--- title: "An open letter to anyone installing EV charging stations" url: "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2022/12/an-open-letter-to-anyone-installing-ev-charging-stations/" publisher: "Pickup Truck + SUV Talk" content_signal: "search=yes, ai-input=yes, ai-train=no" author: "Jill Ciminillo" published: "2022-12-23T16:23:05+00:00" modified: "2026-02-10T19:54:43+00:00" image: "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/EV-charging-stations-scaled.jpg" --- # An open letter to anyone installing EV charging stations By Jill Ciminillo Published: 2022-12-23T16:23:05+00:00 Updated: 2026-02-10T19:54:43+00:00 ![Featured image]() Dear, (Insert: Electrify America, EVgo, ChargePoint, etc., or anyone else installing EV charging stations): Do better. I’m not an EV owner. But I’m not a hater either. I’m a journalist who’s trying to figure EV shit out and help others do the same. But the current charging infrastructure is making it really hard for me to be an EV advocate. ### **\[Related content: [Charging infrastructure, not range, is the problem with EVs]()\]** You see, I’m in the firm camp that electric vehicles don’t have a range problem, 220 miles is plenty. But when you have more than 160 miles between two fast-charge stations on a major interstate, that’s a problem. Especially when EVs are in their nascent phase and 320 miles is more like 160 miles in the current sub-zero temperatures most of the United States is experiencing right now. Then, when you add in the fact that a 350 kW charge station is only delivering 49 kW when an EV battery is at less than 50%, that’s a problem. It’s a huge problem. With a lot of government and private moneys being dumped into building a more robust infrastructure, I’d like to offer some thoughts for your consideration as you move forward installing EV charging stations. **Stop putting chargers in the back of big box lots**. I know you probably think this is convenient because there’s a lot of space, and people can charge while shopping. But here’s the thing, all those people who are shopping in a big box store and own an EV probably have an at-home charger. They don’t *need* to charge when they are running in for a half hour to buy a bulk bin of pretzels. No, the people who need to charge are the ones who are driving 197 miles on their way home for Christmas or taking a road trip with the fam. The last thing they want to do is sit in a boring big box parking lot for an hour to add 40% charge. **Starbucks, Cracker Barrel and Panera are the way forward.** So, where do you put charging stations for people who actually need them? Someplace they’ll spend time, and someplace with WiFi. I know [Volvo has a deal with Starbucks]() to install chargers. It’s not happening fast enough. But that’s definitely a place people can spend at least 20 minutes, which, if stations are working properly, is enough time for ultra fast-charge vehicles to go from 10% to 80%. I just spent 20 minutes in a Starbucks drive thru just getting a beverage *before going to sit in a Walmart parking lot for another 20 minutes.*That’s just plain wasteful. **Bathrooms. Srsly.** You’ll argue someone could go into the big box store and use the bathroom there, but not after its closed. Sure, Starbucks and Paneras and Cracker Barrels close, but they’re usually open longer than a big box store. Without bathrooms, EV owners somewhat ironically might find themselves at a gas station to pee, which means they’ll probably be guilted into spending money at the convenience store. So, if you aren’t going to put charge stations in places near a gas station or food stop, maybe think about putting them at Rest Areas. You know, another place people stop on a road trip. **Think of safety.** In the charging stations I’ve been to recently, I’ve been concerned about [the overall lack of safety]() they offer. Think about it. They’re often situated in an isolated location in the corner of a parking lot with nary a soul nearby. Asking someone to go sit in said isolated location, alone, in a $50k to $150k vehicle is like asking someone to walk down a deserted street at midnight wearing the Hope Diamond with a sign that says “rob me.” Most criminals look for opportunity, and an expensive vehicle in a deserted location with a lone occupant is a sitting duck. What? You say your charging stations have cameras? Yeah, they do, but a fat lot of good that will do when the crime is in process. And if the robber is wearing a mask or the camera isn’t HD, recording the incident won’t help. I was carjacked in front of a low-res camera (not at an EV charging station), so I know this from experience. **Include windshield cleaners.** The windshield washing wands are something I didn’t know I’d miss until I missed them. On my recent drive from Chicago to Indianapolis, it was blowing snow in sub-zero temperatures and my windshield was caked with ice and salt. Since I was in an EV, there’s no engine to keep my hood clear of snow or, apparently, keep the windshield washer fluid from freezing. So, when I pulled up to the charging station in Lafayette, Ind., my windshield and radar sensors used for adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist and emergency braking were a salty mess. So, I looked for the wands you see by gas pumps, hoping to clear some of the gook. And, well, they weren’t there. It’s a stupid, silly thing that would actually be really helpful to have. ## **The bottom line on EV charging stations** I get it. I know we’re “just at the beginning” of the EV era. I’ve heard the analogy over and over that it’s like the early days of the gas-powered vehicle when there weren’t gas stations on every corner. I really do get it. However, as we enter into this phase of [encouraging (not forcing)]() people to buy electric, we need to do better. A critical part of this will be relying on [EV software development services]() to build smarter systems that optimize the charging experience, reduce downtime, and improve station reliability. I’d like to think we know more than we did back in 1885 when the first gas station was built – more about people’s habits and desires. More about running water and the need to pee in a private space with a locked door. We know more. We have more resources. *We can do more.* So, I’m going to say it again: Do better. ## Structured page information ~~~json [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Article", "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2022/12/an-open-letter-to-anyone-installing-ev-charging-stations/#article", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2022/12/an-open-letter-to-anyone-installing-ev-charging-stations/" }, "author": { "name": "Jill Ciminillo", "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/#/schema/person/17a307b2bd8654a0efc57d38f2e79df8" }, "headline": "An open letter to anyone installing EV charging stations", "datePublished": "2022-12-23T16:23:05+00:00", "dateModified": "2026-02-10T19:54:43+00:00", "mainEntityOfPage": { "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2022/12/an-open-letter-to-anyone-installing-ev-charging-stations/" }, "wordCount": 1043, "commentCount": 60, "publisher": { "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/#organization" }, "image": { "@id": 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