Home ›

Whole Foods leapfrogs gas stations with electric car charging station

by Matt Jansen on April 12, 2010
in

Whole Foods leapfrogs gas stations with electric car charging station Most gas stations aren’t well-equipped to service customers with electric cars yet, but Whole Foods Market is. It just announced the installation of an electric car charging station at its flagship store in Austin, Texas. That means drivers can park their car next to the charging station and fill up the batteries maybe while shopping inside.

For now the charging station is free to use but starting in July it will charge per use and keep track by scanning a membership card that links customers with an online account. That’s starting to sound more like a viable business model, and a decent mode of travel given a sizeable refueling infrastructure and powerful electrical outlets that charge the batteries more quickly.

The market for electricity as car fuel is growing -- Austin Energy expects 190,000 electric vehicles in central Texas by 2020 (see video below). While in the overall picture that’s still a small number, it’s certainly growing quickly. Plus, it puts a friendly green limelight around all of the companies involved etched with a dose of good publicity.

Whole Foods Market focuses on organic and locally grown products so in many ways this electric charging station fits in with their business philosophy. Mark Dixon from Whole Foods Market says:

It is our hope that by offering electric vehicle charging we can support alternative transportation and help Austin residents decrease their environmental impact.

Still, gas stations certainly have plenty of room for improvement when a regional shopping center is beating many of them to the punch on supporting electric cars. One could argue that they’re still focused on providing the fuel that generates the most revenue for shareholders but that defense only lasts as long as consumers continue to drive gasoline cars in the mainstream. The end is in sight.

Related articles

This car charging installation is managed by Coulomb Technologies which services a network of electric vehicle charging stations. The company highlights a system that authenticates users to prevent electricity theft, load management, charging status by text message, and an iPhone app.

A smart move by Whole Foods Market both for its bottom line and the environment.

Comments

by Anonymous (not verified) on April 13, 2010 - 8:02am.

阿彌陀佛 無相佈施 不要吃五辛(葷菜，在古代宗教指的是一些食用後會影響性情、慾望的植 物，主要有五種葷菜，合稱五葷，佛家與道家所指有異。 近代則訛稱含有動物性成分的餐飲食物為「葷菜」，事實上這在古代是稱 之為腥。所謂「葷腥」即這兩類的合稱。 葷菜 維基百科，自由的百科全書 （重定向自五辛） 佛家五葷 在佛家另稱為五辛，五種辛味之菜。根據《楞嚴經》記載，佛家五葷為大 蒜、小蒜、興渠、慈蔥、茖蔥；五葷生啖增恚，使人易怒；熟食發淫，令 人多慾。[1] 《本草備要》註解云：「慈蔥，冬蔥也；茖蔥，山蔥也；興渠，西域菜，云 即中國之荽。」 興渠另說為洋蔥。) 肉 蛋 奶?! 念楞嚴經 *∞窮盡相關 消去無關 證據 時效 念阿彌陀佛往生西方極樂世界 我想製造自己的行為反作用力 不婚 不生子女 生生世世不當老師 log 二0.3010 三0.47710.48 五0.6990 七0.8451 .85 root 二1.414 1.41 三1.732 1.73五 2.236 2.24七 2.646 =>十3.16 π∈Q' 一點八1.34

by M. Ribak (not verified) on December 12, 2010 - 3:19am.

Sounds interesting. I read about some mini cars which are supposed to be run on battery which can be charged at certain station the company was going to put up. The idea of inventing electrical car is innovative but what about the amount of energy the car is going to cause? There may be no emission problems and also no tension of often visiting the gas station but still there is no way such cars can help in conserving energy. Maybe the consumers will best respond to this invention through trial periods put up by the company. Melbourne homes

by Jessica (not verified) on May 14, 2011 - 3:57am.

I hope that this trend will be the future. In Germany I also see more and more Gas stations that offer electric car charging. Since our Gas ressources are very limited, this will be something we should work on for our future. Jessica from marken schmuck team in Germany.

by Jerry (not verified) on May 17, 2011 - 4:27am.

I think the real hurdle here is whether Whole Foods shoppers spend as much time in the store itself to get an adequate charge for the vehicle. I think it is anticipated that shoppers may stay longer so as to let their vehicle juice up more, but I expect it's more likely that car owners will leave the cars at the chargers while they run other errands. Good news for the operators of the charging stations, but ultimately leading to possible dicouragement and disapointment for the Whole Foods customers who show up later only to find all stations occupied.