h a l f b a k e r yQuis custodiet the custard?
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These fill up stations have both petrol pumps and EV charge kiosks, and are accessible only through a manned lift-gate that scans a barcode on your windshield. Inside the compound, members will find an ultra premium experience, with overhead heaters that come on when the outside temperature falls below
60° F, and fans that come on whenever there's no wind or if the temp rises above 80°. Fuel is pumped and EV cables attached by attendants like in Oregon. There is a grassy playground for children, a small dog park, and a lounge area inside the building with a coffee shop and luxurious sofas and chairs to relax comfortably while your vehicle is fueled/charged.
https://en.wikipedi...torway_service_area
//Initially, most service areas were designed to be bold and attractive, with many opening viewing platforms and featuring fancy restaurants. The most famous example of a service area from this era is Lancaster, which features a 65ft tower which previously contained the main restaurant. However, it became apparent in the late 1960s that such fancy amenities were unprofitable, so service areas began offering an increasingly basic service.// [pocmloc, Dec 28 2022]
Subway envisions an oasis where diners can picnic and play while charging their cars
https://www.busines...s-for-diners-2023-2
Picnic, play, and get the trots all in one convenient place! [Voice, Feb 22 2023]
[link]
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In some near-future dystopia, the people offering to wipe your windscreen when you stop at traffic lights will be replaced by people offering to slide a contactless charging pad under your car. |
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This pad will steal its power from the supply intended for the traffic lights. |
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In the future, there will be no need for actual lights at intersections. |
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A tall, strong fence to keep out the commoners? |
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Pilots cater to truckers, and the accommodations, while "adequate" for long haulers, are far from luxurious. Not quite the upscale experience I'm going for here. You will find no beaters with heaters in an Executive lot. |
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Having just travelled by car + ro-ro ferry, and having paid for the "premium" ferry upgrade (priority boarding / disembarkation, reserved lounge with complimentary drinks and snacks) I can definitely see the attraction and business model for a "premium" motorway service station experience. In fact, just like the ferry, it doesn't need to be a standalone premises, it can be built at the back of the "mass market family friendly" service station. You just filter left at a Y-junction once you come off the motorway; an electronic tag on your windscreen beeps and actuates the rising barrier (just like how the priority lane works at the toll booths) and you drive into the nicely landscaped car park, walk the short distance to the foyer... Perhaps you drive to the entrance vestibule and the valet parks your car for you and fuels it if necessary. [+] |
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You could call it 'GET CARJACKED HERE' or some equally-catchy name. |
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I think the lack of an existing Super Deluxe Full-Service Gas Station is not because no one has thought of them. It is because the business model would be crushed by market realities. Very few people would pay the premium needed for the business to support all these extras and still make a profit, and the fewer people who would pay force the station to charge even more; and anyone willing to pay that much probably already has a chauffeur and someone to manage all their automotive tasks. This is like a WIBNI that ignores the realities of a market economy rather than the laws of physics. |
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Mildly related, Costco runs membership-only gas stations. They just lack all of the amenities. |
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Yeah, it was partly inspired by Costco, partly by my daughter asking why there are no indoor gas stations. |
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Went to bun it, already had. |
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