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I don't have an EV yet but I wonder how practical it will be to charge at gas stations. Where I live, gas stations usually aren't in areas where there's much el

I don't have an EV yet but I wonder how practical it will be to charge at gas stations. Where I live, gas stations usually aren't in areas where there's much else to do even for 15 minutes. Sure there is usually a store but even if I needed a few things, how long would that keep me busy, 5 minutes? And if that's the case, how profitable would that be? Given how long it takes to charge and how limited space is, I wonder if it'd make much more sense to place a large number of chargers in places where people spend time i.e. park for >30 minutes, nowadays anyway. Shopping centers, grocery stores, movie theatres, business parks, etc. Edit: Thanks all for sharing your experiences

andix 3y ago
Fast charging is usually so fast that you can barely do anything else before the car is full and you need to move it. If you go for lunch for example usually you need to hurry not to pay overtime fees. AC charging is another thing, this can take 5-10 hours, that's perfect for a movie theatre or a shopping center. And they are rather cheap to build. Just a small box to plug in a charging cable. And personally I often plug in with 60% SoC or more, so I don't need a full charge.
_ea1k 3y ago
On the east coast, there's been a trend to larger, well-list stations with clean restrooms and much better food than ye ole hot dog roller. A stop like that is perfect for DCFC, especially when open 24 hours.
stetrain 3y ago
On road trips my charging stops are usually 10-20 minutes, so not enough time to go in and sit down at a restaurant or watch a movie. At longer stay locations then high powered AC chargers (12kW+) or slow DC chargers (25-50kw) could make a lot of sense. Personally I haven't yet managed to go into a Buc-ee's store, use the restroom, and get out with a snack before the car sends me a notification that it's ready to go.
bryanlarsen 3y ago
We did a 3000km trip 4 times with an EV as a family. We basically alternated between 20 minute charging stops and 40-60 minute stops. If you have a family, it takes about 20 minutes to bathroom, buy a coffee and pull a game or something out of the back for the kids. 40-60 minutes is a sit down meal & bathroom break.

andix 3y ago

Fast charging is usually so fast that you can barely do anything else before the car is full and you need to move it. If you go for lunch for example usually you need to hurry not to pay overtime fees. AC charging is another thing, this can take 5-10 hours, that's perfect for a movie theatre or a shopping center. And they are rather cheap to build. Just a small box to plug in a charging cable. And personally I often plug in with 60% SoC or more, so I don't need a full charge.

_ea1k 3y ago

On the east coast, there's been a trend to larger, well-list stations with clean restrooms and much better food than ye ole hot dog roller. A stop like that is perfect for DCFC, especially when open 24 hours.

stetrain 3y ago

On road trips my charging stops are usually 10-20 minutes, so not enough time to go in and sit down at a restaurant or watch a movie. At longer stay locations then high powered AC chargers (12kW+) or slow DC chargers (25-50kw) could make a lot of sense. Personally I haven't yet managed to go into a Buc-ee's store, use the restroom, and get out with a snack before the car sends me a notification that it's ready to go.

bryanlarsen 3y ago

We did a 3000km trip 4 times with an EV as a family. We basically alternated between 20 minute charging stops and 40-60 minute stops. If you have a family, it takes about 20 minutes to bathroom, buy a coffee and pull a game or something out of the back for the kids. 40-60 minutes is a sit down meal & bathroom break.