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Gas Stations, Quick Charging Stations: A Match Made In Heaven?

 
1,099 views Jul 17, 2012
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Hawaii is already a pretty good place to drive an electric car, and not just so you can enjoy the beautiful scenery in electric-powered silence.

Islands are ideal places to own electric cars, where distances are shorter and gas prices are higher. And Oahu is set to become even better, as fast-charging stations are installed at gas stations across the island.

Charged reports that gas station operator Aloha Petroleum has installed AeroVironment fast-charge points at three of its stores on the island.


As part of the Hawaii EV Ready Grant Program, the three chargers will be the first of 200 stations at 80 locations across the state.

It's all part of serving the steadily-increasing number of electric cars in Hawaii--but also a clever business move by Aloha.

"As our customers’ driving habits evolve, we’re proud to provide innovative, clean and reliable ways to fuel their vehicles, whether it’s gas-powered or electric" said Aloha CEO, Richard Parry.

Charging takes 30 minutes, and will be free--for the time being, at least.

He raises an interesting point, though. With a network of stations and convenience stores--a situation relevant to other gas station companies, too--it makes a lot of sense having fast-chargers at every gas station.

The infrastructure is already there, for a start, which means new stations wouldn't need to be built specifically for electric travelers. There's also a sense of familiarity for EV drivers, who may well have filled up their previous car at the same station for years.

For those who don't own electric cars, it's also a high-profile way of reassuring them that they'd be able to charge their vehicles away from home, should they buy an electric car in the future.

Finally, there's the convenience factor. With a convenience store or coffee shop located nearby, the thirty-minute fast charge will certainly pass a lot quicker.

So the humble gas station: a useful second home for EVs. Who'da thought?

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Comments (22)

  1. fb_1470388190 avatar David Laur Posted: 7/17/2012 9:28am PDT

    the more the merrier. i really dont care who puts them in as long as they do
     
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  2. fb_100000005296979 avatar Kent Beuchert Posted: 7/17/2012 10:12am PDT

    Nice to see others agreeing with a point I made more than a
    year ago. What better place to locate an electric refueling pump than right alongside an existing gasoline pump? I prefer a bunch of independent and competitive gas/electric stations to a bunch of utility owned charging stations. As the car population gradually changes over to electric,the station also gradually changes its mix of gas/electric "pumps." And I never saw any logic in the govt programs that attempted to establish stand alone recharge stations : neither cost effective nor as pleasant a place to wait - nothing to do.
     
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  3. Chris H. avatar Chris H. Posted: 7/18/2012 11:25am PDT

    Kent, do you really think that gas stations are a "pleasant place to wait"?
     
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  4. fb_1443176279 avatar Randall Smith Posted: 7/19/2012 8:47pm PDT

    It could be...put in a strip club next door. You save money with the e- car and have more to spend on strippers...a symbiotic relationship. Beats the hell out of a Starbucks.
     
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  5. fb_100000005296979 avatar Kent Beuchert Posted: 7/17/2012 11:26am PDT

    Hawaii is certainly a good place for an electric in terms of
    range but not so good in terms of electric rates - they are 37.5 cents per kWh over there. My medium/large sized car requires $27.80 worth of gas to travel the 265 miles equal to a full Model S charge. The Model S will require at least $31.87 worth of Hawaiian power to fill the battery plus that required by the from-the-wall penalty. And the power generations stats in Hawaii for 2011 indicate fuels used as 55% oil, 43% coal, and less than 3% wind. Mainland utilities use very little oil (usually none) for power generation.
     
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  6. Chris H. avatar Chris H. Posted: 7/18/2012 11:43am PDT

    You must be getting about 38mpg, or paying a really low price per gallon for gas. The gas price in Hawaii tends to be on the high side of the national average.

    Your point on the sources of Hawaii's electricity is well taken, but there is always the solar PV option.
     
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  7. Chris H. avatar Chris H. Posted: 7/18/2012 11:55am PDT

    There's always the solar PV option. If electricity rates in HI are $0.375/kWh, then solar PV is already below grid parity there.
     
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  8. markrogo avatar Mark Rogowsky Posted: 7/18/2012 8:44pm PDT

    Chris, it's well below grid parity, and there's probably some ability to benefit from selling power into the grid (though I'm not sure how that works in Hawaii). Nearly everyone use solar for hot water there, I suspect with the amazing price reductions in PV that will be catching on strongly over the coming few years.
     
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  9. fb_100000005296979 avatar Kent Beuchert Posted: 7/17/2012 12:50pm PDT

    I made a boo-boo in calculating miles per kWhr : I assumed all 85kWhrs were used to travel that 265 miles, which (if the battery pack's actual capacity is 85 kWhrs, not its usable portion)
    shows too high a fuel cost. However, checking li ion battery
    sources indicates a 15 to 20 percent penalty in charging the car
    (rectification losses plus battery generated losses), so the figure I provided should be fairly accurate after all.
     
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  10. fb_61206378 avatar Antony Ingram Posted: 7/17/2012 11:27pm PDT

    Worth remembering too Kent that gas on Hawaii is more expensive than the natural average, which swings the numbers a little more in favor of the electric cars.
     
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  11. fb_61206378 avatar Antony Ingram Posted: 7/17/2012 11:27pm PDT

    Of course I meant to say "national" average.
     
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  12. CDspeed avatar CDspeed . Posted: 7/17/2012 3:17pm PDT

    It would be interesting if the oil industry evolved into the level 3 charging industry.
     
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  13. Chris H. avatar Chris H. Posted: 7/18/2012 11:22am PDT

    No, it would be a nightmare.

    Part of the appeal of driving an EV is to reduce dependence on oil companies
     
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  14. CDspeed avatar CDspeed . Posted: 7/18/2012 4:55pm PDT

    Um....duh! My comment basically suggests the end of oil and old gas stations being recycled into level 3 charging stations. Wouldn't it be interesting if Shell Oil became a level 3 charge provider and became Shell Electric?
     
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  15. Chris H. avatar Chris H. Posted: 7/18/2012 10:06pm PDT

    So now you've switched from "oil industry" to "old gas stations". You realize that they're not the same thing, right?

    You need to learn how to express your thoughts more clearly. You original comment does not say what you seem to think it says.

    The people who run oil companies are not as warm and fuzzy as you apparently believe. Part of the problem with oil companies are the corrupt practices that they employ to access resources and markets. We do not need those kinds of people monopolizing the level 3 charging infrastructure.
     
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  16. CDspeed avatar CDspeed . Posted: 7/19/2012 7:02am PDT

    Your obviously new to this site and have seen very few of my comments. I have posted over 650 comments to your 20. I don't trust the oil industry and I don't like gas stations either. But level 3 chargers are big in size and expensive so they are more likely to need their own stations. This story is about chargers being installed into gas stations. My comment again suggests the oil industry evolving into a charging industry for level 3. So old gas stations would naturally become charging stations. And many gas stations sell food how hard would it be to imagine those little food marts turned into a cafe or lounge? I am an electric car enthusiast just like you so chill out!
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  17. Chris H. avatar Chris H. Posted: 7/18/2012 11:19am PDT

    It makes more sense to have charging stations located near restaurants and shopping centers.

    Do we really want oil companies to be controlling our access to EV charging infrastructure?
     
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  18. CDspeed avatar CDspeed . Posted: 7/18/2012 5:00pm PDT

    You do realize that this article is about fast charging stations?? This isn't about Level 2 charging spots in parking lots, this article is about 480v level 3.
     
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  19. Chris H. avatar Chris H. Posted: 7/18/2012 10:10pm PDT

    I do.

    It can still take up to 30 minutes to charge at a level 3 station. Would you want to hang around a gas station for 30 minutes, or would you prefer to get a bite to eat?
     
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  20. fb_100000004307729 avatar Al Bunzel Posted: 7/19/2012 4:56am PDT

    In Australia, gas stations sell food, drink, refreshments and magazines. Some even attach a cafe or diner next to them. I know of independent gas station owners who want to put EV charging infrastructure at their gas stations because they would rather sell Electricity than Gasoline or Diesel. With Gasoline or Diesel, they have to order it in, hope the tanker arrives on time, fill up the tanks, check the bowsers and there are a lot of hassles. With EV chargers, a lot of those worries are gone. Also, there is not much profit margin on gas/diesel. The profit is in selling refreshments, magazines, groceries, mechanical repairs and performance upgrades.
     
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  21. fb_1443176279 avatar Randall Smith Posted: 7/19/2012 1:53pm PDT

    http://205.254.135.7/state/state-energy-profiles.cfm?sid=HI

    Per this website, 90% of the juice made in Hawaii comes from petroleum power plants. Doesn't that defeat the purpose of buying an e- car? I thought that buying an e- car was a way off the teet of the Middle East.
     
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  22. fb_1443176279 avatar Randall Smith Posted: 7/19/2012 1:55pm PDT

    Correction...75% of the juice in Hawaii is produced with Petroleum.
     
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