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Circle K charging station experience by Out of Spec Kyle
Amps
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I see a gray future location that will rain (4) 180 kW chargers on one of my charging deserts.
https://www.circlek.com/charge
https://www.circlek.com/charge
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theblunden
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Charged here Saturday it was super easy with the app and the store is brand new. If this is the new blueprint for future Circle K's I'm all about it.
IdeaOfTheDayCom
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It's a great example of sticking to basics.
If we ever want to see mass adoption, all they need to do is add chargers to already established rest areas and gas stations. They're already strategically placed where people need them.
The key to this is for big oil companies to see themselves as energy companies and for retailers that cater to drivers like 7-Eleven, QuickCheck, Speedway, WaWa, etc. to start adding chargers.
If we ever want to see mass adoption, all they need to do is add chargers to already established rest areas and gas stations. They're already strategically placed where people need them.
The key to this is for big oil companies to see themselves as energy companies and for retailers that cater to drivers like 7-Eleven, QuickCheck, Speedway, WaWa, etc. to start adding chargers.
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Toby57
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I think you have a catch 22 . Mass adoption of ev's will have to happen before those companies you name can predict time of return on such a large investment.
IdeaOfTheDayCom
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There are plenty of hurdles along the way, but with some countries in Europe banning the sale of new ICE in 7 years, they managed to reach the point where some countries sell more EVs than ICE.
To make that happen here, we're going to need EV chargers along all the major highways and the most logical locations are at existing service areas.
The sooner we have charging stations at those service areas the better. As I said, it won't be easy. Infrastructure needs to grow with it, but it will happen, and when it does, range will no longer be important.
IdeaOfTheDayCom
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Absolutely. Thankfully, the tide is turning. As Sandy Munro says, the entire industry is putting ICE in the rear view mirror. Companies without a solid electric strategy are doomed to fail.
Some of Europe will be banning ICE in less than 7 years, and some will be banning ICE in 12 years, along with large US states like California and NY.
It takes time to build infrastructure, but its going to happen. The clock is ticking.
F150ROD
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I signed up for the App, there is a local one coming soon. I agree that gas stations need more Chargers and not just malls, Costco, etc.
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theblunden
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..... You realize they put all the equipment in right?.?.? WITH all THE "real" COMMENTS I've READ on HERE I QUESTION every POST lol
FordLightningMan
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The issue with gas stations as currently designed is most want you in there for 5 minutes. Assuming there's no major change in charging technology, how does a gas station benefit from having someone loiter for 30+ minutes? Many of the corner gas stations just won't benefit from adding chargers, unless the chargers themselves are profitable.
I just watched a TV show on Dunkin Donuts and how it became very profitable by redesigning all of its locations to churn people out with to go orders. Having 12 guys sitting around drinking coffee all day was making the company lose money, when they originally catered to a longer in-store crowd. McDonalds is doing the same thing removing their play places, they just don't want people sitting there all day, the insurance cost is more than the sales benefit. The cost of adding a charger to the corner gas station and store goes up considerably, if they need to change the whole store to accommodate customers with longer stays. I don't see these locations becoming the charging spots of the future.
viennaxmas
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At least our local WaWa has a Tesla supercharger The local Walgreens has a single SemaConnect station. Shell acquired Volta, so hopefully we will see more charging stations soon. Gas stations already have real estate everywhere and I agree, this is the best option to grow quickly.
IdeaOfTheDayCom
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I agree with some of what you're saying, but keep in mind I'm mainly focusing on rest areas, not corner gas stations, where people traveling long distances are encouraged to take a break and they have plenty of space for people to take 20 minutes or so to grab some food, use the bathrooms and recharge their body and mind just as much as their cars.
Those rest areas normally have restaurants and gift shops so by the time you finish eating, you've hit 80% on your battery and are ready to roll.
That said, even the corner gas stations can eventually benefit from the transition because the margins on gasoline are super tiny. BP, Mobil and Shell are currently re-thinking their future offerings by partnering with major fast food companies so they can cash in on the extra waiting time.
Tesla has talked about building a modern drive-in experience where people order food from their Apps and it's brought to your window on a tray (like Sonic). It may sound odd, but that means they can build a smaller building for the kitchen and bathrooms, and have a lot more spaces to charge and eat.
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