When Hotel McCoy opened in 2018, guests with electric vehicles had to run extension cords out of their room windows to charge their cars.
It didn’t seem like a “best practice” to Executive Director Nicole Dahl.
With help from a Tucson Electric Power rebate and contractor, Dahl arranged to install an EV charger at the independent boutique hotel earlier this year.
“Getting an electric vehicle charger just made sense. Pretty soon, everyone is going to be driving electric cars. We thought we’d get ahead of the game and offer it as an amenity to our guests,” Dahl said.
In opening the hotel, Dahl worked toward her vision of creating an environmentally friendly facility by installing LED lighting and low-flow water fixtures and launching a recycling program. But the initial cost of an EV charger “almost seemed impossible.”
Then she came across TEP’s Smart EV Charging Program. The program offers attractive incentives as well as technical and project support to businesses, multi-family housing providers and nonprofit groups that purchase and install qualified electric vehicle chargers (EVCs) at their location.
How Rebates Work
The rebates greatly offset the purchase and installation costs, helping our customers become leaders in developing a sustainable EV infrastructure for our community.
Commercial customers can claim rebates that cover up to 85 percent of the cost for Level 2 and DC Fast Chargers. To be eligible for the rebate, customers must purchase at least twoEVCs, sign a site host agreement for three years and participate in one of our Time-of-Use rate plans. Customers can claim rebates for up to six EVCs.
In addition to the financial incentives, TEP offers an initial site inspection, a list of approved EVC models and vetted contractors, as well as project guidance and support to help customers every step of the way.
“For a small business like us, you have to invest in the future,” Dahl said. “Finding out that TEP was willing to cover so much of the cost was really encouraging.”
The locally owned Hotel McCoy has a vision to expand to 20 environmentally friendly properties across the country, starting with Pullman, Wash.. Each location will feature local vibes and art – and EV chargers.
In addition to the overnight stays, Hotel McCoy opens up to local guests for beer, wine, music and art, as well as hosting the Barrio Books store. While public events were mostly closed during the pandemic, Hotel McCoy is starting to open up more offerings again to locals.
More than 50 guests have used the EV charger since it was installed in April.
“People are really excited to see the charger, even people without electric cars. We’re all getting the feeling that the next purchase we make will be an electric car,” Dahl said. “It gives people reassurance that things are happening.”
Learn more about participating in TEP’s EV program.
Read a previous story about other businesses with EV chargers.
