No, We Won't Be Charging Up Electric Cars at the Gas Station
Most people have heard that EVs will be charged overnight at home, plugging into 240-volt systems installed in the garage. It's a reasonable plan, but it makes people nervous -- what if I'm stuck on the road and need a charge? Will today's gas station evolve into tomorrow's charging station?
The quick answer is probably not, at least in the short term. Although I'm hearing of behind-closed-doors sessions between charging companies and oil companies, there are some fundamental problems with the gas station charging model. As Richard Lowenthal, the CEO of charging leader Coulomb Technologies, told me, "The economics are troubled." As people are trying to figure out how charging becomes a business, a lot of plug-ins are being given away free.
Most of us spend less than 10 minutes filling up our cars, yet even with a 480-volt fast charge, an EV will take 30 minutes from empty to full. Gas stations do not provide the diversions necessary to occupy drivers for half an hour. "Gas station owners want to more people through their forecourts," Lowenthal told me during a recent visit to California. "They don't want to have cars sitting there charging."
Coulomb chargers are installed at some gas stations, but only in those with out-of-the-way locations that can accommodate long-term parking. There's also the very high cost of 480-volt chargers ($40,000 and $50,000, plus installation) for station owners, who would be paid back in $2 charges.
Mark Perry, the chief EV strategist at Nissan (whose Leaf battery car is imminent) sees a way it could work. He thinks that EV owners will pull into the gas station for just five minutes and instead of "filling up" will "top off"--adding just enough charge for 10 to 20 miles. I agree that is a possible model.
Lowenthal, whose company plans to introduce a fast charger (but expects low initial sales), drives an electric Mini E. He says he might pull into a fast-charge station as an emergency when he's running low. But the real market, he says, is along interstates, allowing limited-range cars like the Mini E to make the run from, say, Los Angeles to San Francisco. California is doing the most to subsidize both EVs and their charging infrastructure, so I'd expect interstate EV plug-ins there first.
Those kind of deals could happen, Lowenthal said, but they will require some negotiation with truck stop owners who have so far shown reluctance to invest huge amounts of capital in fast chargers. "The truck stop guys are powerful," he said, "and they're looking for someone to help pay for the installations." That could change as the market grows and the cars become more plentiful on the road.
Another lucrative market, Lowenthal said, is Starbucks and other pit stops where consumers are used to spending 10 minutes or more. If you were stopping there on the way to work anyway, you would plug in. And if one coffee shop had charging and the other didn't, you'd make an informed choice. Whole Foods has already installed charging (free to consumers for now) at an Austin, Texas flagship store, and I'm sure other stores will add it, too.
Another issue holding back fast charging is standardization. The Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) has developed a standard that includes a purpose-built plug that will be seen on early Nissan Leafs and Mitsubishi i-MiEVs. But there's no agreement to use that same standard and plug in the U.S.
Lowenthal says this isn't a huge issue, because Japanese-standard plugs could be swapped for a theoretical new one from the Society of Automotive Engineers for $500. But it's a loose end that needs to be quickly addressed.
So, no, you're probably not going to be recharging your EV at the local gas station. At least not yet.
Related: