How Much Should You Charge for EV Charging at Your Property?

August 20, 2026

How Much Should You Charge for EV Charging at Your Property?

One of the first questions property owners ask after installing Boba Charge is:

“How much should I charge people to charge their EV?”

Our answer is simple:

Look around you.

Before setting your price, see what the commercial EV chargers in your area are charging.

You don't need to copy them exactly. In fact, you shouldn't necessarily try to be the most expensive or the cheapest option.

The goal is to be competitive.

Because Boba Charge fills an important gap between charging at home and using a commercial charging station.

The Gap Between Residential and Commercial Charging

Traditional residential EV charging is generally intended for the homeowner.

You plug in your own car at your house, charge overnight, and pay your normal electric bill.

Commercial charging is different.

A driver goes somewhere else, finds an available charger, pays to use it, and waits for the vehicle to charge.

That's where things can get inconvenient.

What if the charger is occupied?

What if the station is full?

What if the charger isn't working?

What if you have to drive out of your way to find one?

What if you arrive and discover that the station you planned to use is already being used by someone else?

Boba Charge creates another option:

Charge where you're already staying, working, visiting, or doing business.

The Big kWh Price Gap

Here's where things get really interesting for a Boba Charge owner.

Residential electricity can cost roughly 11¢–25¢ per kWh, depending on where you live and your utility rate.

Public EV charging, meanwhile, commonly costs 45¢–65¢ per kWh—and even more in some locations.

That's a significant gap.

And that's where the Boba Charge business opportunity comes in.

A property owner can purchase electricity at their normal utility rate, then offer EV charging to guests, customers, tenants, or other authorized users at a competitive rate based on what commercial chargers in the area are charging.

For example, if your electricity costs you 15¢ per kWh and you charge 40¢ per kWh, there's a 25¢ per kWh differencebefore accounting for your other costs and any applicable Boba Charge fees.

That's a lot of room for profit.

But here's the important part:

You don't have to charge the maximum possible price.

We recommend looking at the commercial charging stations around your property and seeing what they're charging.

If nearby public chargers are charging 55¢ per kWh, you might decide that 40¢ or 45¢ is a competitive price.

Your guest gets a better deal than they may get at a commercial charger.

You get the opportunity to make money from electricity that you would otherwise simply be paying for as part of your normal utility bill.

And there's another advantage:

Your guest doesn't have to go anywhere.

They can charge right where they're already staying, working, visiting, or spending the night.

You're Selling Convenience, Too

The kWh price is only part of the equation.

Imagine a guest who arrives at your vacation rental with 30% battery remaining.

They have two choices:

Option A: Commercial Charging

Drive to a commercial charging station.

Find an available charger.

Pay 55¢ per kWh.

Wait for the vehicle to charge.

Then drive back.

Option B: Boba Charge

Plug into Boba Charge at the property.

Pay a competitive rate.

Go inside.

Go to sleep.

Wake up with a charged vehicle.

Even if your Boba Charge price is higher than the guest's residential electricity rate at home, it can still be a great value compared with commercial charging.

Because they're not just paying for electricity.

They're paying for convenience.

And that is the opportunity Boba Charge creates.

Convenience Has Value

Think about what happens when someone stays at your vacation rental, hotel, business, or other property.

At the end of the day, they want to go to sleep.

They don't necessarily want to get back in their car at 10:00 PM and drive to a charging station.

They don't want to sit in a parking lot waiting for their vehicle to charge.

And they definitely don't want to wake up in the morning and discover they need to spend part of their morning searching for an available charger.

If charging is available right where they're staying, they can simply plug in when they arrive.

Then they wake up with a charged vehicle.

That's the value of destination charging.

Your Guest's Time Matters

Electricity isn't the only thing people are paying for.

They're paying for convenience.

Imagine two properties that are otherwise comparable.

One has EV charging available on-site.

The other requires the guest to drive ten minutes to a public charger, wait for an available station, and then wait for the vehicle to charge.

The first property has eliminated a problem.

For an EV driver, that can be a significant benefit.

The same principle applies to other properties.

A customer at a business may appreciate being able to charge while they're there.

A guest at a vacation rental can charge overnight.

A tenant can charge while they're at home.

A visitor at a property can plug in while they are already doing what they came to do.

The best charging experience isn't always the fastest charger.

Sometimes it's simply the charger that's already where you need it.

So What Should You Charge?

We don't believe Boba Charge should tell property owners what they have to charge.

You own the property. You own the charger. You set the price.

But we do recommend doing a little homework.

Look at the commercial EV chargers near your property.

Check what they're charging.

Look at the charging stations people in your area are actually using.

Then set a price that makes sense for your property and remains competitive with the alternatives.

Your goal shouldn't necessarily be to squeeze every possible dollar out of every charging session.

Your goal should be to offer something that your guests or customers see as convenient and reasonably priced.

You're Not Just Selling Electricity

This is an important distinction.

If someone pays you to charge their EV, they're not simply buying electricity.

They're buying access to your charging equipment.

They're buying convenience.

They're saving time.

They're avoiding a trip to another charging location.

They're avoiding the possibility of arriving at a public station and finding every charger occupied.

They're avoiding sitting in a parking lot waiting for their vehicle to charge.

And, in many cases, they're charging while they're sleeping.

That's a very different experience from stopping at a commercial charging station.

Imagine the Difference

The Commercial Charging Experience

You arrive at your destination.

Your battery is getting low.

You have to find a charger.

You drive to the station.

You hope there's an available charger.

You plug in.

You wait.

Eventually, you return to your vehicle and continue your trip.

The Boba Charge Experience

You arrive at your property.

You park.

You plug in.

You go inside.

You sleep.

You wake up.

Your car is charged.

That difference is the entire point.

This Is Especially Valuable for Overnight Charging

For properties where guests or customers stay for several hours—or overnight—the convenience becomes even more obvious.

A vacation rental guest may arrive at 6:00 PM and leave at 9:00 AM.

That's roughly 15 hours when their vehicle is sitting there anyway.

Why make them spend part of that time looking for a public charger?

Let them charge while they're sleeping.

A hotel guest can do the same.

A business customer can charge while they're working.

A tenant can charge while they're at home.

The property becomes the charging destination.

Boba Charge Gives Property Owners a Choice

Boba Charge was built around this idea.

EV charging doesn't have to be exclusively residential.

And it doesn't have to be exclusively commercial.

There's a huge middle ground.

Vacation rentals.

Hotels.

Small businesses.

Apartment properties.

Guesthouses.

Offices.

Private parking areas.

And countless other properties where people already park their vehicles for extended periods.

Boba Charge gives the property owner the ability to make that parking space a charging destination.

Set a Competitive Price. Provide a Better Experience.

We aren't going to tell every Boba Charge owner to charge the same amount.

That wouldn't make sense.

Electricity costs vary.

Markets vary.

Properties vary.

Commercial charging prices vary.

Instead, look at your market.

See what commercial chargers around you are charging.

Consider your electricity cost.

Consider the convenience you're providing.

Then set a price that makes sense for you while remaining competitive.

If the guest can charge at your property for a reasonable price and avoid the hassle of finding and waiting at a public charger, you've created something valuable.

You don't have to be the cheapest option.

You just need to be a better option.