The orange LOW FUEL light has been on in your car for a few days now, so you probably should do something about it, right? If you’re driving a seventies or eighties American car, it’s likely that your gas gauge was on FULL forever and then dropped like a stone as they all did, so you don’t know what to trust. You pull into the nearest station and are shocked at what you see. Tiny, low gas pumps out in the open, no protection from the elements. Short little hoses that force you to position your car to match their length. Which pumps are in use, and which are not? How much time until that car in front of me is done? Have I been transported back to, say, 1955 or something?
Welcome to the world of today’s EV user. There are many things that we need to keep in mind with this new infrastructure, even the etiquette for plugging and unplugging other people’s vehicles as discussed by Jason a little while back. Still, we’re ignoring one of the other areas that needs some more thought- charging stations.
Many if not most of today’s charging ‘stations’ are very minimalistic units, not unlike the gasoline pumps that used to exist at fueling stations nearly a century ago. In fact, they look almost exactly like modern versions of those pumps.
Sure, recharging an electric vehicle is not the same as filling a tank with the remnants of dead dinosaurs, but there are many of the same challenges which gas stations have faced and dealt with over the years. Why have EV charging designers and manufacturers seemed to ignore the advancements that were made to gas pumps and try to incorporate more of them into these electric equivalents?
First, most EV stations seemed to be designed in a similar vein to the Tesla Superchargers; devices created by a company that is headquartered where the weather is always nice (correction- the weather was nice until David Tracy moved there).
Here in the frozen tundra, these chargers at nearby Northbrook Court mall have cables that fall nicely onto the ground in the water or slush to the point where if you were going to be nice enough to try to hang them back onto the provided peg you’d want a hand cleaning rag and sanitizer in your car all of the time. Yikes.
Also, have you tried to swipe your phone or operate the controls on an EV charger in the rain or snow? There is a reason why virtually all filling stations now have some form of covering over the pumps. The tall height of an awning also allows you to see where the charging station is from across a parking lot.
There’s another advantage to a tall unit: you can mount the cords up high as is done on most gas pumps, making it easier to get some distance to the cables without having them in a big pile on the ground. We could even take it a step further by using a concept employed by vacuums at many car washes today. A pivoting arm (that naturally goes back to a set position) that holds the vacuum hose makes cleaning debris out of your carpets without having to chase a long, dirty hose though your interior is a game changer.
This same idea could be used to deal with the issue of every EV having a plug in a different location (and I hate backing into parking spaces, even if the car does it itself). The cable could also reel itself back in but honestly you might not need it for cord management with the hanging system.
The awning cover could have LED lights in it for night use (even charged by solar panels on the opposite side of the awning).
These things look expensive as hell. How will we pay for them? I don’t want to pay gas prices for a charge. Well, how does this fabulous website stay in business? What are those images you see stuck in the middle of this post I wrote? Advertising, baby!
There’s plenty of room for sponsors to constantly pump messages to these things (front and back), aimed at the target audience and set for the time of day (after 10:30AM you’ll get lunch deals, for example). Yet the screen has a functional purpose as well. There’s a display at the top to tell you if the charger is in use. This display also tells you how long it will be until the car currently tethered to the charger has left before it’s ready to go (or to be unplugged). The green bar on top of the unit glows at light if the unit is available.
Wait, couldn’t these charge station also offer vacuums and tire air as well? Maybe even a washer fluid dispenser to save all of the plastic jugs. Plus, according to Tesla that’s the only maintenance an EV needs. You could get it for free or pay with whatever app the charger is on.
Twenty first century transportation technology deserves supporting components that are at least as good as ones from the late twentieth century, doesn’t it?
Here’s An Idea For The Gas-To-EV Charging Station Transition: Shipping Containers – The Autopian
These Are The Rules Of Electric Car Charging Etiquette – The Autopian
The idea of a tall charger unit with the cord mounted up high looks like a great idea.
Also good for city-street parking situations
Ah, the pay for it with advertising model that annihilated a few hundred $M of shareholder value at former Volta. (They also had some fun, design-award-winning, not legal reimaginations of parking lot striping….) Anyway, it makes placement much harder, as most retail locations have maxed out their allowed signage (or allowed illuminated signage, or…..) for zoning and permitting. Cable management here is not bad but – doing level 2 is basically cheating. Level 3 liquid cooled cable weighing ~50 pounds is the real question here and you’ll need a much beefier enclosure, which I think you could accomodate. I think the overall arced arm here would still work but retraction = never. Need the HMI(s) not to be blocked by a parked vehicle for wheelchair access, too.
Definitely a (full) cover would be awesome. I’m envious of gas cars who pull into a fully covered gas station, while I bake in the sun (or dodge rain showers) when I charge my EV. Not to mention, if you’re charging in direct hot sunlight on a hot day, my EV has to work overtime (cooling fan comes on to keep things cooler).
Love the ideas! The time of drive-in theaters (with chargers) and roller-served fast food (charge and snack) is back! Let’s go full 50’s again!
This is an extremely valid point. Every Sonic should install EV chargers at every stall. Plug in, order a couple chili cheese coneys and a cookie dough blast, and get my battery topped off while have lunch. That sounds like a great time.
I’d seriously invest in your idea. I think it’s brilliant. Ad screens are a great idea. People are so quick to shit on advertising without thinking of the nuance and generally helpful information that it has the potential to convey.
It could honestly be used by tourism departments and even municipalities to give information about events or places nearby.
Especially if the owner uses the ad revenue to subsidize the service so that charging is free/lower cost. I do agree with others though who said it needs to be silent. No gas station TV for me.
There is at least one charging station company I’m aware of that uses this model – has a massive silent ad screen and they’re pretty common in my area. I’ve also seen them used to advertise local events.
They went through about $500M of investor money failing to sell those ads and then got bought out of the intensive care unit by Shell Recharge….
They could even put a CREDIT CARD READER on it so you don’t have to download a stupid app for each charger.
This wouldn’t be terrible for those transitioning from gas cars or using early non-Tesla EVs.
But a modern EV *is* the “credit card”, and the charger can and should just get payment information from the car, not a separate card reader.
Tesla vehicles have always supported this. Plug in and walk away – much simpler than gas stations! And the CCS standard used by other manufacturers now supports this. Hopefully all EVs in the future will as well.
The only flaw I see, Bishop, is that all your chargers are oriented at diagonal angles and most EVs have side mounted charging ports. You should partner with a knight to cover that market.
It took me a few seconds to get this. I’m ashamed to admit I thought poorly of you in those few seconds, lol.
I hate the ad screen, not gonna lie. Hopefully it’s silent, otherwise, folks are gonna try to punch it out and the last thing we need is more busted chargers. Gas Station TV still needs to die, too. I wrote that take years ago and I stand by it.
I guess this is meant as a solution for chargers in parking lots of other businesses, but why not pair it with a nice little shop for poops and snacks, gas station style? A fast charge usually takes about as long as it takes for me to get another coffee and return the last coffee to nature. If I stop, I probably need to poop and need another drink.
I’m going to start using “and return the last coffee to nature.” It’s a level of svelte on par with Critical Role’s “pay my debts” euphemism.
Heh. I always used “post to Instagram” when I was covering a race weekend. It was accurate, too! If racing photos appeared on Jalopnik’s instagram back in the day, there’s a solid bet that they were posted from the media center bathroom.
I will always star (or smiley face?) a Critical Role reference!
When you think about it, our bodies are just complex filtration systems for coffee. Liquid goes in black, comes out yellow.
I have a corporate Shell card, which means once a week I get scared shitless by the sudden, delayed shriek of the ad screen. I know it’s coming, but it waits long enough into pumping gas that it still takes me by surprise most times. Just awful.
There are few companies I wish absolute failure on. It’s mostly the stupid ones that clutter up the sidewalks with dockless scooters. Anyway, Gas Station TV is at the top of that list. I will be satisfied with nothing short of its complete and total demise.
Just wanted to provide some feedback:
I know it’s unavoidable, especially with the prospect of ad revenue and a captive audience with enough disposable income to drive an EV, but must people be advertised to everywhere? I know the answer is yes, but I had to complain anyway. 😉
I like the tall pivoting arm thing for the reach/reason stated, but isn’t there a chance that a high profile vehicle such as a rented box truck might hit either the arm or the cable by accident? This wouldn’t be an issue if each charging spot were separated by a curb or something to prevent passing vehicles from getting too close to the arm/cable.
While I’m wishing in vain for less advertising in our modern world, let me also ask that future EV chargers just accept a credit/debit card for payment, instead of requiring the motorist to have their smartphone out, some specific app installed, an account created, etc… I don’t like them, but parking meters on busy/popular streets accept credit cards and most parking garages around here (LA) do too… without forcing the user to ‘belong’ to this or that system, or have this or that app or account.
In a more perfect universe, the EV charging station would also accept cash, as anachronistic as that is. After all, our every move in public is already so closely monitored… if you’re up to no good (or just care about your privacy) it should at least be possible to buy some kilowatts without having to identify yourself, right?
JMHO… as a curmudgeon. 😉
I’m sorry, I believe we exist in an ‘Idiocracy’ now.
It sucks, for sure, just try and keep up.
“While I’m wishing in vain for less advertising in our modern world, let me also ask that future EV chargers just accept a credit/debit card for payment, instead of requiring the motorist to have their smartphone out, some specific app installed, an account created, etc… I don’t like them, but parking meters on busy/popular streets accept credit cards and most parking garages around here (LA) do too… without forcing the user to ‘belong’ to this or that system, or have this or that app or account.”
I got shouted out of a Reddit “discussion” for espousing this idea. You’re right, there’s no reason for memberships, and forcing me to maintain a balance in an online wallet should be criminal.
It actually DOES seem ‘criminal.’ Such nonsense, aside from forcing the consumer to surrender privacy, is essentially the new wave equivalent of providing refunds only on gift cards/as credits: vendors/companies KNOW some of your $ is likely to never get used and/or just be forgotten about, and they WANT it, so they insist that you only transact via their proprietary ecosystem, so that they can take advantage of you.
It’s effin nuts!
Not to sound like a lunatic (I know, it’s already too late! 😉 ) but when I occasionally wander into a store that doesn’t accept cash (I’m not even sure how that’s legal) I turn around and walk out immediately.
That ad screen needs a few coats of unremovable paint and it’s speaker a number of whacks with a hammer.
How about we bring back drive in movie theaters, only we make them charging stations as well.
Parents can take a nap while the little ones catch a movie. Then the parents can finish the drive while the kids sleep soundlessly in the back.
Added benefit, bathrooms and concessions.
Don’t we all seem to agree that EV’s with a few hundred miles of range or less are adequate for most of everyday life?
It’s when you try to take them long range that the charging problem arises.
It’s that middle of nowhere, gotta charge for a bit, that puts the bee in our collective bonnets.
I say bring back the roadside attractions.
Just add charging stations.
Drive In theaters (as mentioned).
How about a mini golf course and driving range.
Park, plug in and pay to play a few rounds.
Then off you go.
You got a gym membership, but can never find the time to use it?
Well, you’re stuck here for a bit till your car charges, might as well get a few reps in while you wait.
That dinosaur museum in Utah or diner in New Mexico that always caught your eye but you’ve always cruised past.
Let’s stop and recharge.
From a business perspective that’s captive consumer capital.
There’s money (possibly government subsidized) money for the “Ma and Pa” shop in the boonies here.
Just install a few EV chargers and serve a couple decent sandwiches in the middle of nowhere and consider your retirement a success.
It needs squeegees, paper towel dispensers and garbage cans. I use those almost every time I get gas at a standard station.
But I guess adding too many conveniences will add up to needing an attendant eventually.
Maybe there’s gig work to be had there though, for anyone interested in stopping by these and refilling, restocking, emptying trash cans etc.
Id do it. On a long road trip. Get out to stretch your legs and make a quick buck every now and then. All they would need is a little lock box with supplies that unlocks with a code from the Uber Charging Station Attendant app or whatever.
Well.. and people to restock said lock box.
Cool, now I get paid to carry a few extra supplies with me on my trip.
That’s easy gas money to be had there.
If the vehicle can store the owner’s various charging company accounts and payment information and communicate directly with the charger while plugged in, the complicated payment systems limiting charger design and functionality could be removed.
https://www.evgo.com/autocharge/ to be followed by the next version of the charging standard.
Check out an architect’s p.o.v., Stewart Hicks, from 6 days ago – https://youtu.be/2mVUGLjfgE8 – there’s something in the air. Yeah, some are outlandish.
Addressing the general suckiness of EV charge station design seems to be on a bunch of folks minds right now. Check out the newest commercial charging stations from Flo, freewire, etc.
This was a fun video. I like the carport-style designs and the ones with attached cafes myself. Toss some solar panels up there and help feed the grid.
Go old school:
A glass tank on top with gravity fed electrons!
basspaul- or one of those plasma light balls where you touch the glass and the lightning inside goes to your finger
Off to find a Spencer’s to see if the store and those lighting balls still exist!
voeltzwagen- if not, you can get this one off of ebay (how did it get on ebay?) that my company designed and built that looked like a cigarette pack. The things I’ve done for cash…KOOL MILDS CIGARETTE BLUE PLASMA GLASS LIGHT DISPLAY SIGN TOBACCO ADVERTISING NM | eBay
I thing the design is great but you should allow it to take coins and dollars as well.
Unless future charging stations have attendants, The rate of chargers getting broken into for a few measly dollars will be ridiculous not to mention the copper thieves willing to risk getting zapped.
Coin op is the best idea so far, no credit card needed and no ID theft risk.
A real fast charge is about $10 and an L2 charge is not worth enough to pay for a coin acceptor, I’m afraid.
Though admittedly that guy with an essential tremor and a 1991 F150 does still show up once a month to put 4 gumballs into the Rescue Squad’s $.25/ea vending machine so maybe the economy works in ways none of us really understand.
Can there be an LCD screen with Maria Menounos on an unmutable loop, blabbing about whatever Hollywood nonsense old ladies in supermarket checkout lines think passes for news?
Ranwhenparked- I prefer Cheddar News. One of our cars gets 11mpg city…I watch a lot of Gas Station TV
This is brilliant and sadly needed, at least for fast charging stations. Security camera and sign should be included as well.
2 Egg HutMuffins for 2 bones is truly a 20th century phenomenon.
Remember when Arby’s did 5 for $5? Last I saw it was like 4 for 10 bucks or something. Such sad times we like in.
RadBarchetta- the pics are fooling you- they’re only about three inches in diameter
I’m not gonna be happy until Sony makes a Chargeman.
COTD nomination
The photo where the cable is on the ground looks to be a Volta charger — those use a big ad screen to cover costs. Their L2 chargers are free, in fact (paid for by the ads) — newer L3 units have no ads (if I recall) but require payment. I think the company was bought by Shell recently — so their free charging model may not be around much longer.
Harmanx- yes, it did have an ad screen going at the time but not advertising anything but itself. It was still free.
Well, free = https://www.tipranks.com/stocks/vlta
I don’t know anything about charging station design, but I really want one of those breakfast sandwiches from Burger Hut. Anybody wanna go halfsies with me on the 2 for 2 deal?
Burger Hut- slogan is “Get ‘yer Grub On!” There’s a really catchy jingle I would come up with, and D list celebrities would yell it out at the end of commercials.
With all due respect, Your Excellency, you’ve already made the sale; there’s no need to keep selling. I want my breakfast sammy even without hearing the 9th Baldwin brother singing the “Get yer Grub On” jingle.
hmmm put in an automat right there. yum
Presumably while dressed as a large slimy grub.
Some of these ideas are already in use! That’s not to discredit the artist — nobody’s ever done all of this at the same time, nor in a setup so aesthetically pleasing.
Volta Charging has AC chargers with big advertisement screens — there’s one near my workplace and it’s always in use. I’ve heard some places run these as free chargers because eye-catching ad space in an affluent parking lot is worth more than commercial electricity rates.
I saw a battery-powered DCFC at a trade show which had green indicators to tell you if it was available and how much charge it had left (I think it was Freewire, but I’m not sure).
The swingarm is a good idea, but it’s limited by the weight of the cable. For high power cables with lots of copper and/or liquid cooling jackets, the weight adds up fast. A long swingarm would need to be anchored very well, and a long dangling cord would risk torquing the connector and damaging it. Personally, I think Flo has the right idea with the Flo Ultra, which uses a short overhang and a motorized winch to relieve strain and prevent the cable from dragging. I tried one out (also at a trade show) and I was super impressed with how well it worked.
Thevienin- Yes! I’ve seen most of these ideas but none of them on one unit. Why not? Clean sheet of paper- you can do anything! I know those cables are heavy but you can lift them so I have to believe there could be a swing arm strong enough- likely beefier than I have shown.
The biggest problems with EV chargers is not their shape (although yours is better conceived). The issues are reliability and compatibility.
Many EV charger designs were rushed to market on the cheap without a consideration that they will lead a hard life and must be absolutely bulletproof. Superchargers, on the other hand, were designed and prototyped meticulously and it shows.
As for compatibility, once again Superchargers were designed along with Tesla cars and they exchange a lot of information to make sure the experience is optimal. They also provide feedback on the health of the charger and electricity feed to Tesla who actually care about fixing them. Non-Tesla cars and chargers are built to a least-common-denominator specification of the charging interface and often provide a less than ideal experience.
I see your advertising screen, but I suggest vending machines and claw games instead.
Arch Duke- don’t tempt me. Was gonna put a drink machine on the back. Don’t forget- these will essentially replace gas stations which is why I suggested the air pump and washer fluid dispenser. It only follows suit that we would want to have some C Store items available as well, but I draw the line at roller grill stuff.
Aww, no typhoid tube steaks?
Couldn’t we at least get truck stop sushi inside a barely functioning cooler?
The inventor of the functional and economic unattended pay public bathroom will do a tremendous service to society.
more like an updated drive in restaurant with roller skating robots