In the idea of the future and common progress we tend to fantasize about the concept of "smart city“. A world in which everything will be connected via the internet, in which cars will fly and buildings will have particularly slender and science fiction shapes.
However, it is more difficult to imagine how the individual environments of our daily lives will specifically evolve. For example, petrol stations, so neglected but also so necessary, given their function in our everyday lives.
In recent years there has been the launch of electric cars on the market. Also seen the complicated environmental situation in terms of pollution, it seems almost obvious that service and refueling stations will be able to evolve into enormous electric charging stations.
Different times, different spaces
As you will imagine, some reflections need to be made. Unlike the classic refueling with a petrol pump typical of the combustion engine, in the case of an electric motor the recharging process is not immediate (at least not yet). Charging the car battery, in certain conditions, can even take an entire night.
This is why engineers and architects of the sector have thought of a revolution in service stations. In their ideas they must first of all be places of sociality and offer a great variety of services. In summary, they will allow those who go there to invest their time in various activities while waiting for the vehicle to be recharged.
A sort of technological oasis
The gas stations of the future could become facilities with much more comfort. Huge green spaces, gyms, hotels, restaurants, areas dedicated to work and relaxation.
Furthermore, service stations will need to be able to serve even new technologies that have not yet seen a large-scale deployment. The most striking example is that of self-driving cars: maintenance and cleaning services will be essential to ensure ad hoc treatment of these vehicles.
Petrol stations: on the ground and in the sky?
The same goes for aerial vehicles such as drones, which must have, in addition to the services already mentioned, dedicated landing platforms.
Finally, from the point of view of environmental impact, service stations of the future will have to be as eco-friendly as possible.
The idea is to make consumption self-sustainable using renewable energy generators, photovoltaic systems and wind turbines, and perhaps sell the excess energy produced as a service to the station's users.
Another example of sustainability will be given by the car washing service, which will be able to make use of a rainwater collection system rather than using drinking water.
The German avant-garde in petrol stations
From these points of view, Germany is one of the states from which to take an example, given the presence in its territory, already today, of some eco-sustainable service stations, such as PM filling station in Geilenkirchen. It produces its own energy for lighting and heating, and is completely free of waste water (it collects rainwater and recycles/purifies washing water).
Also given the new generation projects relating to the installation, on large motorways, of induction charging lines for electric cars below the road surface, we can therefore imagine, in the not too distant future, that service stations will take on a totally different value in people's daily lives.
They will go from a simple necessary step before setting off to be a 360 ° living and social environment, in which vehicle recharging is just one of the many services offered to the consumer.
