Should gas stations be mandated to have chargers as well?

[dnewton3]

There are tons of mandates to operate a gas station. At least in my state there's a requirement to provide pressurized air and water. In certain areas there's a requirement for bathrooms. There are emissions controls. There's a mandate for regular weights and measures inspections.

I don't necessarily buy the premise of the OP, but we don't live in a world where the government doesn't set a ton of mandates to operate certain businesses.

If there is a mandate to provide these chargers, the cost should not be passed onto the gas/diesel customers. The EV charging price paid by the EV owner should bear the weight of the charger installation and maintenance for that related equipment.

However, I doubt it would happen this way. That's because the EV charger "sales" ($ spent at the charger) would be tiny in a relative sense, and so install costs would be a big portion of the sale price at the charger. So the station owner will likely port most of these costs over to the gas pump side, where the burden can be spread across many more customers; it'll just get buried in the final gas/diesel price.

In essence, if there was an edict that every single gas station also had a few EV chargers, then every single station would have some fairly high costs to pass on somewhere. For the EV owners, that might make an EV "charge" cost 3x or 4x what they could get at home. So they'll freak out and demand that the cost be "shared" across the fuel station lot where the fossil fuel guys and gals can feel their pain at the pumps.

 

[demarpaint]

If there is a mandate to provide these chargers, the cost should not be passed onto the gas/diesel customers. The EV charging price paid by the EV owner should bear the weight of the charger installation and maintenance for that related equipment.

However, I doubt it would happen this way. That's because the EV charger "sales" ($ spent at the charger) would be tiny in a relative sense, and so install costs would be a big portion of the sale price at the charger. So the station owner will likely port most of these costs over to the gas pump side, where the burden can be spread across many more customers; it'll just get buried in the final gas/diesel price.

In essence, if there was an edict that every single gas station also had a few EV chargers, then every single station would have some fairly high costs to pass on somewhere. For the EV owners, that might make an EV "charge" cost 3x or 4x what they could get at home. So they'll freak out and demand that the cost be "shared" across the fuel station lot where the fossil fuel guys and gals can feel their pain at the pumps.

It wouldn't surprise me if it were to go down like that, just something else forced upon us. If that were the case I'd stay clear of stations with EV chargers as long as I possibly could.

 

[Randy_R]

I don’t think I want all that spark around gas fumes. Bad enough they sell Bic lighters.

 

[Torrid]

I don’t think I want all that spark around gas fumes. Bad enough they sell Bic lighters.

That's not exactly how it works and I've yet to see one that is remotely close to the pumps.

 

[y_p_w]

If there is a mandate to provide these chargers, the cost should not be passed onto the gas/diesel customers. The EV charging price paid by the EV owner should bear the weight of the charger installation and maintenance for that related equipment.

However, I doubt it would happen this way. That's because the EV charger "sales" ($ spent at the charger) would be tiny in a relative sense, and so install costs would be a big portion of the sale price at the charger. So the station owner will likely port most of these costs over to the gas pump side, where the burden can be spread across many more customers; it'll just get buried in the final gas/diesel price.

In essence, if there was an edict that every single gas station also had a few EV chargers, then every single station would have some fairly high costs to pass on somewhere. For the EV owners, that might make an EV "charge" cost 3x or 4x what they could get at home. So they'll freak out and demand that the cost be "shared" across the fuel station lot where the fossil fuel guys and gals can feel their pain at the pumps.

I don't necessarily see it being that big a cost. One could easily just install a $6000 ChargePoint unit and be done with it. If it makes money - fine. If it doesn't, that's not really a huge cost over several years.

Then again, I don't see it as a widespread thing. There are better places for EV charging than existing or new gas stations. It makes more sense where one might park - especially if it's Level 2. I like what they're doing at Disneyland.

 

[JeffKeryk]

This whole post is silly. Service stations are a terrible location for Superchargers.

 

[14.1 Grms]

I don't necessarily see it being that big a cost. One could easily just install a $6000 ChargePoint unit and be done with it. If it makes money - fine. If it doesn't, that's not really a huge cost over several years.

Then again, I don't see it as a widespread thing. There are better places for EV charging than existing or new gas stations. It makes more sense where one might park - especially if it's Level 2. I like what they're doing at Disneyland.

A lot of smaller/older gas stations need extensive electrical work - including cutting up asphalt/concrete and repairing it - to be able to install chargers, and some don't have the space without losing existing parking spots. That's a bit more than buying a $6000 charger and slapping it on a wall somewhere.

 

[y_p_w]

A lot of smaller/older gas stations need extensive electrical work - including cutting up asphalt/concrete and repairing it - to be able to install chargers, and some don't have the space without losing existing parking spots. That's a bit more than buying a $6000 charger and slapping it on a wall somewhere.

I'm sure that's pretty small compared to the cost of replacing an underground tank.

 

[pbm]

Gas stations are businesses...The business owner should decide what 'services' he wants to sell....not some bureaucrat.

 

[14.1 Grms]

I'm sure that's pretty small compared to the cost of replacing an underground tank.

True, but it's still a non-inconsequential expense that only benefits a few people. If a small gas station has to spend $50k to install two EV chargers because of government dictates, they're going to amortize the cost of those chargers through higher product and service fees to keep their razor-thin margins, not just eat it out of misplaced good conscience.

 

[y_p_w]

True, but it's still a non-inconsequential expense that only benefits a few people. If a small gas station has to spend $50k to install two EV chargers because of government dictates, they're going to amortize the cost of those chargers through higher product and service fees to keep their razor-thin margins, not just eat it out of misplaced good conscience.

I don't think this is really going to be much of a mandate. There is at least one city I've found that has a mandate that can include EV charging, but only for newly permitted gas stations.

I personally think it makes more sense in existing parking lots and not gas stations.

 

[Reggaemon]

No.

 

[alarmguy]

If there is a mandate to provide these chargers, the cost should not be passed onto the gas/diesel customers. The EV charging price paid by the EV owner should bear the weight of the charger installation and maintenance for that related equipment.

However, I doubt it would happen this way. That's because the EV charger "sales" ($ spent at the charger) would be tiny in a relative sense, and so install costs would be a big portion of the sale price at the charger. So the station owner will likely port most of these costs over to the gas pump side, where the burden can be spread across many more customers; it'll just get buried in the final gas/diesel price.

In essence, if there was an edict that every single gas station also had a few EV chargers, then every single station would have some fairly high costs to pass on somewhere. For the EV owners, that might make an EV "charge" cost 3x or 4x what they could get at home. So they'll freak out and demand that the cost be "shared" across the fuel station lot where the fossil fuel guys and gals can feel their pain at the pumps.

I would think a gas station owner would not port cost from EV charges to gasoline vehicles for this simple reason.
There would be no incentive too. They want to draw in the customers as they always have by being competitive on gasoline prices. They are going to care less about a couple chargers with vehicles that sit there 30 minutes to an hour when they could be pumping thousands of gallons of gasoline at the same time and all those cars and customers coming in their store to buy stuff as they do.

More or less, why would a gasoline station owner care to be competitive on the price to charge a car when less than 10% of the vehicles that pull in that station are going to be electric? They will want the 90% of the customers who are gasoline.

Actually, after writing this post, I would suspect that the cost of charging your car at a gas station will go through the roof because the gas station owner is not going to take a loss when forced to install electric chargers.
They very well might want to discourage people from using their chargers and taking up precious parking space

 

[timtupper]

No. They should not. A business should be able to make its own decision. This is still America.

 

[Torrid]

No. They should not. A business should be able to make its own decision. This is still America.

While I agree with you I don't think it's the same America we once knew. Live and let live is still a problem for some and that kind of got us where we are at. I can't say much beyond that before it gets political.

 

[gfh77665]

Why would I pay more then required? On the flip side I don't/didn't try to take iffy deductions.
Do you voluntarily pay more then sticker price for items or pay the sticker price?

Of course not. I never said

"I have always said I am willing to pay higher taxes." like YOU did.

So I ask again, how many extra taxes have you voluntarily paid so far? We are still waiting.

 

[gfh77665]

Backing up Alberta's wind turbines during the recent cold snap with batteries would have cost $750 billion dollars.

ZZMan should be voluntarily paying on this.

Lead the way ZZman.

 

[ZZman]

ZZMan should be voluntarily paying on this.

Lead the way ZZman.

Is this pick on ZZ day? One reason I left this forum for awhile was because of sarcasm and negativity. I see it hasn't changed. Can we dial it back some please?