3 ms·

And there are very few actual electrics on the road. I don't think it will be sustainable at all at scale. The time to charge simply is too long for any form of

by Noos 5y ago

And there are very few actual electrics on the road. I don't think it will be sustainable at all at scale. The time to charge simply is too long for any form of quick charging to exist widespread, and quick charging won't really work with an existing gas station model. They wont be able to service too many cars to make money on incidental purchases.

packetlost 5y ago
Yup, the gas station model is not going to work for that. IMO EVs have a very specific niche: commuters from suburbs/surrounding areas. For nearly every other situation EVs are poorly suited. For rural areas where heavy equipment is king, EVs range and utility just isn't there and probably won't be for a long time. For dense urban areas, public transport and personal vehicles (such as eBikes) are better for most people.
- emodendroket 5y ago
  In the US most people don't really have an option for public transport or bikes and won't for a long time. What you call a "very specific niche" is the majority of American drivers.
avianlyric 5y ago
I don’t know why you would stick with the gas station model, it’s completely unnecessary for EVs. An EV charger requires minimal infrastructure compared to a gas pump, and zero attendances. That means that supermarkets etc can just convert normal parking spaces to chargers. Reducing the need for quick charging because people will shop while they charge. On highways you can install huge 350kw chargers that can add hundreds of miles in the time it takes you to go to the loo and again chargers are incredibly cheap to install and require so little infrastructure compared to a gas pump. The cost of a 4 pump gas station is about $500k[0], the cost of a 4 “pump” supercharger station is around $100k[1]. That’s 5x cheaper, and far easier to expand because you’re not dealing with flammable liquids. [0] https://www.commtank.com/services/gas-station-construction-company/ https://www.commtank.com/services/gas-station-construction-c... [1] https://techcrunch.com/2013/07/26/inside-teslas-supercharger-partner-program-the-costs-and-commitments-of-electrifying-road-transport/ https://techcrunch.com/2013/07/26/inside-teslas-supercharger...

by Noos 5y ago

packetlost 5y ago

Yup, the gas station model is not going to work for that. IMO EVs have a very specific niche: commuters from suburbs/surrounding areas. For nearly every other situation EVs are poorly suited. For rural areas where heavy equipment is king, EVs range and utility just isn't there and probably won't be for a long time. For dense urban areas, public transport and personal vehicles (such as eBikes) are better for most people.

emodendroket 5y ago
In the US most people don't really have an option for public transport or bikes and won't for a long time. What you call a "very specific niche" is the majority of American drivers.

avianlyric 5y ago

I don’t know why you would stick with the gas station model, it’s completely unnecessary for EVs. An EV charger requires minimal infrastructure compared to a gas pump, and zero attendances. That means that supermarkets etc can just convert normal parking spaces to chargers. Reducing the need for quick charging because people will shop while they charge. On highways you can install huge 350kw chargers that can add hundreds of miles in the time it takes you to go to the loo and again chargers are incredibly cheap to install and require so little infrastructure compared to a gas pump. The cost of a 4 pump gas station is about $500k[0], the cost of a 4 “pump” supercharger station is around $100k[1]. That’s 5x cheaper, and far easier to expand because you’re not dealing with flammable liquids. [0] https://www.commtank.com/services/gas-station-construction-company/ https://www.commtank.com/services/gas-station-construction-c... [1] https://techcrunch.com/2013/07/26/inside-teslas-supercharger-partner-program-the-costs-and-commitments-of-electrifying-road-transport/ https://techcrunch.com/2013/07/26/inside-teslas-supercharger...