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When it comes to both gas stations and EV charging, the big names get the most attention. Tesla, Electrify America, EVgo and others are what people first think of when charging electric vehicles, largely because virtually everyone has charged one or seen one.
But on the gasoline and diesel side, the auto fuel industry isn't as dominated by the big names as you might think. Sure, there's often a sign that says Shell, Chevron, Sinclair or Buc-ee's, but the station itself is often owned by a local family. Many operate only one station, or only a few locally or regionally.
As expensive and difficult as EV fast charging can be, it seems like something only the big dogs can really do well, while everyone else has to sit on the porch and hope the big players get it right. Two charging stations I recently visited challenge this assumption and show us that it doesn't have to be this way. Electric vehicle charging is something local families can get involved in without taking a corporate job with one of the big players.
A superior charging experience
Before I tell the story of how this local business got started, let me share my experiences charging at both Franklin locations. For me everything went perfectly, and for the rest everything went almost perfectly. Any imperfections were remedied by an almost obsessive personal customer service.
My first experience with Franklin's Charging was in Hot Springs, Arkansas, the company's second location.
One thing that makes this location great is that it is right next to (and in some ways surrounded by) Hot Springs National Park. It is located just off the famous Bathhouse Row and close to a range of restaurants, tourist shops and other places. So if you're the kind of person who likes to get outside and walk around while you recharge, there's no shortage of places nearby that you can see while you stretch your legs.
Unlike many site owners I've seen, Franklin stays on top of machine maintenance and ensures ChargePoint is doing what it takes to keep the machines in peak condition (or at least close to peak). This meant that both myself and the Tesla that was charging while I was there got maximum speeds!
If you text the owner's phone number, you can get a PIN code needed to access a waiting area with a nice couch, bathrooms, and adapters that allow Teslas to charge via CCS or CHAdeMO. The interior of the waiting area is also clean and nice.
While work equipment and a nice place to meet human needs put the Hot Springs station above most places I've been, the main location in Little Rock is even better.
Like the Hot Springs location, the Little Rock location has solar panels that provide shade and protection from the rain, clean bathrooms, and a nice place to sit and take a break. But there are also snack machines and a small snack bar/café that is open part-time! It has a sleek appearance, modern furnishings and an inviting atmosphere.
Another great thing in Little Rock was the recently upgraded ChargePoint station. While ChargePoint is still working out some bugs to make it work with Teslas, I saw my first non-Tesla NACS station here, and from what I can understand, it's one of the first anywhere. As ChargePoint is still working out some final bugs, it couldn't charge the Teslas that were already there, but adapters were available.
In addition to the dedication to customer service that must have put it near the top of the waiting list for NACS cables, the station's owner, Jeff Franklin, was almost obsessive about making sure everyone got reimbursed. On site he talks to everyone to make sure the charging session starts, that everyone knows what they are doing and that everyone has the adapter they need to get the job done. When he's off-site, he's just a text or phone call away, and he can usually be there if personal help is needed with equipment.
Unlike most stations, there is someone who also makes it his personal mission to keep everything running. It's a lot of work to oversee multiple charging station manufacturers (including one that's in bad financial shape and another that's in worse shape), service teams, utilities, and everything else. Yet usually one person in hundreds of locations at large companies watches all this. But when one man looks at two sites, much less can fall through the cracks.
A success story for small businesses and Tesla investors
As far as I know, this is the only small company focused on electric vehicle charging. I know a lot of small businesses do something else, like selling food, selling gasoline or offering tourist services and charging electric cars, but it's different if it's charged first.
What's even more impressive is that this isn't the story of a local company finding some big city investors with deep pockets to take a risk on electric vehicle charging. Jeff, the owner, made his first money teaching biology and other physics classes in high school, and then invested some of his savings in Tesla, like many other people here who both read and write on CleanTechnica. With some smart moves of buying and selling at the right time, he raised enough money to be his own investor, paying cash for the locations, for the build-out, and for all but one of the charging stations!
If that's not inspiring, you probably have a condition worth asking your doctor about.
I wish I could say that the charging station has been a huge financial success, but we haven't gotten to that part of the story yet. As you may know, most charging stations are not yet seeing enough revenue to cover the bills. So it will take a very forward-thinking businessperson to start EV charging at this point in the EV adoption curve. That said, occupancy rates are rising steadily and rapidly, especially over the past year, and are quickly approaching the breakeven point on the way to profits.
For those who decide to jump in and get started, if you do a great job and become the go-to place for EV drivers, you'll have an advantage over the more timid people who jump in later when it's an easy win situation. Jeff loves helping people who are considering EV charging, so don't be afraid to do so look him up on the internet if you want to receive some of his hard-earned wisdom. Like me, he believes in the concept of locally owned infrastructure.
Most importantly, the story of Franklin's Charging shows that you don't have to be a big company with a lot of firepower among investors to get into the game. Local businesses that do this will own a big part of the future! However, it requires serious work.
All images by Jennifer Sensiba.
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