Costco Removing Charging Stations

Want another example of how the whole electric vehicle (EV) fad has run its course? Take a look at this article.  Seems that Costco is removing charging stations from their parking lots due to lack of use.

“We were early supporters of electric cars, going back as far as 15 years. But nobody ever uses them,” said Dennis Hoover, the general manager for Costco in northern California, in a telephone interview. “At our Flosm store, the manager said he hadn’t seen anybody use the E.V. charging in a full year. At our store in Vacaville, where we had six chargers, one person plugged in once a week.” (Source: New York Times)

So how about that demand for green technology? I keep saying it and will keep on saying it; until the technology catches up with the needs of the driving public (distance, charging times, etc.), these are going to be nothing more than fashion statements by greenies who have money to burn.

To make this even more interesting, Costco was offering these charging stations free of charge to anyone who was shopped there.

Plug In America, the California-based E.V. advocacy group, contends that the stations do get used, and is conducting a rigorous grassroots campaign to save them. The group asserts that some of units have been delivering free electricity to loyal E.V. owners for a decade or more, and that people regularly plug in. (Source: NY Times) (Emphasis: PACNW Righty)

Not surprising that an advocacy group that is supported by the left and progressives would be upset that a company that in business to make a profit wanted to pull out sometime they were giving away. Just another example of these groups trying to “spreading the wealth.” Take something from a for-profit business and give to someone else. More than likely, the people that are driving these EVs are not poor, not when you consider the cost of these vehicles. Why should Costco subsidize the EV owner’s electricity usage?