ESS Group invests in electric car charging with ChargeNode's smart and aesthetic solutions. Learn how the hotel chain future-proofs its destinations with scalable and cost-effective charging.
What do Ystad Saltsjöbad, Ellery Beach House in Stockholm, MJ's in Malmö, Falkenberg Strandbad and Hotel Bellora in Gothenburg have in common? Exactly, they are all owned by ESS Group, in our opinion Sweden's absolute coolest destination group. But they have all also chosen ChargeNode! ESS Group invests heavily in electric car charging and we have taken the pulse of Anders Nilsson, Head of Operations, to hear how they reasoned in the decision-making process regarding the choice of charging systems for their destinations.
“We create holistic experiences for our guests and every detail is important. When we decided to invest in offering electric car charging in our destinations, we quickly realized that traditional charging poles are very ugly and bulky but also expensive. When we discovered ChargeNode's smart charging system, we found exactly what we were looking for, a neat and discreet installation while the smart charging technology allows us to offer many charging locations without overloading our properties' power supply.
“Electric car charging is not our core business, so it has felt very safe with ChargeNode, which has helped us through the entire process from decision to finished installation and commissioning. They have also handled the application for investment grants to the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, which made the financial calculation really good. Overall, it feels like they really care about us as a customer.
“We have chosen to tailor each installation to each destination. Ellery Beach House, for example, features a sleek black recycled aluminum railing with 32 integrated charging outlets along the guest parking lot. Falkenberg Strandbad has charging outlets integrated on our existing fence along the parking lot. Hotel Bellora has parking in a garage where the charging sockets are directly on the wall. The closest in line are now Hotell MJ's and Ystad Saltsjöbad, both of which will be commissioned shortly.
Oh, it's going fast now. Over 50% of new car sales are now rechargeable cars so it's only a matter of time before the majority of our guests drive electric cars. If you cannot offer charging as a destination, you will soon be selected. I think that already in 3-4 years we will have to double the number of charging points. We therefore feel confident that we have chosen a charging system that is future-proof so that it can easily be scaled up to handle significantly more charging points.
-It is important to look at the total cost per outlet, including ground work and any cost to upgrade power supplies. It is also necessary to distribute the cost over the estimated service life, as this can vary greatly between different solutions. Also, make sure that you get help in applying for the investment aid available because you can get grants of up to 50% of the cost, which of course makes an incredible difference in the investment calculation. Finally, it is important to future-proof the solution because you will definitely need to expand with more charging points in the future!
Ess Gruppe operates in hotel, restaurant and concept development. Through passion, professionalism and personal touch, profitability and world-class guest experiences are created. In Gothenburg, it currently operates the Luxury Boutique Hotel Pigalle and the Lifestyle Hotel Bellora. To the south are the destination hotels, Falkenberg Strandbad, Ystad Saltsjöbad and the small gourmet hotel Villa Strandvägen. MJ'S can be found in Malmö and in Västerås, The Steam Hotel has been created in a 100-year-old steam power station. Fýri — Resort of Norway opened December 2019 in Hemsedal and also Denmark's most beautiful beach hotel Marienlyst. In addition to that, in 2020 it became a new destination hotel in Gothenburg where they mix hotels with offices, pools and restaurants. ESS Group are also active partners in several restaurants such as; Zamenhof, Barabicu, Tranquilo, Villa Odinslund, Villa Johanneberg, Port du Soleil, Brasserie Lipp, Excet, 8ight and Spik Studios that develop inspiring, personal concepts in hotels, restaurants and public environments.
ChargeNode was founded in 2018 with the conviction that new technological solutions with smarter resource utilization are required to solve today's challenges of large-scale electrification. Today, the company is a fast-growing greentech company based in Gothenburg. The company offers smart charging systems for large-scale electric vehicle charging based on proprietary and patent-pending charging technology. By centralizing charging technology, charging can be distributed to more parking locations without the need for a separate charger at each parking location. With smart steering, e.g. at departure time, cars with short parking time can be charged first and then those that need to stand longer. Everyone gets the charge that they desire. Customers include real estate companies, condominium associations, hotels and destinations, some of which are ESS Group, Varberg Energi, Bygg-Göta, PGA Sweden International and Kvdbil.
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