The future of P&C

by Shane Cunningham May 15, 2020

The P&C market is undertaking some fundamental changes right now, the traditional petrol station that sells carbonated soft drinks, oil and other car servicing parts is nearly completely gone. In its place, now lies black fixtures, timber finishing’s and artificial plants with shelves filled with healthy snacks, salads, sandwiches and ready to take home meals.

QSR’s are located on premise partnering with the P&C brand to entice the consumer and their friends/family to sit down, relax and enjoy a meal. This works incredibly well as families will stop by on the way home for dinner at Guzman y Gomez and at the same time quickly top up their petrol. The new ‘servo’ constantly has families stopping by for freshly made breakfast, barista made coffee, baked cakes, with patrons sitting down with their purchase and enjoying the latest topics on their mobile devices.

How will the current P&C station look and feel in five, ten of fifteen years’ time from now?

Will petrol stations serve the same products and services? The shift from traditional fuel combustion engines, to EV (Electric Vehicles) or driverless cars, where does the modern petrol and convenience outlet position themselves. Some petrol stations still have mechanics attached top them, the Tesla Models S has only 17 moving parts in its drivetrain, requires a service once a year or every 20,000km, in thirty years’ time, the traditional mechanics paradigm will also shift.

Households with 3 phase power attached to their dwelling can charge their EV in around 5-6 hours, and the EV will last 600km before requiring a recharge. If the average EV car owner charges their car each night, the question I ask is, would the EV consumer need to stop at the current P&C station?

Battery charging stations at Petrol stations are being researched to have quicker charging times, but right now, a 20 minute charge from your P&C charging station will have a Tesla Model S to 50% or fully charged in 75 minutes, will the consumer wait 20 or 75 minutes, and if so what will distract their attention?

Driverless cars are also very close,

once the right legal and technological frameworks are put in place, and liability concerns have been agreed upon, will this also impact service stations and their offering. Consumers might not want to leave their vehicle, we may see advancements where the car enters a charging station, without the driver leaving the vehicle, charges the battery then continues on the journey. In this scenario, once again, will shift the P&C industry.

This is just an open discussion piece; DDi look forward to any comments and further reading/explanation on EV’s can be found below.

Battery electric vehicles (BEV) use electric motors powered by a battery that needs to be plugged in to a charger

Hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) use an internal combustion engine supported by electric motors and a battery, but don’t need to be charged

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) are similar to HEVs, but the battery can be charged when the vehicle isn’t in use

Fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEV) use a fuel, such as compressed hydrogen, to generate electricity that then powers the motors

https://emerj.com/ai-adoption-timelines/self-driving-car-timeline-themselves-top-11-automakers/

https://www.c-store.com.au/2019/07/04/top-10-faqs-about-electric-vehicles/