Gas station converting to EV chargers is the modern feel-good story

In these times, climate change and the effects of a warming planet are top of mind, especially with recent extreme weather events, Donald Trump administration policy roll-backs, and climate activists like Greta Thunberg reminding us how we’re destroying her future.

So in true 2019 fashion, the heartwarming story of the week isn’t about a kitten and a duck snuggling, but about a gas station in Maryland fully embracing emission-free transportation, or at least cleaner energy than gasoline to power vehicles. 

As CNBC first reported, the RS Automotive gas station in Takoma Park, Maryland, outside of Washington, D.C., switched out all its pumps for electric charging stations on Thursday. Working with the Electric Vehicle Institute and the city, the conversion was possible through a $786,000 grant from the Maryland Energy Administration. 

The state administration’s Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Program provides funding for faster charging stations to help alleviate range anxiety for EV owners.

The gas station already promoted its “green” efforts on its website, listing its 2005 environmental partnership with the county. But the full electric makeover is the ultimate environmental move, as the station owner acknowledged. 

He told CNBC, “You notice there are not too many electric vehicles on the road … So it’s not something that I expect to become rich overnight or something like that, but it’s a good cause [and] good for the environment.”

The city of Takoma Park has been installing EV charging stations for the past few years, but as of 2018 the city reported only 160 electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles. The population is just about 18,000 residents. As a state, Maryland ranks 12th for EV sales, after California and New York dominate.

No matter the numbers, the gas station conversion is the 2019 version of a heartwarming story, where anything about fighting climate change and actually doing something to protect the environment makes you go, “Awww.”