A motel charging EVs from its own power plant
Show 5 more photos Show 11 more photos Hide additional photos
When our plans changed yesterday, we fronted up to the Waterview Motel, Maclean. It’s simple accommodation, right near town, perfect for an overnight stay on the way along the coast. We’ve been here before, and had the time to take a peaceful walk along the levee bank across the road that keeps the town safe from the Clarence River.
Like last time we stayed, I walked ten minutes down the road to get some takeaway dinner from Peking Chinese Restaurant McLean. Fried rice and satayed vegetables hit the spot.
A double room on Booking.com listed for $145. But it was only $130 direct.
Jeremy and Joy have run this place for nearly four years. Lovely people. He regularly posts on the socials about the motel, improvements and staff. They had some storm damage to the roof that necessitated temporarily removing the solar panels.
The tap just passed the tall water bottle test. I nearly failed the get power cord out of the jug handle test.
We filled up the water bottles. We filled the car's washer fluid, which is the only ongoing service we have to do.
We both were unexpectedly pleased with the visitor cupboards. Bear with me here. Normally, a motel has a small closet with doors for us to store bags and clothing. But it becomes a bit of a mess. This shelf cupboard with no doors makes it really easy to just throw our bags in, and see that we haven’t left anything behind. Similarly, we temporarily removed the shelf in the fridge so we could just slide our cooler bag into it, without unpacking it. It’s the little things.
Like many motels, this one asks drivers to not back into the parking outside the rooms, to avoid the exhaust aiming straight into the doorways. EVs are, as you might expect, exempt.
Over time, Jeremy has installed some self sustaining tech:
- A roof full of solar panels (22kW).
- 100kWh of battery storage. The old 60kWh of “cheap batteries” (Duracell) in front, behind the trees, and a new 40kWh Sigenergy stack out the front.
- About six 4.3kW AC destination EV chargers, next to cabins and in the parking area.
- Two 25 kW DC EV chargers.
To cap it all off, he has a BYD Atto 3 and a Sealion 7 which he occasionally connects to the system as mobile batteries, using bidirectional charging. They can absorb excess solar during the day, and then help power the motel and EV chargers at night. Really impressive.
When Maclean lost power, months ago, the motel kept its lights on from its batteries. Jeremy says the motel’s energy costs are down 95%.
Charging
We fully charged yesterday at New Italy, so only needed about a 15% top up at the motel. Easy. Plug in, no app, charging at 4.3 kW, and at 94% by the time we left. I started charging in the morning, to use the solar and be ready to leave. The motel advertises 50c/kWh for its DC chargers. This will get us all the way across the Great Dividing Range today, through Guyra to Armidale. We could stop to charge in Grafton, but won’t need to.
Related Posts
- Our first stay at the Waterview Motel: An overnight stop in Maclean 22 Feb 2025
- Why we ended up in Maclean this time: Emergency stop in Maclean 20 Sep 2026
- Where we fully charged the day before: New Italy is new for us 20 Sep 2026
- Crepes for breakfast at Botero Cafe, Maclean 22 Feb 2025
- Why EVs make better motel neighbours 11 Dec 2022
- Destination chargers at every room: Woomargama Hotel Motel 27 May 2025
- What Jeremy’s BYDs can do, and our Model Y can’t: I wish my Model Y had V2L 30 Dec 2025
Report
Report
Report