There’s a lot of active thinking in the retail energy space about this. As we shift toward electric vehicles, the traditional 3-minute fuel stop evolves into a longer dwell time due to charging. This fundamentally changes the customer journey—transforming stations into destinations designed around convenience, entertainment, and productivity. However, with rapid advances in fast charging and even battery swapping, the future form of energy retail sites is still fluid. The big question remains: what should thousands of these locations become when the "refueling" experience is no longer just about speed?
Seems to me that some of the places that are best poised to take advantage of the longer charging times (at least in the US) are places like Buc-ees which are already a sort of destination that is visited for more than just filling up with gas. The small gas stations, especially ones that are local chains, or even 'mom-and-pop' businesses will probably be much slower to adapt as they won't be able to offer as much for the people waiting for a recharge to do.
I think fast casual restaurants, or even small strip malls which have a fast casual restaurant as a food anchor could also benefit from this -- offer more charging spots, maybe a small discount or coupon for the charging costs if you dine at the restaurant. The large fast casual chains could probably negotiate better contracts with companies that would build and administer the infrastructure than singular restaurants could, and it would help bring some additional business in at a time when people are dining out less and less.
I think you're overestimating the amount of stations we'll need (or maybe I'm underestimating it, let's find out). People tend to carry over habits from fossil fuel vehicles to electric ones, but there's a significant difference: You have a gas station at home. A very cheap one, and using it is as easy as plugging into a standard outlet. I drive electric and on most days I use a little less than half the battery charge. When I return home a standard outlet can get it back to full by the next morning; the only time I ever stop at a public charger is when I'm on a long trip, and those are few and far between.
I appreciate that not everybody will have the opportunity to charge their car at their own house, but a significant percentage will, and they're motivated to since it's by far the cheapest way to drive.
But maybe I'm missing something?