Technology

These are fast chargers to top-off for extended trips.

Those places make a lot more sense than what the US is doing, which is putting its long distance fast chargers in weird ass parking lots that lack access to a restroom, convenient store, food, or even a bucket with a window squeegee.

DC fast chargers. Not level 2 240v chargers.

Next, what a shit article.

You need infrastructure for fast charging so that people can travel long distances.

It takes several hours to charge my car at home. I do that twice a week or so.

That's too long when I go on a trip long enough where you'd need to get gas . If I go to the supercharger, it's 25 minutes every four hours or so. That's just the opposite of a problem for me.

The only remaining problem for me is that there's not more fast DC chargers.

I'd really like to take my EV camping, but the places where I like to go camping are far from any fast charging and don't have RV plugs. A regular 120v/15A wall plug overnight would resolve the issue, but I just can't guarantee that one's available.

That's the only "range anxiety" I have. On a daily basis, I just never have to worry about running out of juice. It's just full all the time.

It's like a phone. I charge it every night (I don't even do that for the EV). The only problem is if I'm traveling, and cars and planes have charging for me.

Once there's more infrastructure, it's just no problem.

Fast chargers at sizeable gas stations make sense. Sheetz has already been putting them in at some larger locations.

In much of the rural US gas stations are a "one stop" - gas, groceries and often a restaurant. It would be a no brainier to add charging to those.

Places you can spend time at. Restaurants, coffee shops, even fast food, the mall, etc.

Oh c'mon everyone hangs out at the local gas station!

To your point, mandate public places not a relic of a dying industry.

I can't imagine why you'd think that.

Yes. It takes a bit longer, but most people would charge at home.

You only use the fast DC chargers when you go on long trips.

There would just eventually be enough spots anyway. Supply and demand.

With my EV, you don't "go to the gas station" unless you're on a road trip. In your day to day travel, you just always have enough juice.

It's actually a lot nicer than a gas car in this respect.

Here in Australia, I think it would actually work quite well, particularly in rural areas... then again all our service stations are pretty much convenience stores where you can buy fuel. Many of them you can buy a coffee and baked goods as well, some even have full restaurants.

Every gas station has non gas pump parking. Slap a couple of them in there.

If anything its a boon for them, as gas is sold at cost generally. Nearly all the profit comes from items in the convenience store.

I think you have it backwards.

Gas stations don't need to evolve to become restaurants... restaurants needs to simply add chargers.

It isn't even a huge leap for customers to expect it either. Some 15 years ago there was a big push for restaurants and stores and markets to install wifi for their customers. This is not all that different, quite honestly. If a restaurant has 15 parking spots in it's lot, it shouldn't be a huge ask to install a handful of chargers which can be shared by most of the parking spots. Most parking lots already have some kind of power out there for signage or lightpoles. You can tap off that, or go solar.

My experience is that even places with fast food are not fast enough for EV charging. I pretty much always end up charging more than I actually need, or even move the car because its fully charged, before we're done eating and back at the car.

Right now EVs charge fast enough that you can't do anything meaningful with the time, but too slow for just sitting and waiting.

Some US chains are primed for this, or at least pretty close. Wawa, Buc-ee's, and similar, have ready made and made to order food, restrooms, and many have shopping as well. They aren't full sitdown restaurants, but they could optionally add seating areas if they didn't want to just let people eat in their cars.

So pretty much they just need to find space for the car chargers at their normal parking spots, and maybe add some more spots to deal with increased demand in the future. I've seen both Wawa and Buc-ee's testing chargers at some of the locations, so they're definitely moving in the direction already.

You're not spending 30+ minutes charging on modern EV's (maybe some cheap crappy ones IDK)...I spent my summer holiday driving around Europe for 3 weeks, and charging stops were always <25min from leaving the highway to back on the highway. The actual charging time was often so short that we barely had time to get the kids to the bathroom and back before the car was ready to drive for another couple of hours. Having them at gas stations in Germany, where there's almost always a decent level of amenities (at least along the highway) is just fine and makes perfect sense.

it's not, what about the handicapped who need assistance? Gas station has those.

• all the amenities that are at the gas station so you can do stuff during your 15 minute charge,

this should be done along major roads everywhere

Though I'd agree simple 230v (since it's the EU) charging in many places is something that should be a focus too, mainly at workplaces and stuff like that where people spend a lot of time

Most gas stations have some building with a (or multiple) shops which could easily be adjusted to slow moving chillin car charging peoples (no offense, I’m one as well).

You mean by making petrol stations have EV charging points?

While I agree, it is much easier to bring in charging stations to gas stations where infrastructure is already built out. It seems like a near-term win with the long-term option for flat integration/power connectivity

Some gas stations are also highway rest areas with restaurants and whatnot. The ones that aren't close to rest areas are in mixed used neighbourhoods, so possibly close to the customers' homes. If you take your car to the cinema in Germany, you're doing it wrong.

While it is a good idea to put them near the places you suggest, it not stupid to put them also at the gas stations. Here we already have gas station on highways with EV charging stations and they just take some parking places, usually a couple in the smaller stations and maybe up to a dozen in the biggest ones. It is a nice advantage to be able to have lunch while the car recharge.