7 Lesser Known Free EV Charging Options

Electric vehicles have become more mainstream — more than one in five new passenger cars sold last year was an EV or plug-in hybrid. But the perks awarded to early adopters are slowly disappearing. Case in point: Tesla stopped providing unlimited free Supercharging with new models a couple of years ago (the company offers some charging perks during sales).

EV drivers are also losing another avenue of free charging with the conversion of Volta’s network of ad-supported chargers into paid ones, after the company was acquired by Shell. 

While it’s cheaper than filling a gas tank, paid public charging is a cost per kilowatt hour. Free options still exists, but these no-fee charging options are likely to shrink over time. “As more and more people are adopting electric vehicles, free charging perks will slowly subside, and it will be a charge for charge,” said Grant Gold, director of real estate solutions at EV Connect.

We asked industry experts the little known ways you can still find 100% free public charging stations. Here’s how: 

1. Charge for free while you see a movie

A few years ago, several retailers, including Macy’s and Kroger, announced that they would be adding free charging locations at select stores. Those programs, mainly backed by Volta, are now disappearing. One company still offering free charging is Cinemark. A representative for the movie theater chain confirmed that 160 free EV charging stations are available at select locations. The representative recommended using apps such as PlugShare to find these chargers, or calling your local theater.

2. Charge for free while checked in at a hotel

At one point, Tesla and other charging infrastructure companies struck deals with hotel chains to install chargers at select locations, and hotels offered guests the ability to charge for free. Now, however, hotels are installing their own charging infrastructure, and are hence less generous.

“As newer installations start to outnumber the previous Tesla Destination chargers, I would estimate that maybe 30% of hotels with EV chargers still provide free charging,” said Tony Booth, founder and CEO at Stay-N-Charge, an EV charging service provider focusing on the hospitality industry. “Most are moving to a charge-per-use model if they own them, or allowing other companies to install the chargers, in which case they have no control over pricing.”

Booth recommends anyone seeking out free charging perks at hotels to check in with full-service brands such as Marriott, Hilton or Intercontinental.

“The higher the room rate, the more likely you will get free charging,” Booth said. “Either way, the driver still somewhat pays for it either with higher room rates or by paying for the charge itself.”

Check ahead before making a reservation, or visit charging map services such as PlugShare, ChargeFinder or ChargeHub to view the status of area stations.

3. Charge for free while attending school

Many colleges have EV charging on campus. Some make it free for students, professors and staff and, on some campuses, even visitors.

Santa Clara University and the University of Florida, for example, provide free charging in partnership with ChargePoint.

Typically, there are restrictions: The University of Florida, for example, enforces a four-hour time limit, and you must have a university parking sticker if you’re charging before 4:30 p.m.

4. Charge for free while visiting a park, museum or other public place

There are more than 140 chargers available at national parks across the country, according to Kampgrounds of America. Some are free, including six Level 2 charging stations at the Oasis at Death Valley in California, which are powered by the resort’s onsite solar field.

You can find a map of EV charging stations in the National Park System.

Adopt a Charger, a nonprofit organization that aims to accelerate the adoption of EVs, teams up with various sponsors to install free chargers at parks, museums and rest areas. See a list of its chargers here.

Certain municipalities also offer free EV charging. For example, Westchester County in New York installed 25 charging stations at the County Center’s South Parking Lot available to use at no cost to event attendees, mass transit commuters, Bicycle Sunday participants and visitors to the Bronx River Parkway Reservation walk and bike trail.

5. Charge for free while watching a commercial — while you still can

Volta offered an interesting model to EV owners: watch ads, and get 30 minutes of free Level 2 charging. However, this program will soon disappear after Shell acquired the company in 2023.

“Shell Recharge is in the process of implementing payments across the network, including Level 2 (L2) chargers,” said a representative of Shell’s US media relations team. “Paid charging sessions help enable Shell Recharge to provide a better experience for drivers by supporting ongoing network maintenance that improves charger reliability and convenience.”

The representative added that requiring pay for charging as well as enabling idle fees will discourage squatting at the more than 4,000 Shell Recharge stations across the US to allow more people to use them. EV drivers still have time to enjoy free charging, though it’s not clear for how much longer.

“At this time, we are working through the phaseout timeline to ensure a consistent experience for all customers, but yes, customers can charge for free at stations where payments have not been enabled,” the representative said.

6. Search for free charging on a charging map 

There are hundreds of libraries, museums, government offices, nonprofits and private businesses that offer free EV charging.

Charging map services such as PlugShare, ChargeFinder or ChargeHub show stations across the country, with a setting for free chargers. Just go to the filters and find the option for free charging.

You can also get information on how many minutes you can charge, at what level, the status of the station and more.

Since much of this info is primarily crowdsourced, you may want to double-check its accuracy. 

7. Get in on manufacturer incentives

While Tesla may no longer offer unlimited free Supercharging with new models, other automakers still provide free charging packages to customers. Below is a table that rounds up many of the offers, most of which are through Electrify America and EVgo.

Read on: 12 Places That Offer EV Charging While You Shop