61-year old service station replaces gas pumps with EV chargers

RS Automotive in Takoma Park, Maryland, is not where you want to stop for gas if you drive a Toyota Tacoma, or one of Audi’s RS-badged models. The 61-year old business has become the first gas station in America to stop selling gasoline in order to replace its pumps with electric car chargers.

Station owner Depeswar Doley told CNBC he started looking for a way out of the business when dealing with oil and gasoline companies became too much of a hassle. He notably became unhappy with some of the contracts he had to sign in order to sell gasoline and diesel. He considered going electric after talking to a public works manager employed by the city of Takoma Park, and he made up his mind when his 17-year old daughter convinced him it was a great decision. 

The four chargers that replace the four pumps will each have a capacity of 200 kilowatts. Compatible cars will be able to reach an 80-percent charge in 20 to 30 minutes. RS Automotive installed an automated convenience store right next to the chargers that dispenses drinks and snacks, so electric car owners will be able to relax there and get refreshments while their car charges. Screens conveniently located inside the store will tell them how much juice is in their battery, and how much time until it’s fully charged.

CNBC points out there are about 21,000 electric cars registered in the state of Maryland, and some of them are part of a burgeoning battery-powered taxi service that operates in the Takoma Park area. EVs represent a small chunk of the total cars registered in the Old Line State, and it’s unreasonable to assume all of them will charge at RS Automotive, so Doley’s annual income will likely drop in the foreseeable future, but he explained he didn’t make the move for financial reasons.

“You notice there are not too many electric vehicles on the road. It’s not something that I expect to become rich overnight, or something like that, but it’s a good cause [and] good for the environment,” he told CNBC. It helped that he didn’t foot the bill on his own. His project received a sizable $786,000 grant from the Electric Vehicle Institute (EVI) and the Maryland Energy Administration.

EVI CEO Matthew Wade explained Takoma Park badly needed additional electric vehicle chargers. There were only two chargers for a town with a population of about 17,000 people, and they were constantly being used; electric car owners lined up to fill their battery packs. Doley’s gas-station-turned-kilowatt-station will help the city meet the charging needs of its residents.