The Electric Gas Station of the Future

Automobiles are going electric. Not just because of climate change concerns, but because the technology has slowly but surely matured, and gasoline motors are reaching their limits as tailpipe emission standards become tougher as the human health concerns grow over what was once seen as acceptable levels of nitrous oxides, carbon monoxide and other hydrocarbons in urban air basins.

Electricity is a much more flexible of a fuel. A highly-refined form of energy, much more of it is turned into useful work then gasoline in an internal combustion engine. When you “burn” electricity, it can come from coal, natural gas, nuclear power, hydro-electric, solar, wind among other sources. You can turn what makes sense locally into electricity. With modern inverter-drives, high-voltage three-phase inductive motors you have very good control over wheel torque, horsepower and speed. No complicated transmissions or gear boxes to control wheels. Just computer code telling the inverter to create the desired sine-wave to get the desired output on the wheels.

It’s the future. It will be a really good future for gas stations. While most people will fill their electric cars up at home to maximize their savings by using home-purchased electric power, when out on extended road trips or travel, people will need to recharge their batteries. And that’s where fast-charging at gas stations comes about. Travelers will need a place to stop and recharge their batteries — and not just their cars’ batteries but themselves.

The gas station of the future will look a lot like the modern gas station and convenience mart of today — only bigger with more full-service facilities. A typical fast charging takes around 20 minutes, which will mean time for the traveler to get out of their car, run to the bathroom, and get lunch or dinner. Many stations may be full service – you pull up, the clerk comes out, plugs your car in, and asks if you would like a bite to eat or some coffee. They will have free Wi-Fi and comfortable seating inside to drink your coffee.

Gas stations might not just be the traditional single-purpose gas station. There is no reason why McDonalds and all the fat-frier shops wouldn’t install electric charging stations, so people spend more time lingering and buying food. Gas stations, typically a dirty smelly, greasy business that lately has been trying to lure customers in, aren’t nearly as dirty or smelly if they aren’t vending volatile gasoline. Dinners would also add chargers, to get people to come and eat while they top-off their cars. Shopping mauls and other retailers may get into the business too — electricity is relatively cheap bought in bulk, and it’s an added revenue source if you install chargers in your lot.

Ultimately, many businesses may choose to add electric chargers, as most have access to 480 volt or high-voltage three-phase electricity. 240-volt Level 2 chargers are very basic, and inexpensive to install, and fast chargers aren’t that expensive to install if there is a sufficient 3-phase feed into existing businesses. And they will only get cheaper as time goes on and they are mass-produced and manufacturers find ways to further costs.