The future of EV charging looks a lot like an airport lounge

Charging an electric vehicle in the future increasingly looks like an experience somewhere between a truck stop and an airport lounge. Most public...

Charging an electric vehicle in the future increasingly looks like an experience somewhere between a truck stop and an airport lounge.

Most public chargers sit in parking lots, often three or four machines along the side of a hotel or grocery store. Drivers are exposed to the elements and - unless they need to go shopping - are basically stuck hanging out in their cars while filling their batteries.

But charging companies and automakers increasingly see a need for stations with amenities: restaurants, good bathrooms, comfortable furniture, and canopies that shield from the rain, snow and sun. After all, even the fastest chargers need a half-hour to top off your car - so you’d better enjoy the stay. The additional convenience could entice would-be EV drivers to take the plunge, adding fuel to the electric transition.

The transition to charging could be an opportunity to reimagine the refueling experience altogether, said Christopher Hawthorne, senior critic at Yale School of Architecture. The design and placement of gas stations have remained largely unchanged for decades, but EV charging facilities don’t necessarily have to follow the same rules.

This summer, Rivian Automotive Inc. turned a former blacksmith shop outside Yosemite National Park into a recharging lounge where drivers can sip free coffee while making their own trail mix from an ingredients bar. Or they can sprawl out on furniture made from used sleeping bags and browse books in an onsite library. There’s even a wall-sized display of climbing routes of Yosemite’s famed El Capitan rockface.