When the internet was first built, internet service providers (ISPs) needed a way to connect network lines around the world. In the United States, these fiber-optic cables needed to stretch hundreds of miles across extreme terrain. Laying the infrastructure from scratch would’ve cost the ISPs trillions of dollars.
Instead, they chose to leverage existing solutions.
Back in the 19th century, phone companies laid telephone lines wherever train tracks were being built. During the internet revolution, these new ISPs only needed to add an extra cable on the existing lines — expediting the ubiquity of the internet.
The moral of this story? Work in tandem with your predecessors, not against them. The same principle applies to electric vehicle infrastructure.
ChargePoint CEO Pasquale Romano disagrees. To him, the appeal of EV charging stations lies in the convenience of their location. He envisions a society where EV chargers at every parking lot render gas stations and dedicated charging stations obsolete.
While the ultimate goal of the charging network is to achieve this level of convenience, it’s years and possibly decades until this becomes reality. Unless companies make a conscious effort to optimize the charging experience, electric vehicles remain a niche for years to come.
The solution lies in gas stations.
While the average American lives 31 minutes away from the nearest electric vehicle charging station, they live a mere 4 minutes away from the nearest gas station. It’s not about building more and more chargers in commercial areas; it’s about capitalizing on what’s already there.
Moreover, the user experience starts long before the charging station. Drivers of gas vehicles drive knowing that the chances of them running out of gas are minuscule.
On the contrary, drivers of electric vehicles have to put much more thought into trip planning. For longer drives, they account for the number of EV chargers along their route and the time it takes to charge their vehicle at every stop.
While apps have helped make this process more convenient, it still requires a lot of planning for an efficient trip. And once they arrive, they have to search for the station itself. Charging stations are usually discreet and inconspicuous, a far cry from the bright and vibrant footprint of gas stations.
Even if the driver knows the location of the charger, it doesn’t mean they’ll be able to find it. In urban areas, many charging stations are located in parking structures, further limiting visibility.
Of course, this isn’t a panacea for the problems of electric vehicle infrastructure.
But, it is nevertheless an interesting business plan, especially in rural areas. After all, charging stations get the most use on long-distance trips where an overnight charge is impossible. Not only increasing the density but also increasing the visibility of EV charging stations in rest stops and small towns could be a viable alternative to spending more money on batteries with greater ranges.
A partnership with gas stations will increase the density and thus the convenience of charging stations. It’ll also make the user experience to find a charger easier for drivers.
To take a step forward, sometimes you have to take two steps back. In the case of electric vehicle infrastructure, it’s a good idea to make an unlikely partnership with their competitors — the gas stations.
