"Perfessor" Squirrel Speaks Out!

On "The Gas Station of the Future"...

Every once in a while, I come across an article that is just asking to be ripped to shreds. The stupid just drips off the page, deliciously ripe for mockery and derision. So, in the finest tradition of the Moron Horde, let's get to it! (NOTE: This entry may be a little heavy on the sarcasm...Don't say you haven't been warned!)

Today's entry is:

"This Shell station removed all of its gas pumps - now, it's being called the 'gas station of the future'" by Ben Stern

At the time of this writing, the story has 294 likes and 2016 dislikes, with 336 comments. The comments are just as brutal and savage as you would expect from the Moron Horde on our finest day.

Since the beginning of 2022, a Shell station in Fulham, England, has removed all of its gas pumps to instead offer rapid electric vehicle (EV) chargers for those who need to recharge, as reported by Bloomberg.

The awnings over each charger are equipped with solar panels and can fully charge a Tesla Model 3 in about a half-hour, costing around $39.

Admittedly, $39 doesn't sound too bad for a full charge on a vehicle. That's about what it would cost me right now to fill up my car with gas (2003 Nissan Sentra SE-R; gas is about $3/gal; around 13 gallon tank). Of course, it doesn't take 30 minutes to fill up my car with gas.

Do the solar panels have the capacity to continuously charge vehicles? At what latitudes and seasons can we expect those solar panels to be most efficient? What is the cost of maintaining/replacing those panels compared to maintaining fuel pumps? What happens when the sun goes down? Oh, wait...This station is in England and the sun never sets on the British Empire! Or is that colonialist?

Because charging EVs takes longer than pumping gas, the station offers more food and activities for customers while they wait. People charging their cars can get groceries, buy coffee, get their cars washed, or even take a breather in lounge chairs.

Guess what? People already have access to all of those amenities. There's a reason why you never see a gas station that only sells gas. It's because the "convenience store" model is far, far more profitable. You pay a premium on food, drink, and other amenities for the convenience. It may only take 5 minutes to fill up my gas tank, but if I'm on a long road trip (e.g., traveling to TXMOME), a 30-minute break to sit down and eat a meal can be rejuvenating. Oh, and can I get my car washed while it's charging? That should be fun!

Financially, gas providers like Shell building more gasless gas stations makes sense considering the explosive growth of the EV market. McKinsey & Co. found that installing these nonfuel stations may represent a several billion-dollar opportunity for suppliers.

Now I'm confused. I thought earning profits was wrong...Or is it only profits from evil petrochemicals? So Shell is allowed to earn massive profits from selling electricity, but not petroleum byproducts? What "suppliers" are being referenced here? Are THEY allowed to earn massive profits? Why? Does ALL the electricity come from solar power? Or does Shell still need to find a reliable supply of electricity for their charging stations? Here's an idea! What if Shell still drilled for petrochemicals, but then burned the oil for energy that is delivered to their charging stations? Is that allowed? They can still pass on the costs of drilling and overhead onto their customers, but hide the costs behind the "charging fees." (Will any of that be subject to federal or state taxation? How will the feds grift off this?)

Shell currently is the largest gas retailer in the world with tens of thousands of stations across the globe. So it has the immense potential to prevent the burning of its own planet-overheating dirty energy sources by erecting more of these gasless gas stations.

You still haven't answered the question about where Shell is going to get all of the electrons they need to provide electricity. And of course, as has been well-documented, the massive amount of materials required for the manufacture and disposal of electric vehicles is an incredible environmental disaster, all of which requires tremendous energy as well. (Where does THAT energy come from?)

It's crucial that energy companies build a lot more of these chic refueling stations to help charge EVs. This London station is an example of what our future could look like.

I love how Ben uses the word "chic" to describe these refueling stations. One definition for "chic" as an adjective is "currently fashionable." That gives the game away right there. The author *knows* that there is no rational argument for worldwide electric vehicle charging stations. The economics simply don't support this model. It's a virtue signal that only the "cool kids" will be using EVs while us deplorables out here in flyover country still rely on ICE (*yuck!*).

As I mentioned at the beginning, the commenters are positively, brutally, *savage* in tearing apart this fool's article. Yet tomorrow or next week, this man--I'm assuming his gender here though the jury is still out until he produces his Man card--will write another stupid, puerile article espousing the glories of his Leftist religion...*sigh*

posted by Open Blogger at 06:00 PM

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