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Ask HN: In 15 years, what will a gas station visit look like?

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Re: Ask HN: In 15 years, what will a gas station visit look like?

#41

Post by byoung2 »

nevon wrote: post #31
byoung2 wrote: post #4

It is hard to predict a new advancement in EV technology, but if we get to a point where an EV is cheaper than the equivalent ICE and charges faster than you can gas up (so about twice as fast as the fastest EV today), and has a longer range than the equivalent ICE, then people will buy more of them. Then we will start to see more EV chargers than gas stations. Advancements in AI might make it possible to have attend…

Automated payment is already very much the norm. Just put in your credit card before refueling. Vending machines solved the automated snack sales decades ago, except for the restocking.

I meant that a lot of people still pay cash for gas, but a move toward more electronic payments or at least an automated cash kiosk would let you get rid of those last use cases for a human attendant to take cash

Re: Ask HN: In 15 years, what will a gas station visit look like?

#44

Post by thomassmith65 »

kcplate wrote: post #24
codegeek wrote: post #16

Not much. 15 years ago was 2010. Gas stations in 2025 are very similar to Gas stations from 2010. I doubt they will be too different in 2040. May be a few more EV chargers.

IMO gas stations haven’t changed all that much over the last 50 years (forget the 15) beyond: - now having larger buildings to incorporate more convenience products (mostly foodstuffs) for sale - more pumps

That's pushing it around a decade too far back.

Today, every gas station is self-serve, and often you can pay by card at the pump.

50 years ago, plenty of gas stations still had attendants. One guy would fill the tank (possibly with 'leaded'), another might give your windshield a quick wipe. You could ask for them to check your oil, too.

Not too much has changed since the '80s though.

Re: Ask HN: In 15 years, what will a gas station visit look like?

#45

Post by byoung2 »

bryanlarsen wrote: post #27
barbazoo wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And they’ll need to be as cheap or cheaper than an ICE car :)

They already are significantly cheaper than ICE in China, the rest of the world won't be far behind.

Automobile marketshare for battery electric vehicles (BEV) in China reached 27% in 2024, compared to 13% in the EU and 8% in the US.

Wow I didn’t realize adoption was so high in China

https://www.bcg.com/publications/2025/what-chinas-ev-market-...

Re: Ask HN: In 15 years, what will a gas station visit look like?

#46

Post by ks2048 »

kcplate wrote: post #24
codegeek wrote: post #16

Not much. 15 years ago was 2010. Gas stations in 2025 are very similar to Gas stations from 2010. I doubt they will be too different in 2040. May be a few more EV chargers.

IMO gas stations haven’t changed all that much over the last 50 years (forget the 15) beyond: - now having larger buildings to incorporate more convenience products (mostly foodstuffs) for sale - more pumps

It went from pay inside to pay-at-the-pump. That probably also led to the ability for more pumps at busy stations (w/o hiring more people).

Re: Ask HN: In 15 years, what will a gas station visit look like?

#48

Post by bryanlarsen »

byoung2 wrote: post #45
bryanlarsen wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They already are significantly cheaper than ICE in China, the rest of the world won't be far behind.

Automobile marketshare for battery electric vehicles (BEV) in China reached 27% in 2024, compared to 13% in the EU and 8% in the US. Wow I didn’t realize adoption was so high in China https://www.bcg.com/publications/2025/what-chinas-ev-market-...

If you include PHEV, it's over 50% now: https://www.techinasia.com/news/china-sets-record-with-new-e...

Re: Ask HN: In 15 years, what will a gas station visit look like?

#49

Post by mhandley »

The ones in towns will mostly disappear. There will be enough chargers at supermarkets, malls, restaurants, anywhere people actually want to go, and most people will charge at home or work. The remaining business won't be enough to keep in-town gas stations in business. Range anxiety will become more of an issue for gas cars.

On highways, it will be a different situation. There will be plenty of gas and diesel still available, as the remaining business from towns becomes more concentrated. You won't find a gas station without a restaurant attached though. Fast chargers will be common, but ultra-fast ones won't be as common as we'd like, as they will want to keep you just long enough to buy a meal, etc.

Re: Ask HN: In 15 years, what will a gas station visit look like?

#50

Post by tzs »

thomassmith65 wrote: post #5
toomuchtodo wrote: post #3

A lounge. There are too many today, tens of thousands will close. Most charging will take place at home or at work. EVs support payment by VIN with crypto primitives negotiating with the charger over the charger cable before charging starts, so how ever you’ll fund that balance (likely instant payments). https://www.axios.com/2022/07/15/gas-stations-prices-closing

I agree that the petrol/diesel niche will increasingly shrink, but it could take decades to vanish. Perhaps some larger chain will step in, and incorporate one dinky petrol station at each location? The safety issues probably rule out a chain restaurant, but maybe Walmart will become the go-to.

> The safety issues probably rule out a chain restaurant, but maybe Walmart will become the go-to

From a month and a half ago: "Walmart plans EV Charging network which will blanket the US within a few years" [1]

[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43814380

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