Tesla Strikes Deal with Airbnb to Bring Car Chargers Home

Tesla has been working hard to fight consumers’ perceptions that owning an electric car is a hassle, by aggressively implementing their ‘destination charging program’. As part of its efforts to make owning an electric vehicle stress-free and long distance travel-feasible, Tesla has built nearly 1,200 high-power charging stations at hotels, resorts, restaurants, and other destinations a Model S owner is likely to visit worldwide.

Last week, Tesla announced that it will be teaming up with startup home-sharing platform Airbnb to bring charging stations to select homes. Tesla will be giving qualifying Airbnb hosts a free charging station. In order to qualify, the entire home must be available for rent, the home must have had more than five bookings and have obtained an average overall star rating of 4+. The cost of the charging station is $750 and the homeowner must pay for its installation, which is estimated at between $200 and $900 depending on the layout of the home. Tesla owners should expect to pay about $10 per night for electricity charges, according to an estimate done by the company.

The program will be first rolled out in California and eventually expand globally. At the moment, 12 homes are already equipped with the Tesla home charging station, but the two companies hope to increase that number through a targeted campaign soon.