Charging an electric car isn't exactly the same as stopping at a local fuel station to fill up in a matter of minutes. In fact, owners of electric vehicles often wait for 20 to 30 minutes while their car charges. Tesla may be interested in making the wait time at its Supercharger stations a tad more bearable and is reportedly mulling over the addition of convenience stores to its charging stations.
While there are no definite plans, Grub Street reports Tesla is seriously interested in attaching 7-Eleven-like stores to its Supercharger stations. At FSTEC, the largest food and technology conference, Tesla’s chief technology officer J.B. Straubel showed plans for new Supercharger stations with what looked like convenience stores.
“People are coming and spending 20 to 30 minutes at these stops,” Straubel explained at the conference. “They want to eat, they want to have a cup of coffee, and they want to use the bathroom.”
Most of Tesla's Supercharger stations are located along popular driving routes, but it most recently announced plans to expand its network to cities and urban areas. However, the urban Supercharger stations will be nestled in supermarkets and other places where owners can run errands while their Tesla charges. They also charge at a slightly slower rate–72 kilowatts compared to 135 kilowatts at traditional Supercharger stations—and feature a new post design.
Tesla plans to expand its global Supercharger network to 10,000 from its current 5,400 stations, and we suppose grabbing a beverage or a quick bite to eat isn't a poor way to keep drivers more comfortable as their batteries juice up for the road ahead.
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