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Comment by zdragnar | Hacker News Reader

Storage tanks are (relatively) cheap. Stores and employees are needed because margins on gasoline are extremely thin, and it's an easy way to make money if you're already putting in the pumps.

The infrastructure for high speed chargers is a lot of metal, which unlike a store, does not contribute extra money in addition to the pump.

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Since fast DC charging takes more time, there's a lot more time for a person to buy something from the store.

Gas stations depend on cycling people through quickly during rush hour. A half dozen people sitting around for half an hour at a time won't spend enough to make up the difference in volume of traffic a normal station gets, and they don't typically devote space for lounges or other amenities unless they're nice long haul truck stops.

The model doesn't have to be like for like though. Set up a restaurant instead of a convenience store (think American diner style) and offer a discount on your charge for every $10 spent, or a similar integration.

Now you have a reason for someone to sit and spend money, and likely enough as EVs hit critical mass to justify costs. There are things to work out on speed of food vs charging times, potentially a queue and valet setup - but napkin maths it seems viable.

Tanks are cheap. Land for them, and digging, are not.

Employees are needed because most places require gas stations to be manned. Unless you're talking Bucee's they're not making much from selling a few drinks, they're just making marginal use of the building.

Gas stations make very little money from selling gas. The vast majority of their profits come from the building itself, to the point that if they only sold gas, they wouldn't be able to operate in most cities.

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