FX.co ★ Future service stations to leave pumps behind

Roadside beacon towers

Shanghai is one of the leading cities in urban electric mobility. American designers with Ennead Lad have created the Charging Tower project for a new urban development in the city. The Tower resembles a roadside beacon for electric cars based on stack-parking technologies. Super-charge stations are housed at the ground level and can provide a vehicle with over 100 miles of charge in only 25 minutes. The standard charge method takes up to five hours to achieve the same level of charge. Using this type of charge, a car is elevated to a free parking lot above.

Drive-in movie theaters

Charging an electric vehicle takes way more time than filling a gas-driven car. What can a driver do while his or her car is charging? Architecture studio Woods Bagot has a ready-made solution. The company, based in the UAE, has designed a concept for electric vehicle charging stations as drive-in movie theaters. The first cinemas can be opened in Los Angeles, the entertainment capital of the world.

Tree-like charging stations

Architecture studio Cobe has built about 50 charging stations for electric cars along Scandinavian highways. The stations are designed from natural materials that have timber structure. The developers aimed to create a restful feel and designed them to recharge the batteries of both vehicles and drivers. While the cars are charging, their owners can play on a seesaw, admire green plants and even pick berries.

City oasis

Architect James Silvester from Edinburgh, Scotland, has designed a service station that invites nature in. It represents a timber-framed canopy extending over the charging zones with solar panels on the roof. These panels help power the commercial facilities. In addition, the station’s digital signage directs arriving passengers to available charging bays.

Solar energy

Peugeot design lab has drafted a universal solar energy charging station for electric vehicles. The famous carmaker’s stations are designed using wooden frames that support the photovoltaic panels. These solar panels are multifunctional. They provide protective shade for vehicles being charged and power the station at the same time.

Round-shaped stations

The Swedes have long since enjoyed a reputation for being leaders in sustainability. Recently, the country’s government has pledged that cars with combustion engines will be prohibited by 2030. In this connection, Kjellgren Kaminsky Architecture has designed a charging station. The company has also developed a vision of solar-powered charging stations with the potential of being distributed throughout Gothenburg, where the construction of the gigafactory has started. They proposed to make a slant-shaped concept of a station separating vehicles from bikes and scooters on an elevated ramp.