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I think what these oil companies realized is that they will cater to two personas of their customers. EV and IC vehicles I think they realized that IC and EV a

I think what these oil companies realized is that they will cater to two personas of their customers. EV and IC vehicles I think they realized that IC and EV are both not going away soon, so why not keep their customer base instead of other competitors taking them away. Also, they already have the advantage of real estate. They know that they can add a charging network cheaply in their gas stations than a new player in town building one. I don't really buy the argument that they can limit supply to increase the price of driving EV. I recently bought an EV and sold my IC car because it puts a smile on my face when I drive it. It was never a financial decision for me. Plus EV are insanely expensive, most of these people can afford a substantial increase in electricity prices Like geez, you can buy two IC for one EV. I do hope that EV car prices go down significantly as it seems like a lot of people would want to buy an EV, but the price point is just too much

tlrobinson 6y ago
> They know that they can add a charging network cheaply in their gas stations Maybe a dumb question, but is it safe to put a bunch of EV chargers at gas stations? I don’t think I’ve seen any so far.
- grogenaut 6y ago
  There is power at gas stations already, there is in fact power at the pumps. They also let you drive your car up to the pump, use your cell phone, and wear clothing that generates static electricity.
- alexgartrell 6y ago
  I'm not an electrical engineer, but from watching this video [0], there seem to be about a million and a half different mechanisms to prevent sparks from chargers. [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMxB7zA-e4Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMxB7zA-e4Y
- speedgoose 6y ago
  Most gas stations in Oslo have fast chargers, between 50 and 300kW each.
- kolinko 6y ago
  I’ve seen them installed on a few stations already - they are in the parking areas, not filling areas - if fume concentrations are high enough to light up there then there are way bigger issues with the station :)
spoonjim 6y ago
The oil companies don’t own gas stations. Those are privately owned with franchising agreements.
- grogenaut 6y ago
  franchising agreements can force people to add new products like the McRib, or charging stations or lose supply.
- shiftpgdn 6y ago
  Depends on the supermajor. I know BP for sure has a retail arm where they own gas stations in addition to franchises. Same for shell.
- shrumm 6y ago
  the franchisee has a profit motive too. If adding a charging station brings in more revenue - I don't see why the franchisee would refuse. Also, factor in that charging times are longer for EV. This means they'll spend more money at the in-station cafe/convenience store vs the avg IC car driver.
  - vegetablepotpie 6y ago
    I can see that. Gas at gas stations is more of a loss leader, the real profits are in alcohol and tobacco.
esturk 6y ago
I don't buy the advantage of adding charging networks to existing gas stations being cheaper. For one, it'll probably cost the same as for existing retail stores to install charging points. But all existing retail stores have the extra benefit of saving you time while you shop, do laundry, get your hair done, etc.
- m463 6y ago
  I suspect these companies saw elon musk on battery day say "yeah, this is happening". Now they want to make sure they have a plan if gasoline usage, er, tanks.
- bobthepanda 6y ago
  Retail stores operate ludicrously thin margins, particularly in the USA where there was a retail apocalypse already happening because there is way too much retail per capita even before you consider the effects of online shopping. where are they supposed to get the money for installing lots of chargers in their lots?
  - bryanlarsen 6y ago
    It's a mutually beneficial arrangement. AFAICT the charging networks will set up a charging station for free, although you may be on the hook for some incidentals.
- handmodel 6y ago
  I disagree. A lot of gas stations are conveniently located near the highway. You may think that not everyone drives on the highway - but people who do lots of road trips or drive continuously for work or have an hour long commute make up a disproportionate amount of the driving. It's probably true a lot of upper-middle class people now would prefer to charge while getting some shopping in - but presumably in the future people will just want convenience. I could see a chain like Costco or Target adding EV stations to every parking lot - but I think for the most part gas stations are located where the cars are. (Also, the scale of this seems good and a good way to make investors feel good about a hedge, but that's beside the initial point)
knorthfield 6y ago
> Also, they already have the advantage of real estate. They know that they can add a charging network cheaply in their gas stations than a new player in town building one. Then why buy up charging networks? Why not just develop their own? Genuine question.
- vishnugupta 6y ago
  It’s a good way to bootstrap. They will also acquire the technical know how to retrofit parts of their gas stations with EV charging stations. They either way need to spend money so why not just spend it to acquire the tech and infrastructure to gain time. As far as acquisitions go this makes so much business sense. Same domain, complementary user base and technology, and with great growth opportunity.

tlrobinson 6y ago

> They know that they can add a charging network cheaply in their gas stations Maybe a dumb question, but is it safe to put a bunch of EV chargers at gas stations? I don’t think I’ve seen any so far.

grogenaut 6y ago
There is power at gas stations already, there is in fact power at the pumps. They also let you drive your car up to the pump, use your cell phone, and wear clothing that generates static electricity.
alexgartrell 6y ago
I'm not an electrical engineer, but from watching this video [0], there seem to be about a million and a half different mechanisms to prevent sparks from chargers. [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMxB7zA-e4Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMxB7zA-e4Y
speedgoose 6y ago
Most gas stations in Oslo have fast chargers, between 50 and 300kW each.
kolinko 6y ago
I’ve seen them installed on a few stations already - they are in the parking areas, not filling areas - if fume concentrations are high enough to light up there then there are way bigger issues with the station :)

spoonjim 6y ago

The oil companies don’t own gas stations. Those are privately owned with franchising agreements.

grogenaut 6y ago
franchising agreements can force people to add new products like the McRib, or charging stations or lose supply.
shiftpgdn 6y ago
Depends on the supermajor. I know BP for sure has a retail arm where they own gas stations in addition to franchises. Same for shell.
shrumm 6y ago
the franchisee has a profit motive too. If adding a charging station brings in more revenue - I don't see why the franchisee would refuse. Also, factor in that charging times are longer for EV. This means they'll spend more money at the in-station cafe/convenience store vs the avg IC car driver.
- vegetablepotpie 6y ago
  I can see that. Gas at gas stations is more of a loss leader, the real profits are in alcohol and tobacco.

esturk 6y ago

I don't buy the advantage of adding charging networks to existing gas stations being cheaper. For one, it'll probably cost the same as for existing retail stores to install charging points. But all existing retail stores have the extra benefit of saving you time while you shop, do laundry, get your hair done, etc.

m463 6y ago
I suspect these companies saw elon musk on battery day say "yeah, this is happening". Now they want to make sure they have a plan if gasoline usage, er, tanks.
bobthepanda 6y ago
Retail stores operate ludicrously thin margins, particularly in the USA where there was a retail apocalypse already happening because there is way too much retail per capita even before you consider the effects of online shopping. where are they supposed to get the money for installing lots of chargers in their lots?
- bryanlarsen 6y ago
  It's a mutually beneficial arrangement. AFAICT the charging networks will set up a charging station for free, although you may be on the hook for some incidentals.
handmodel 6y ago
I disagree. A lot of gas stations are conveniently located near the highway. You may think that not everyone drives on the highway - but people who do lots of road trips or drive continuously for work or have an hour long commute make up a disproportionate amount of the driving. It's probably true a lot of upper-middle class people now would prefer to charge while getting some shopping in - but presumably in the future people will just want convenience. I could see a chain like Costco or Target adding EV stations to every parking lot - but I think for the most part gas stations are located where the cars are. (Also, the scale of this seems good and a good way to make investors feel good about a hedge, but that's beside the initial point)

knorthfield 6y ago

> Also, they already have the advantage of real estate. They know that they can add a charging network cheaply in their gas stations than a new player in town building one. Then why buy up charging networks? Why not just develop their own? Genuine question.

vishnugupta 6y ago
It’s a good way to bootstrap. They will also acquire the technical know how to retrofit parts of their gas stations with EV charging stations. They either way need to spend money so why not just spend it to acquire the tech and infrastructure to gain time. As far as acquisitions go this makes so much business sense. Same domain, complementary user base and technology, and with great growth opportunity.