Tesla wants to turn some of its Supercharger stations into convenience stores

Charging an electrical automotive isn’t like refueling one which runs on fossil fuels. The complete course of can typically take 30 minutes or longer, and should you’re someplace with spotty cell service, the wait turns into much more interminable.

Tesla is eyeing a potential answer: small shops that promote cold drinks and salty snacks, situated adjacent to its Supercharger stations, so you'll be able to fill your belly whereas the charging station powers your automotive. Yep, Tesla needs to build fuel stations (minus the fuel, in fact).

According to GrubStreet (citing a report in trade publication Restaurant Business), Tesla’s chief know-how officer J.B. Straubel gave a presentation at FSTEC, the industry’s largest food tech conference, concerning the company’s plan to attach comfort shops to a few of the Supercharger stations throughout the US. Straubel even showed off what’s been described as “an aerial depiction of a recharge middle that included what seemed precisely like a c-store.” (C-store is industry-speak for “convenience retailer.”)

(We’ve requested a Tesla spokesperson for a replica of the rendering and can update this publish if and once we hear back.)

“Individuals are coming and spending 20 to 30 minutes at these stops,” Straubel explained in line with GrubStreet. “They need to eat, they need to have a cup of espresso, they usually need to use the toilet.”

He insisted, although, that Tesla has little interest in managing a full-service food operation. “We have already got been working with restaurants,” he defined. “That can only start scaling up.” Certainly, in 2016, Tesla formed a partnership with US-chain Ruby Tuesday to construct electrical automotive chargers within the eating places’ parking tons.

Investing scarce capital dollars in a nationwide retail development challenge might not make a ton of sense — especially right in the midst of the rollout of the Model 3, its first mass-market car — however I’d be lying if I stated that the thought of a Tesla-branded Slushee didn’t sound super appealing.

from TechFishNews http://ift.tt/2jRlEd7