About time. So much ink over electric receptacles.

It will be really interesting to see who actually wants to pay for a 250 mile range when they realize that it is a lot of extra money and extra weight for the car.

A 100-150 mile range (with the availability of fast chargers for that one day every month or two that you need it) is a lot better than paying for those extra batteries. Cross country trips? That is what that second car is for or just go rent one so you don't put the miles on your car anyway.

I think range anxiety is the fear of the unknown right now and that will change quickly for a decent percentage of people.

There are already lots of other non-oil companies, local, state, and even federal government initiatives for charging stations. They don't have to be at gas stations. But they need 480 V @ 130 A power supply for quick charge.

As soon as it's possible, somebody will try to set a record for coast to coast EV driving time. This will make world news and help promote construction of more charging stations.

They may not be owned by the oil companies but the are franchised by them. Read the fine print and see if they are allowed to offer any alternatives without written permission and guess what, that permission will never be given.

This is annoying. I've already made this posting once, and it was up here for a few minutes then magically disappeared. I didn't say anything insulting to anyone or even say "darn", so I'm not sure if it was accidentally filtered or something. Anyway, let's try again:
-------------------------------------------------------
SJC,
Hmmmm. Well, I found some data on the first part of our discussion. Both quotes from this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Association_of_Convenience_Stores

" While 49 of the top 50 convenience stores in the United States are members of NACS, the majority of its members are small, independent operators. More than 70 percent of its total membership is companies that operate 10 stores or less. "
And
" NACS is the industry’s leading advocate on motor fuels policy and represents 80 percent of the country’s retail fuel sales. "

So clearly, Big Oil does not own most of these stations. As for your question/assertion that they can not sell anything else... Many of them sell CNG or other items today and I find it hard to believe that Big Oil has a way to limit them from selling hydrogen or charging EVs. I can easily believe they don't allow them to sell competing petroleum products, but I don't know if I believe they can stop them from selling other items.

Do you have any data to back up your assertions?

So Chevron can tell you that you're not allowed to sell Snicker bars or Dasani spring water, pepsi, kellogs cereals...or electricity? LOL

Sorry, but I simply don't believe that. It is totally counter intuitive and probably illegal.

Regardless, I will try to find some folks who are owners of some of the local convenience stores and ask them because I'm genuinely curious now.

Look at it this way, candy bars do not compete as a substitute for gasoline, but methanol does. You do not mess with the primal forces that make their profits...get it?

Oh, I completely believe that they would try to limit methanol and things that they knew could compete directly. I just don't think they were considering electricity a threat when they were negotiating most of those contracts....thus my analogy to candy bars because neither had anything to do with competing with gasoline before very recently.

I am curious anyway because some of my business partners were claiming that they know some owners of QT stations here in the southeast and that they were doing as much as $70k in cash sales a week and had to have many armored car pickups a week. I found that hard to believe but if it's true then I know what business I want to get into next!

"Oil companies lose sales every time a driver chooses E85, and they employ a variety of tactics that help keep the fuel out of stations that bear the company name. For instance, franchises sometimes are required to purchase all the fuel they sell from the oil company. Since oil companies generally don’t sell E85, the stations can’t either, unless the company grants an exception and lets them buy from another supplier."

http://www.oilwatchdog.org/2007/04/fill-up-with-ethanol-one-obstacle-is-big-oil/?storyId=4148

They might not mind a quick charger because few would use it. If few use it the station would not install one.

It is energy that substitutes for gasoline and hence oil. There will be so few people using quick charging that the station owners will not even bother. If all new cars are M85/E84/FFV capable, it does matter. So there will be stations wanting to offer the fuel, franchise contracts saying no and anti trust legal actions. This is the way of this country.

There is NO other recourse. If the Congress won't do it and the President won't do it, the courts HAVE to, there are only 3 branches of government and the "free market" does not exist.

If oil companies will not let methanol into their franchised stations, but this will help to reduce oil imports, something MUST be done for the good of the country. When business puts company over country every time, then something must be done. Do not count on the private sector, we know what their motives are and the general good is not derived from that.

I think that illustrates the point, when big money is at stake there will be people that protect that, even if the proposed change is right for the country. There are those in positions of power that will make sure the proposed change does not happen. They derive power from the people protecting the money flow to themselves.

Rather than "that is not right", I should say, "that is not good for our economy or consumers"