Petrol stations have various strict requirements regarding their electrical installations for obvious reasons. How will adding a MW size supply for a few high power chargers be dealt with, separation? Will earth leakage currents be a problem? If I remember correctly the reason the canopys are so high is to move the lighting into a different zone.
I am not at all sure that we need EV stations in the same way as we need filling stations. The crucial difference is that whereas most of us can plug in at home, there is no network of petrol pipes, nobody delivers it, and it cannot be stored in large quantities (other than in a vehicle).
Granted, EV stations will be needed for long journeys and possibly in places where people can pass through. They may also be needed where on-street parking is the only option. This probably explains why the local Instavolt chargers barely get used. They are in the middle of a suburb on a peninsula where most properties have drives or parking spaces.
One reason I can think of for maintaining them as charging stations is power distribution. I can't see how the LV network round here will be able to cope with everyone switching to electric cars (though daily charging and diversity would help).
It might make more sense financially to install a new feed (not at LV, ideally) to a charging station and use battery storage to allow fast chargers to be used in excess of the supply capacity (so, very short charge times for 80% capacity). Some of the Tesla charging stations in the US are already doing something similar to this.
I am not at all sure that we need EV stations in the same way as we need filling stations. The crucial difference is that whereas most of us can plug in at home, there is no network of petrol pipes, nobody delivers it, and it cannot be stored in large quantities (other than in a vehicle).
Granted, EV stations will be needed for long journeys and possibly in places where people can pass through. They may also be needed where on-street parking is the only option. This probably explains why the local Instavolt chargers barely get used. They are in the middle of a suburb on a peninsula where most properties have drives or parking spaces.
One reason I can think of for maintaining them as charging stations is power distribution. I can't see how the LV network round here will be able to cope with everyone switching to electric cars (though daily charging and diversity would help).
It might make more sense financially to install a new feed (not at LV, ideally) to a charging station and use battery storage to allow fast chargers to be used in excess of the supply capacity (so, very short charge times for 80% capacity). Some of the Tesla charging stations in the US are already doing something similar to this.
