Building Less-Inconvenient Stations
Tesla to build Mega Supercharger locations into destinations
Tesla plans to add retail and lifestyle amenities to new Supercharger locations that CEO Elon Musk describes as a place to “hang out for half an hour and then be on your way.”[1]
But the first question this begs is: Why don’t current Supercharger stations have these amenities already? It could be said that today’s convenient stores are designed for quick in-and-out, not as places to spend 30 minutes—but that’s an answer with no depth. It sounds as if they’ll be like truck stops, which are places built for spending more than a few minutes to refill your gas tank. Consider the world’s largest, the Iowa 80 Truckstop: It has shopping, food, services, a museum, and even festivals.
What can Tesla bring to the market to innovate the Supercharger station? Is simply providing a brand-aligned set of amenities enough, or can we argue that Tesla Superchargers are already leading the way in terms of electric car charging? If we assume that this isn’t a concern in cities because we have chargers at home, the office, and the grocery store, then it’s the road-trip crowd who must be targeted. And what does someone on a road trip really want when they stop to “refuel”? Yes, they want what Elon Musk describes as “great restrooms” and from time to time “great food,” but I think anyone who has been on a road trip can argue that the number one thing they want is to reach their destination.
Quicker stops to charge a Tesla on a road trip already took a hit last year when Tesla shut down their battery swap station in Coalinga, CA.[2] Now with the announcement of Mega Superchargers, it looks like Tesla is no longer working on shorter stops, or, at the very least, it isn’t seeing any breakthroughs on the horizon.
It would seem that, at least in terms of branding, that Tesla is winning the electric car market, but does the apparent move away from shortening the stop open them up for unseating? Personally, the inability to take the Tesla on road trips across the country prevents me from making the move to electric.
I want to hear what you think. What can Tesla bring to the Mega Superchargers to keep you happy that you just made your third 30-minute stop of the day on your way to your well-earned vacation on the beach?
Craig Damlo is an innovation coach and the founder of Soap Box Rocket, whose goal is to help ignite a culture of innovation for you and your team. Visit http://www.soapboxrocket.com to see how he can help you.
