A Charging Station in Southern California Shows How Gas Stations Will Get Better After the EV Revolution – Fast Company
When Rove, billed as a gas station for electric vehicles, opened in mid-October in Santa Ana, California, much of the focus was on the charging posts. Boasting 40 DC fast chargers, including 28 Tesla superchargers, the site can power up more than 1,000 cars a day.
But for those looking for clues about the future of EV infrastructure in the U.S., it may be more instructive to look past the chargers. In the 24/7 indoor lounge, car owners can plug in their laptops and catch up on work with on-site Wi-Fi. Next door, a smaller version of local upscale grocery store Gelson’s, called ReCharge, offers fresh fruit, coffee, baked goods, and sushi. A car wash and vacuum cleaners also get heavy use.
When I stopped by one late October afternoon, at the corner of 17th and Lincoln across from a strip mall, about a dozen cars were plugged in. I charged my Kia EV9 for about 20 minutes, just enough time to check email in the lounge, buy mineral water and snack mix, and wave hi to the dog in the charging SUV next to me.
Rove offers a business model that sees charging as an experience, not just a necessity, one that other gas stations and convenience stores are seeking to emulate as they begin to embrace EV charging.
