Ibis Hotels.

Ibis Hotels install customer EV Charging with EVC Solutions and Bright Green.

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Project Overview

Client:

Ibis Budget Hotels

Sector:

Hospitality

Installation:

4 x 22kW KEBA charge points per site (8 total across both locations)

Location:

Two hotel car parks within busy service stations — Derby and Leicester

Charge Point Management System:

EVC Connect

Technology:

Load balancing across both sites for optimal power distribution

Payment Kiosk: Bright.Green centralised payment kiosks - card payment, session monitoring, receipts

Ibis Budget Hotel customer EV charging installations

"Together, we are not just creating charging stations; we are creating experiences that will shape the future of EV charging."
Jiri Horalek,
CEO, Bright.Green

The Client

Ibis Hotels are an internationally recognised hotel chain. Their 'Budget' chain serves regional UK locations.

The hospitality sector is under growing pressure to meet the expectations of a new generation of travellers - guests who arrive in electric vehicles and expect the same convenience from a hotel car park that they'd expect from any other amenity on site. For Ibis Hotels, that meant finding a charging solution that was seamless for guests, straightforward to manage, and capable of generating a return.

Ibis Hotels partnered with EVC Solutions to deliver EV charging at two of their locations, both situated within busy service stations in Derby and Leicester. EVC brought in Bright.Green, specialists in EV payment and kiosk technology, and KEBA, one of Europe's leading charge point manufacturers, to deliver a fully integrated solution across both sites.
The result is a charging experience designed from the ground up around the guest, and a charging infrastructure that works for the operator.

The Challenge

Hotel car parks present a specific set of challenges that differ from fleet depots or workplace charging. Guests arrive and depart at unpredictable times. They may not have a dedicated app, an RFID card, or any prior experience of public charging. And the operator needs a system that runs reliably with minimal day-to-day management.

For Ibis Hotels, three challenges shaped the brief:

Power capacity
Both sites required eight charge points, but available power at each location needed careful management to support simultaneous charging without overloading the supply.

Guest experience
EV charging at hotels has a reputation for being complicated. Multiple apps, unreliable hardware, and poor signage put guests off. The solution needed to be immediately intuitive for anyone, regardless of their experience with EV charging.

Operator value
Charging infrastructure is an investment. The hotels needed a solution that would attract new guests, generate revenue from the charge points themselves, and not create an ongoing management burden.

The EVC Solution

EVC Solutions designed and delivered a fully integrated charging solution across both Ibis Hotel sites, bringing together three specialist partners to address every aspect of the brief.

KEBA 22kW Charge Points with Load Balancing

Each site received eight 22kW KEBA charge points; among the most reliable and technically advanced units available in the UK market. KEBA has been manufacturing intelligent charging stations for over 15 years and brings a level of hardware quality that reduces downtime and ensures consistent performance.

Load balancing technology was deployed across all eight charge points at each site, dynamically distributing the available power supply across active sessions. This means multiple guests can charge simultaneously without any single vehicle being starved of power — and without requiring costly upgrades to the site's electrical infrastructure.

Bright.Green Centralised Payment Kiosks

One of the most significant barriers to hotel EV charging is the user experience. Guests shouldn't need to download an app, create an account, or carry a specialist card just to charge their car. Bright.Green's centralised payment kiosks solve this directly.

Each site features a Bright.Green kiosk that acts as the single point of interaction for guests. Drivers can pay by credit card, start their charging session, monitor progress, and collect a receipt — all from one intuitive interface. The kiosk eliminates the friction that makes public charging frustrating, turning it into a natural part of the hotel stay.

24/7 Remote Monitoring and Management

Both sites are monitored around the clock via the Bright.Green Connect platform, with EVC Solutions providing operational support and charge point management. Real-time diagnostics, performance data, and remote management tools ensure that any issue is identified and resolved quickly, without requiring hotel staff to manage the infrastructure themselves.

For the operator, this means a charging service that runs reliably in the background, with expert support available at all times.

The Results

1. A Better Guest Experience
Guests arriving at either Ibis Hotel site can charge their vehicle without downloading anything, registering anywhere, or asking at reception. The Bright.Green kiosk handles the entire interaction simply and quickly, making EV charging as straightforward as using a car park pay machine.

2. A New Revenue Stream for the Hotels
The charge points generate direct revenue for both hotel sites through guest charging sessions. Rather than treating EV infrastructure as a cost, Ibis Hotels have turned it into a commercial asset, one that attracts a growing segment of eco-conscious travellers and business professionals who actively seek out hotels with charging facilities when booking.

3. Reliable Infrastructure With No Management Burden
With 24/7 remote monitoring shared between Bright.Green Connect and EVC Solutions, neither hotel site requires staff to manage the charging infrastructure day to day. Faults are identified remotely, performance is tracked in real time, and support is available around the clock, leaving hotel teams free to focus on their guests.

4. Load Balancing Across 16 Charge Points
Deploying eight 22kW charge points at each site, sixteen in total, required careful power management to ensure simultaneous sessions could run without issue. EVC's load balancing solution distributes power intelligently across all active charge points, maximising the use of available supply and delivering a consistent charging experience regardless of how many vehicles are plugged in at any one time.

"The chargers are not only easy for our guests to use but also help us attract new visitors and encourage our regulars to keep coming back. EVC's expertise in balancing power distribution across multiple charge points has been invaluable."

Ibis Hotels representative

A Partnership Built Around the Operator

The Ibis Hotels project was the first deployment of the Bright.Green platform in the UK, and demonstrated what becomes possible when specialist expertise is combined rather than compromised. EVC Solutions brought installation quality and charge point management. KEBA brought hardware reliability. Bright.Green brought the guest-facing experience and payment infrastructure.

"KEBA's innovative technology and EVC's CPO expertise complement our mission of making EV charging convenient, compliant and profitable. Together, we are not just creating charging stations; we are creating experiences that will shape the future of EV charging."
Jiri Horalek, CEO, Bright.Green

For hotel operators considering EV charging, this project is a blueprint. The infrastructure works. The guest experience is simple. The revenue case is clear. And the ongoing management is handled.

The Outcome

Both Ibis Hotel sites in Derby and Leicester are now operating reliable, revenue-generating EV charging infrastructure that enhances the guest experience and supports the hotels' sustainability goals. The project has positioned both locations as destinations of choice for the growing population of EV drivers, and demonstrated that EV charging, done properly, is an asset rather than an overhead.

For hospitality businesses thinking about their next steps with EV infrastructure, the question isn't whether to invest. It's how to do it in a way that works for guests, works for the operator, and works commercially from day one.

EVC Solutions: Your Partner in EV Charging for Hospitality

EVC Solutions delivers end-to-end EV charging infrastructure for hotels, leisure venues, commercial properties, and car parks, from initial survey and design through to installation, charge point management, and ongoing support. We work with the best hardware and platform partners to ensure your investment is reliable, guest-friendly, and commercially sound.

Book an Appointment

If you want to know more about anything to do with EV charge point installation for your fleet, hotel, place of work, commercial building, holiday let or home, please contact EVC Solutions – The Electric Vehicle Charging Specialists, and see what's possible.

...see what's possible.

Contact EVC Solutions on 03300 904030 or hit the Book an Appointment button.