By Rachel Goff
A small bed and breakfast in Warren is helping make The Valley more accessible to environmentally conscious tourists.
Last Tuesday, December 16, West Hill House B&B, Warren, unveiled the installation of two Tesla chargers, which will be available for complimentary use to owners of electric vehicles (EV) who stay overnight at the bed and breakfast.
According to Peter MacLaren, who owns West Hill House with his wife, Susan, the Tesla chargers will fully charge the EV vehicles in about eight hours, giving them a 280-mile range. With that range, a weekend in Warren is now possible for Tesla owners from as far away as Montreal and Boston, as well as for Tesla owners from New York City who stop to top off at a charger in Albany.
In the last year, Vermont has seen an 81 percent increase in electric vehicle registration and West Hill House is the first bed and breakfast in the state to install a Tesla charger. Already, the B&B was home to a Level II charging station for other EVs and plug-in hybrids. According to MacLaren, lodges provide the perfect location for EV charging stations because drivers are staying there for long periods of time (i.e., overnight).
"Making Vermont EV-friendly for both residents and visitors ... will not only create convenience," Vermont tourism commissioner Megan Smith said. "It will help create a new market segment for [the state's] tourism industry."
Smith attended the unveiling of the Tesla chargers last Tuesday. When the MacLarens told her of the installation, "I was not surprised at all," Smith said. "These two are always doing something cutting-edge."
In 2009, former Governor Jim Douglas recognized West Hill House as a "Green Hotel in the Green Mountain State" based on the bed and breakfast's commitment to environmental stewardship, but with the Tesla chargers, "We believe we've actually moved into a new category of accommodation," MacLaren said. Instead of a B&B, West Hill House is now a BEB," he said, offering "beds, electrons and breakfast."
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