In Sweden, your next car-charging spot could be at someone else's house
Renault has launched a service called Elbnb where people share their power outlets with drivers of electric vehicles for a price.
If home is where the heart is, then homes in Sweden may also be where the energy is stored for people hoping to give their electric car an added boost.
Renault just launched Elbnb, a new service that allows anyone in Sweden to transform their house into a charging station for electric cars.
Elbnb, an online platform, is meant to add more handy charging locations across the country and encourage more residents to lessen their carbon footprint by driving electric cars.
The private-home stations will be featured on a map that can be quickly located by electric-car drivers. The charging price and times will be determined by the driver and homeowner.
"Swedes are used to the sharing economy in anything from cars to apartments," Lars Höglin, Renault Nordic brand engagement manager, said in a statement. "After conversations with both locals and politicians, we can see that our initiative is already being positively perceived by the Swedes, who also seem ready to start sharing their power outlets."
The service may also get local politicians to move faster on legislation that would help build more publicly accessible charging stations throughout Sweden.
"Electric cars are a reality. But even though it's year 2016, a year when environmental issues are a big topic, the infrastructure is lacking," Höglin said. "That is why we started Elbnb as an initiative run by locals, showing that the Swedes are ready to contribute when political actions are too slow. We also want to show that making a case for greener roads is as easy as charging your electric car."