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> I predict EV road trips will be economical in the US when McDonalds installs chargers at their locations along the interstates, as a convenience to customers

> I predict EV road trips will be economical in the US when McDonalds installs chargers at their locations along the interstates, as a convenience to customers rather than a primary revenue source. I've been offering it as free advice for a while that the company wanting the most to be the next McDonald's for the All American Road Trip will be the fast food chain that goes all in on electrifying their parking spaces. (I think one of the businesses that could most easily push into that is actually the Sonic chain. They already electrify most of their parking spots, they just need to add charger cables. There's some interesting retro irony in how their outdated/outmoded throwback diner style becomes relevant in a new way there.) > IMHO this will require next-gen DC fast chargers as well, as the current models are still rather clunky and expensive for McD's. Expense seems to be a matter of scale. A chain making a big enough (risky enough) bet at a large enough national scale would have all manner of power to bring in economies of scale with current models. I think a lot of the same applies to clunkiness. I think a lot of the clunkiness is "intentional" by the current purchasers of chargers. They aren't pushing back hard enough on the user experience because they win a little by chargers still seeming "exotic" and "new" and "exciting" and the clunkiness seems to me as much an accident of charging still trying to compete with old business models and new early adopter customers rather than just being boring parts of everyday life than an inhereent technology problem. Something like a restaurant making a big bet on charging, wanting to roll it out to every parking lot they own, with as few maintenance/OpEx costs as possible, and wanting to make sure that it is the least hassle possible to their customers to encourage even more money to be spent inside on food: that would have a lot of incentive power to eliminate a lot of clunkiness really quickly.

WorldMaker 4y ago
Related "free" advice, just because it amuses me: it might not even be fast food that wins "this round", it could be a category more like "fast casual". Current charging times suggest to me that a slower sit-down restaurant could still "win big" as the roadside stop while traveling in an EV. Perhaps especially if it has got a good "exit through the gift shop" strategy. EV chargers are perhaps counter to Cracker Barrel's whole brand aesthetic, but that's also another one that jumps out to me that if they made an EV play they could really take advantage of it. Some of the old brands of "fast casual" chains got stripped for parts in recent economies and you possibly resuscitate one on the cheap with this very idea in mind. I'd invest tens, maybe hundreds of dollars, if I heard someone was planning something like that.
simfree 4y ago
Sonics has been terrible to deal with as an EV owner. Plug in at a stall adjacent to Sonics, walk over after ordering online 25 minutes ahead of time, 50/50 chance they will refuse to fulfil the order since they are car only. When they do fulfil the order, you need to stand at the door they go out and take it from them, no waiting in a stall or at the tables outside as a pedestrian. Sonics is a true believer in ICE car culture, and your lucky to get your order if you don't have a car. Sonics in Mt Vernon does have a single EV charger, but it is 120v and is not useful even in the most energy efficient EVs. Safeway keeps coming in clutch tho, free Volta charging while I go hit their hot food section is awesome and easy.
- WorldMaker 4y ago
  Oh yeah, I'm not expecting Sonic to become EV friendly any time soon, I'm just thinking it's funny that they almost have a business model setup to be EV friendly since they already wire their parking lots with all those intercoms putting a charger along with that almost makes too much sense. It would be a funny way for a relic of a weirder era of ICE car culture to be more relevant in the EV era but I'm sure that irony escapes most of their current executives.

WorldMaker 4y ago

Related "free" advice, just because it amuses me: it might not even be fast food that wins "this round", it could be a category more like "fast casual". Current charging times suggest to me that a slower sit-down restaurant could still "win big" as the roadside stop while traveling in an EV. Perhaps especially if it has got a good "exit through the gift shop" strategy. EV chargers are perhaps counter to Cracker Barrel's whole brand aesthetic, but that's also another one that jumps out to me that if they made an EV play they could really take advantage of it. Some of the old brands of "fast casual" chains got stripped for parts in recent economies and you possibly resuscitate one on the cheap with this very idea in mind. I'd invest tens, maybe hundreds of dollars, if I heard someone was planning something like that.

simfree 4y ago

Sonics has been terrible to deal with as an EV owner. Plug in at a stall adjacent to Sonics, walk over after ordering online 25 minutes ahead of time, 50/50 chance they will refuse to fulfil the order since they are car only. When they do fulfil the order, you need to stand at the door they go out and take it from them, no waiting in a stall or at the tables outside as a pedestrian. Sonics is a true believer in ICE car culture, and your lucky to get your order if you don't have a car. Sonics in Mt Vernon does have a single EV charger, but it is 120v and is not useful even in the most energy efficient EVs. Safeway keeps coming in clutch tho, free Volta charging while I go hit their hot food section is awesome and easy.

WorldMaker 4y ago
Oh yeah, I'm not expecting Sonic to become EV friendly any time soon, I'm just thinking it's funny that they almost have a business model setup to be EV friendly since they already wire their parking lots with all those intercoms putting a charger along with that almost makes too much sense. It would be a funny way for a relic of a weirder era of ICE car culture to be more relevant in the EV era but I'm sure that irony escapes most of their current executives.