One of the reasons people avoid buying an electric vehicle is the long time needed to wait for the battery to charge. Tesla acknowledged that and is now investing in amenities around its charging stations.
Even though EV evangelists claim there’s no problem waiting for your car to charge at a public station, the reality is slightly different. No one wants to wait, no matter how little. You wouldn’t guess it, but Tesla agrees, so it started to think creatively about the time spent at Superchargers. The first results began to appear in Europe, more specifically Germany.
The main idea was that building Supercharger stations near amenities is not always possible, so it might bring amenities to its stations instead. For that, Tesla started a partnership with bk World to build cube lounges equipped with automated vending machines for coffee, food, drinks, and even some electronics. And because Tesla owners are not Superhumans (even though they go to Superchargers), there are full restrooms inside the cubes.
Offering food and drinks is nice, but having a swimming pool at the Supercharger is on a whole new level. But Tesla is in the mood for experimenting with different amenities, so why not a swimming pool? A portable one was deployed in Hilden, also in Germany, and is about to start operations on Thursday. It’s the same day that Tesla organizes its Cyber Roundup event in Texas, so maybe this is part of a bigger move.
According to the instructions posted by Tesla, the pool would be open from Thursday to Sunday until the 28th of August, between 2 pm and 7 pm. Only four people can share the pool at the same time and for no more than 10 minutes. Knowing the Germans, we are confident they will fully abide by the rules. By the time you put your bathing suit on, swim a little, and then change and dry, your battery should be fully charged.
The Tesla Supercharger station in Hilden is one of the biggest in Germany, with 40 stalls offering up to 250 kW each. Solar panels are used to supplement the grid. The stations will also be available to other brands, being equipped with CCS plugs. And, as you guessed it, it already offers additional amenities, including restaurants. Hopefully, this novel concept will extend to the U.S. soon.
After his childhood dream of becoming a "tractor operator" didn't pan out, Cristian turned to journalism, first in print and later moving to online media. His top interests are electric vehicles and new energy solutions. Full profile
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