price (Normative Resolution No. 1,000/2021, Chapter V).
Can I charge for it without putting staff on the job?
You can. On chargers with payment on the equipment itself, the driver starts the session and pays right there, and no one on the staff needs to release or collect payment.
Is there a middle ground between complimentary and paid?
There is: complimentary only for those who spend, a discount for customers, complimentary for a limited time, or full charging with a benefit in the shop. The choice depends on the profile of who stops at your space.
