CHICAGO —With electric vehicles (EVs) projected to make up only about 2% of the U.S. vehicle fleet by 2020 per IHS Markit, it seems as if there could be nothing more radical for a fuel retailer than swapping gasoline pumps for charging stations.
But in 2019, a few retailers—including one in the United States, plus two of the largest gasoline retailers in the world—have made the swap. Here are three fuel retailers that have swapped petroleum for EV charging, in a test of the potential for the new transportation fuel ...
RS Automotive, a Takoma Park, Md., automotive shop, became a viral sensation for its decision to install EV charging stations after shutting down its gasoline pumps. Owner Depeswar Doley’s motivation was as much tied to the tough competitive realities of selling gasoline as it was in his belief in the potential of EVs. He worked with Electric Vehicle Institute (EVI), a Baltimore-based EV charging equipment supplier, on the conversion, which was reportedly the first at a gas station in the United States.
Doley not only garnered national attention but also has become a bellwether for other fuel retailers considering a similar move.
“I’m not in this to make tons of money or become famous. I didn’t want all this publicity,” he told CSP Daily News in September. “But I just thought it’s good. Let other people also follow suit."
Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc.’s Circle K brand has a global footprint of 14,800 sites, including in Norway, a country that is leading the world in adoption of EVs. More than 49% of new vehicle sales in Norway in 2018 were plug-in EVs.
Circle K has more than 350 charging stations in the country, and in 2019, its Oslo site reportedly became the first in the world to replace gas pumps with EV charging stations, New Mobility reported.
“When our customers need change, we also have to change,” said Hakon Stiksrud, director of e-mobility for Circle K, in a press release from the Norwegian Electric Vehicle Association. “We have initiated a comprehensive development of fast chargers and started where the need is greatest. Our ambition is to offer the best charging experience along the busiest roads in Norway and around the largest cities.”
Circle K plans to double the number of its sites that offer charging stations, quadruple the number of chargers and double the charging speeds, Stiksrud said. Circle K plans to have 500 chargers in Norway by summer 2020. The company has also been investing in expanding the food offer at its Norway sites, introducing healthier items and more seating.
In the United States, Royal Dutch Shell has moved along the perimeter of EV charging. Its biggest action was in 2018, when it acquired Greenlots, a Los Angeles-based provider of EV charging and energy management software and services. Since then, Greenlots has installed charging stations at a Shell-branded site at Boston Logan International Airport as well as Casey’s General Stores and Hy-Vee in Iowa.
In the United Kingdom, where Shell owns and operates the Shell Recharge EV charging network, the multinational oil company is planning to replace the gasoline pumps at its Fulham site in West London with EV charging stations, Forecourt Trader reported. The “EV charging hub” is slated to go live in the middle of 2020.
It reportedly will feature 10 charging spaces, canopies with solar panels, a grass-roofed store that offers free Wi-Fi, foodservice and restrooms.
“The site will be very clearly branded so it will be obvious to motorists that it’s an EV hub,” said Bernie Williamson, general manager for Shell UK Retail. “But while we’re planning this at Fulham to serve EV customers—and provide a place where people know they are going to get a charge point that works and not have to queue—it won’t cause massive inconvenience to our traditional fuels customers as we are well-served with other Shell service stations in the area.”
Shell plans to have 200 charging locations in the United Kingdom by the end of 2020.
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