Posted on 10/14/2025 10:04:42 AM PDT by Signalman
Utilities, state governments, and private developers are racing to roll out faster, more powerful EV chargers. At the same time, automakers and tech giants across the globe are pouring billions into R&D to develop batteries that can take ever-higher levels of power. But what if there’s a better, easier, cheaper, and more effective way to cut emissions?
What if, instead of faster chargers, we pushed for SLOWER gas pumps?
I want to start this conversation by pointing out that there’s a precedent for this idea. Back in 1993, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized a rule that limited the rate that gas service stations could pump fuel to a maximum of 10 gallons per minute (gpm), with the stated goals of reducing evaporative emissions and promoting safety by ensuring the integrity of the nation’s refueling infrastructure.
Officially dubbed “61 FR 33033 – Regulation of Fuels and Fuel Additives: Controls Applicable to Gasoline Retailers and Wholesale Purchaser-Consumers; 10 Gallon Per Minute Fuel Dispensing Limit Requirement Implementation,” the rule was finalized in January of 1993 and went into effect in 1996. Now, almost thirty years later, I think it’s time to revisit 61 FR 33033 in a way that helps reduce emissions even more.
The basic idea is this: instead of “just” asking for utility rate-payers and State or local governments to help cover the costs of rolling out an increasingly huge EV charging infrastructure that will never be big enough to convince the red hats it’s ready, anyway, we focus our lobbying efforts on slower gas pumps in blue states. Like, significantly slower gas pumps.
By reducing the maximum pumping speed from 10 gpm to 3 gpm, we could increase the minimum time to fill up a half-ton Ford F-150’s 36 gallon fuel tank (yes, really) from under four minutes to nearly twelve (12). Factor in the longer wait times ICE-vehicles would have to endure waiting in line to refuel, as well, and we’re talking about a 20-30 minute turnaround time to go from just 10% to a usable 80-or-90% fill.
Y’all see where I’m going with this?
Everybody wins
Way back in 2022, oil giant BP claimed that its BP Pulse electric vehicle chargers were “on the cusp” of being more profitable than its gas pumps. Now, three years and several technological leaps since, BP is investing billions to expand its EV charging infrastructure – and it doesn’t take a genius to realize that they’re expecting a positive ROI.
You don’t have to take my word for that, though. You can take big oil’s. “If I think about a tank of fuel versus a fast charge, we are nearing a place where the business fundamentals on the fast charge are better than they are on the (fossil) fuel,” BP head of customers and products, Emma Delaney, told Reuters.
Those fundamentals revolve around amenities. If you’re popping into a gas station for a three or four minute visit, you’re probably getting in and out as fast as you can. But if you’re there a bit longer? That’s a different story. You might visit the rest room, might buy a snack or order a coffee or suddenly remember you were supposed to pick up milk on your way home, even – and that stuff has a much higher margin for the gas station than the dino-juice, totaling 61.4% of all fuel station profits despite being a fraction of the overall revenue.
The other big winner, of course, is literally everyone. The forgotten costs of fossil fuels cost Americans billions in healthcare bills and environmental clean up each year, and untold trillions of dollars of military spending (to say nothing of the toll on three generations of American blood spilled in the Middle East to secure an affordable supply of oil).
With this plan, ICE-holes and Hemi zealots can continue to have their gas (if they decide it’s worth the wait, so be it). Meanwhile, the well-adjusted normals figure out real quick that it’s better, cheaper, and easier to charge at home.
The rest will take care of itself.
Related video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7j47lkqObzk
“Meanwhile, the well-adjusted normals figure out real quick that it’s better, cheaper, and easier to charge at home.”
yeah, like the power grid would support more than 1 in 10 charging at home ... and then of course, anyone living in an apartment building or a high rise would be screwed as well ...
And with this article we now see that all this cr@p about the environment is just that. Cr@p. This has absolutely NOTHING to do with the environment and EVERYTHING to do with control. EV’s while nice are NOT 0 emission. You need to take into account how everything is manufactured, mined and assembled. Nevermind that the “clean” energy used to charge you vehicle comes primarily from N.G., coal, nuclear energy and not from the oh so precious solar and wind..... in other words the stupidity of this article is flabbergasting.....
There’s now way the gas pumps are flowing at 10 gpm. It takes me far more than 1.5 minutes to fill my Mustang which usually takes about 15 gallons. In fact, the flow rates vary wildly depending on which station that you go to.
All gas pumps have had vapor capturing collars since about 1992. So slowing down the pumps further is unnecessary from an environmental standpoint.
“Everybody wins”
Nope, you’re still a total “looser”, Jo.
The stupid, it hurts.
Except for the people he wants to punish.
Where do these fools think electricity comes from anyway? Did they ever count the environmental costs of "green" energy? They won't do that until they kill fossil fuel; then they'll calculate and decide most of us should stay in our 15 minute zones, in the dark or heat or cold as nature willa.
Get stuffed, Jo!
This article reminds me why I hate electric vehicles and everyone pushing them.
DRILL BABY DRILL... the California coast is considered US territoy. Pull millions maybe billions of gallons of crude and save the beaches from the tar.
There's a message in there that most folks don't seem to grasp.
EXCELLENT!
What about getting government the hell out of having any authority whatsoever about how, when, and with what we fuel our vehicles?
There is no constitutional justification for *any* regulation of any machinery or appliances unless and until they are actually damaging property or people.
LFP batteries are more forgiving than lNMC batteries in this regard. However, LFP batteries weigh more and hold less charge. Something to consider when buying an EV.
Lots of people looking for “investors”, lots of experimental stuff, but I didn’t see much in the way of industrial scale recycling actually producing. Repurposing is not recycling.
First of all they're making the common mistake of not understanding the difference between power and energy. To charge a battery it requires a certain amount of energy (kWh or J). To deliver that certain amount of energy in a shorter period of time requires an electrical service of higher power (kW).
What these dim bulbs (sic) don't realize is that the capacity to deliver that higher power would require upgrades in the electrical system all the way back to the distribution substation.
Ditto with providing power to the charging stations. That said, battery chemistry is also a big factor. The charge rate isn’t constant. It is doubtful that any EV battery can accept the advertised charging rate listed on the hyper fast charging stations. Once the battery capacity hits around 50 to 60% the charging rate starts to slow. At 80%, it isn’t worth the time to charge the last 20%.
There are lots of ways to take care of things.
“well-adjusted normals”
Oh yeah, this guy really sounds well-adjusted and normal. /s
Maybe they should just have the regular gas pumps dispense diesel or gas contaminated with water to get people to switch to EV. /s
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