US. Gas station trade groups oppose EV chargers at rest stops

Industry groups that represent convenience stores, truck stops, travel centers and rest areas in the US want EV drivers to come to them for their recharging needs, just as drivers of ICE vehicles have patronized them for their refueling needs.

Three industry groups—the National Association of Truck Stop Owners (NATSO), which represents travel centers and truck stops; the Society of Independent Gasoline Marketers of America (SIGMA), a trade association that represents independent fuel marketers and chain retailers; and the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS)—have all voiced their opposition to a bill recently introduced in Congress, the Recharge your Electric Car on the Highway to Alleviate Range Gaps Effectively Act, or RECHARGE Act.

If passed into law and signed by the president, the bill would amend current federal law to remove a prohibition on automotive services at rest areas, thereby allowing companies not represented by these three trade groups to install charging stations at such sites.

The bill would strike existing language in the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program, Section 149(c)(2) of Title 23, United States Code, which provides that “such stations may not be established or supported where commercial establishments serving motor vehicle users are prohibited by section 111 of Title 23, United States Code.” This language has kept filling stations from operating in highway rest areas.

These are distinct from service plazas or service areas, which offer filling stations, convenience stores and, occasionally, restaurants. 

The three organizations have argued that the RECHARGE Act poses a risk to the $5-billion National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Grant Program under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and, by extension, to their members.

“Truck stops, travel centers, convenience stores and fuel marketers are making investments in EV charging stations,” the three said in a statement.

David Fialkov, Executive Vice President of Government Affairs for NATSO and SIGMA, sees the bill as “a misguided approach to electrification that ultimately will limit the development of a safe and reliable EV charging network,” pointing out that the industries his groups represent are willing to invest in EV charging.

Fialkov said that “allowing EV charging at rest areas will keep the private sector from installing EV chargers at today’s refueling locations,” citing a 1960 federal law that has prohibited the sale of automotive services and food at state-operated rest areas “to encourage competition between private businesses located at the Interstate exit interchanges.”