Airbnb hosts can now get a discount on installing EV chargers

When you search for a place to stay on Airbnb, you can narrow your results to listings that have EV chargers. Now Airbnb aims to boost those listings by helping more of its hosts install chargers for electric vehicles. Through a new partnership with ChargePoint , it will offer discounts on both the charging hardware and installation.



Searches on Airbnb using the EV charger filter grew more than 80% from 2022 to 2023, according to the company, primarily for listings in California, Florida, Texas, Arizona, Washington, and North Carolina. “There’s clearly a guest demand for it,” says Ameet Konkar, Airbnb’s head of sustainability. He’s heard that demand in his conversations with hosts too. “There’s constantly a request for chargers: How can we get them? How can we make it affordable?”



Through this partnership with ChargePoint, Airbnb hosts can access a website that lists Level 2 EV chargers at discounted rates, as well as installation support services. Airbnb hosts will be able to get up to 36% off select ChargePoint models, which start at $399, as well as $100 off installation, which generally costs between $1,250 and $1,500. All U.S. Airbnb hosts are eligible, and the first 1,000 hosts who buy an EV charger through ChargePoint will get an additional $200 off, courtesy of Airbnb. 



Level 2 EV chargers can fully charge a vehicle in about four to eight hours . The cost for a Level 2 charger generally starts around $500, but can go up to $2,500 with installation, depending on the needs of your home. Tens of thousands of Airbnb listings around the world already have EV chargers, Konkar says, but he adds that there “clearly [are] a lot more to go.”



Airbnb’s efforts are meant to incentivize hosts to add EV chargers as an amenity to their listings. Per its internal data, the company says that on average listings with EV chargers are booked for more nights and generate more income than those without. Hosts can also still access local EV charger tax rebates on top of the ChargePoint discounts; those vary by location.



Airbnb has a goal to be net zero by 2030. While hosts’ carbon footprints aren’t included in those corporate emissions calculations, Konkar says the company is “always looking for specific things that drive impact and make it easier for our hosts to become more sustainable.” Previously, Airbnb has shared information and grants with hosts on how to make their homes more energy efficient , how to qualify for Inflation Reduction Act benefits on appliances like heat pumps , and how to find local partners to access solar power . 



For now, the EV charger discounts will be available to Airbnb hosts for a year, though the time may be extended based on demand. Konkar says he’s already heard that hosts are excited about the opportunity. This partnership with ChargePoint, he adds, “was just such a natural way for us to make it really easy and affordable for [hosts] to actually get EV chargers and add a new amenity that a lot more guests are looking for.”