Within the next 20 years, electric cars will command most of the automobile market which would result in diminishing sales of gasoline-only vehicles. Besides electric vehicles, hybrids will also be predicted to cut fuel consumption.
Thus, it is essential that service station designs evolve to incorporate the growing needs of both the vehicles and the customers.
But the transition isn’t going to be instantaneous even if the wave of renewable energy is rising higher and higher. Even as the eventual turn of the tide is clear, right now the automobile service industry is in a sort of limbo. As conventional fuels, EVs and synthetic fuels contend for the market.
And as the market evolves around the competition. The advertising and marketing strategies must mold to the present-day needs to best connect the customer to the brand. Consequently, retail store design for the filling stations needs to reflect the market it is catering to. Even as the brand aspires to be a generalist. It is better to be specific at the beginning.
Starting with e-fuels. We need to understand how it works. Essentially, the e-fuels work by extracting the carbon from the atmosphere that is used to synthesize combustible fuel. Thus, dropping the carbon emission to practically zero. And in this case, carbon from any source is sufficient. And given that opting for E-fuels means little to no change in lifestyle, it should be dominant.
It would be if not for the high cost, higher than that of EVs and conventional vehicles. So, it is not viable for the general audience. But is perfect for high-performance and luxury vehicles. Therefore, the service stations will need to evolve to incorporate high-end customers. Rendering the filling stations into multiplex signifying status and not just utility.
On the other end of the spectrum, we have EVs. Electric vehicles are taking over the automobile market with a storm. A slow storm but a storm nevertheless. The operation is eco-friendly even the production is ecologically taxing.
However, with energy production becoming cleaner and cleaner, the initial ecological cost is mitigated more and more. However, the primary holdup is costly infrastructure and the overhaul of lifestyle.
With the dawn of the Eco-friendly era, the filling station needs to serve as gateways to a new life. Making the customer feel like they are embracing the future is vital for the overall brand identity. For everyone is the same as for no one.
And thus, it is essential that are filling stations focus on a specific customer base. And with the advancing technology, the differences will only increase. And since, EVs are better catered to the general audience, the establishment needs to play into the feeling of awe. Reinforcing the idea that the lifestyle overhaul was the best choice.
But even as the industry turns to EVs, the transition needs to be assisted, thus the filling stations that are a major part of the infrastructure play a vital role and should be paid better attention to.
Even now the majority of the market is dependent on conventional means. But sooner or later the age of fossil fuel would be fossil itself. Therefore, as the companies move to alternative means, the aim of evolving market-brand interplay is to make the customer transition from conventional to unconventional as smooth as possible.