Charging stations are getting more and more common.
I was reading that a lot of gas stations are transitioning from “stop and go” (or “stop and convenience store and go”) to a more “rest area” format. As in, there will be things to do there while your EV charges. Brands like Sheetz and Wawa and Buc’ees that already provide food (and, by some accounts, it’s better than your typical “gas station” fare) are looking into other things to keep you hanging around. Before, gas stations wanted you to leave ASAP so you free up a pump for another customer. But now if you have to take an hour to charge, they want to keep you fed and entertained so your time is not wasted. (But, by the same token, they’re going to want you to vacate your charging port once you’re done, so another customer can charge. Imagine waiting not only to charge, but for a charger to open up.)
Hopefully it improves as time goes on - from what I can gather EVs in the US mainly make sense if you’re a homeowner or live in an apartment that has a charging station on site.
(I wouldn’t be able to own one and reliably maintain charge right now as a college student, for example)
I’ve never understood the gas station thing. Unless you’re along a highway, why would people stop? Charging does have different characteristics than refueling, so we shouldn’t expect the same behavior to be convenient. As hone charging and destination charging get more widespread, you never need to go to a local gas station again. Some of them may be worried about extinction, and they should be
Yeah, charging in apartments, HOAs, street parking is much less developed but it is making progress finally. Part of it is up to states to jumpstart, through building codes and incentives
I wouldn’t be able to … reliably maintain charge right now as a college student
While i’ve never seen actual data, the colleges I’ve visited were among the first “landlords” to add EV chargers. As a student, getting a campus parking pass is harder than finding charging once you do
Last year at family weekend for my youngest, I was annoyed at having to stay at a distant hotel, when those along campus had chargers
I’m definitely not against charging as a concept - it’s just in my current circumstances it’s not viable. Without doxxing myself, the current college I am in does not have charging at any of their parking garages or at the dorms.
Charging stations are getting more and more common.
I was reading that a lot of gas stations are transitioning from “stop and go” (or “stop and convenience store and go”) to a more “rest area” format. As in, there will be things to do there while your EV charges. Brands like Sheetz and Wawa and Buc’ees that already provide food (and, by some accounts, it’s better than your typical “gas station” fare) are looking into other things to keep you hanging around. Before, gas stations wanted you to leave ASAP so you free up a pump for another customer. But now if you have to take an hour to charge, they want to keep you fed and entertained so your time is not wasted. (But, by the same token, they’re going to want you to vacate your charging port once you’re done, so another customer can charge. Imagine waiting not only to charge, but for a charger to open up.)
Hopefully it improves as time goes on - from what I can gather EVs in the US mainly make sense if you’re a homeowner or live in an apartment that has a charging station on site.
(I wouldn’t be able to own one and reliably maintain charge right now as a college student, for example)
I’ve never understood the gas station thing. Unless you’re along a highway, why would people stop? Charging does have different characteristics than refueling, so we shouldn’t expect the same behavior to be convenient. As hone charging and destination charging get more widespread, you never need to go to a local gas station again. Some of them may be worried about extinction, and they should be
Yeah, charging in apartments, HOAs, street parking is much less developed but it is making progress finally. Part of it is up to states to jumpstart, through building codes and incentives
While i’ve never seen actual data, the colleges I’ve visited were among the first “landlords” to add EV chargers. As a student, getting a campus parking pass is harder than finding charging once you do
Last year at family weekend for my youngest, I was annoyed at having to stay at a distant hotel, when those along campus had chargers
I’m definitely not against charging as a concept - it’s just in my current circumstances it’s not viable. Without doxxing myself, the current college I am in does not have charging at any of their parking garages or at the dorms.