If I Was Only Younger

[Gizmo]

There is really no good place to post this. I'm a small business person and always looking for new ideas for businesses. I think you could become a millionaire if you started a chain of charging stations for EV and along with a coffee shop, donuts, and fancy sandwiches. Give the EV owner something to do while waiting for the charge to finish Not only do you make money charging but also with overpriced coffee and snacks. If I was only younger.

 

[GypsyR]

I ran that one by my boss. Convenience stores/gas stations make their real profit by selling you all the junk that's inside the store, not the fuel. Same thing with electric except they CAN'T just gas and go. They may sit in their car, but they have to stay and wait a while. In any case you have potential customers for whatever right there it would seem a waste not to sell them something. Captured customers. A Starbucks franchise would probably be ideal. Maybe in a few years a McDonald's.

 

[MemoriesByTheMile]

I ran that one by my boss. Convenience stores/gas stations make their real profit by selling you all the junk that's inside the store, not the fuel. Same thing with electric except they CAN'T just gas and go. They may sit in their car, but they have to stay and wait a while. In any case you have potential customers for whatever right there it would seem a waste not to sell them something. Captured customers. A Starbucks franchise would probably be ideal. Maybe in a few years a McDonald's.

This other established retailers become the competition for this idea - any “Cheap” for them to add charging vs build from scratch and working to create brand recognition for this new service. Doable, just needs to be built into a business plan.

 

[sanda]

There is really no good place to post this. I'm a small business person and always looking for new ideas for businesses. I think you could become a millionaire if you started a chain of charging stations for EV and along with a coffee shop, donuts, and fancy sandwiches. Give the EV owner something to do while waiting for the charge to finish Not only do you make money charging but also with overpriced coffee and snacks. If I was only younger.

And I would put in the slow chargers and add a bar to the sandwich shop.

 

[Gizmo]

I know one of the Convenience stores/gas station owners and he said when they went to pay at the pump they lost a lot of business inside the store. At our local Convenience stores that I use I had a problem getting a receipt and went inside the store and they moved the register from the middle to one side of the store. I comment that they remodeled and the clerk "Ya, about a year ago". Just shows how often I go inside since paying at the pump.

 

[Voyageurs]

There is really no good place to post this. I'm a small business person and always looking for new ideas for businesses. I think you could become a millionaire if you started a chain of charging stations for EV and along with a coffee shop, donuts, and fancy sandwiches. Give the EV owner something to do while waiting for the charge to finish Not only do you make money charging but also with overpriced coffee and snacks. If I was only younger.

This is already super common. I would say the majority of Superchargers or third party chargers we use our connected to a mall, strip mall, travel centre, even truck stop. There are isolated units as well but certainly the majority are quick and easy for groceries, coffee, food, hardware stores, food trucks etc.

Speed is sometimes an issue, and not the way you think. When we are headed for a lunch stop we use the app and look for two things, easy trailer access and a slow charger where we can take a nice 40 to 45 minute lunch. Otherwise the phone is going off half way thru lunch indicating we are at the 90 percent charged point and then we are scarfing our lunch down before we hit 100 percent and start getting charged idle fees. Not so bad if we are having lunch in the trailer but if we are in a restaurant 2 blocks away that sucks. Superchargers and a relaxed lunch don’t go together. Best to find some 50 or 100 kw FLO or BC hydro station and relax. Like this one, 50 KW and trailer friendly, and half the price of a supercharger because it’s 50 kw instead of 250 KW . Win win win

 

[Buc]

Was anyone else hoping for a philosophical discussion?

 

[TheLooks]

Only a win if you are not the one waiting to charge while you pick your teeth after lunch.

 

[FloridaSon]

Anyone remember the slot cars on an electrified track?

 

[Voyageurs]

Anyone remember the slot cars on an electrified track?

Yep. Way fun.

 

[TheLooks]

Still got one somewhere.......

 

[Rosy]

What will really make you money is setting up a convenience store or restaurant as you say but with pull through spots so people who are towing their travel trailer with their EV can charge without unhitching.

 

[Voyageurs]

What will really make you money is setting up a convenience store or restaurant as you say but with pull through spots so people who are towing their travel trailer with their EV can charge without unhitching.

Yah for sure. Many of us towing with EV’s have started compiling our info on locations with good trailer access. It would be cool if one of the more common apps like plugshare or FLO had a filter box selection for trailer access. Sites like this are great. One or two chargers set aside from the rest for easy access and parallel parking. This one is in hope BC. Two nice trailer stalls. Although I wouldn’t want a trailer much longer than about 22 feet for these ones. Great travel stop though. Esso travel centre with convenience store, coffee place, 24 superchargers and a half dozen gas pumps. Propane refill as well. Nice.