Tesla announces massive new partnership with major hotel chain: ‘We are significantly changing the landscape’

A new deal between Tesla and Hilton will make electric vehicle charging far more accessible for visitors to the popular hotel chain.

Some 2,000 Hilton locations in the United States, Canada, and Mexico will welcome Tesla’s Universal Wall Connector charging points, with 20,000 chargers delivered in total.

It’s not only a boost for Tesla drivers experiencing range anxiety, but it will also ease the minds of all electric vehicle drivers, as an adapter will allow any EV to fill up its battery.

It will also benefit Hilton, with the company noting that internet searches for EV charging availability will be crucial for the hotel brand to entice more customers. Hilton has said such a search jumped from the fourth to the second-biggest factor in encouraging clients to stay at one of the brand’s locations.

The Verge cited data from the EV charging locator app PlugShare that revealed only one Hilton hotel in the United States currently has on-site electric charging. The deal with Tesla will bring at least six to every location, with the project set to launch at the start of 2024.

“Through this expanded agreement with Tesla, we are significantly changing the landscape of universal EV chargers in North America in an incredibly short amount of time,” Hilton chief brand officer Matt Schuyler said in a statement.

It’s a move that’s already proving popular with potential customers, it seems.

“Nice. Love this,” said one Instagram comment on Hilton’s announcement video.

“Saving the planet one step at a time!” added another.

A study funded by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago and conducted by the Associated Press–NORC Center polled 5,408 adults in the United States between January 31 and February 15, 2023, and found that 50% of respondents said a lack of charging infrastructure was a “major reason” not to buy an electric vehicle, while 27% still said it was a “minor reason.”

A hotel stay would likely be on the agenda for people traveling on long journeys across the country. Having a charging station at your accommodation provides an efficient solution to make that trip with fewer stops.

If those long journeys can be made while producing zero planet-harming tailpipe pollution, then that’s even better.

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