Is the end of the petrol station is sight?
The vehicles of the future will be charged almost anywhere you could imagine; at home, at our place of work, friends house and just about everywhere.
For now though, petrol stations are a lifeline as they not only fuel our cars but also us as well, whether it's for a coffee during the morning commute or the salty-sweet buffet fast food during road trips.
We all love the convenience of petrol stations, although many times we may complain about queuing for fuel and then queuing to pay. They are certainly a glowing oasis when the tank is on empty or if we need to use the loo.
It's will be be a long time before the handy service station goes away if ever, but some say its days are numbered because of the future full of electric cars which could change everything.
A big complaint at the moment about electric vehicles is that you can't refuel them the same way as a combustion engine car. That is certainly true now and no doubt will be true for a long while to come but things could change in that direction.
DC fast charging and Tesla's Superchargers can reduce the amount of time it takes to recharge but recharging your electric car is nowhere near as quick as filling your car with petrol or diesel.
Some say, though, that other than having a place to pee and pick up some snacks, once you go electric, you're not going to have much of a need for a petrol station.
It’s hard to say at this point what exactly will happen to present day petrol stations but MyVeheicle.ie would feel that centralised stations with the many conveniences such as electric charging points, toilets, shops and restaurants will always be needed.
For many, though, their home will be the main source of car charging. For those who really want to maximize their at-home charging, there are emerging US companies like ChargePoint and Tesla with their own personal wall chargers and ESB’s ecars which is rolling out the public charge point infrastructure as well as installing free home charge points for all new electric vehicles (EV) registered in Ireland that qualify for the SEAI Grant.
(As always, if you or a family member are considering buying a used car, don’t buy until you run a car check report with MyVehicle.ie where you will find out the true history of the vehicle.)
Author
Justin Kavanagh
Justin Kavanagh is a recognised leader
in automotive intelligence and vehicle
data supply to the entire motor industry.
He has almost 20 years experience in
building systems from the ground up.
As the Managing Director of Vehicle
Management System, he understands the
need and importance of trustworthy and
reliable vehicle history and advice to
both the trade and the public.
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