Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by mbernstein 979 days ago
Energy stations (gas) pay pretty well. Right now Tesla owns most of the electric world and even if their cars fail could become a dominant energy provider.
1 comments

Do they? I don't know what the situation is in North America, but here the business model of fuel stations is to sell fuel at near-zero margin and make the profit from impromptu sales to fuel customers in the attached convenience store.
Wow, this is fascinating.

> their net profit per gallon is around $0.03-$0.07–after factoring in costs like labor, utilities, insurance, and credit card transaction fees. [1]

Average store sells 3000 gallons per day [2], meaning $90 to $210/day profit.

[1] https://fortune.com/2022/08/09/energy-profit-margins-gas-sta...

[2] https://www.convenience.org/Topics/Fuels/Who-Sells-Americas-...

Margins are tight in the US, a typical gas station has margins comparable to a grocery store. Something in the neighborhood of 2% IIRC. Adding a convenience store definitely helps increase that.
Generally you aim for 1/3 gas, 1/3 tobacco, 1/3 snacks. While gas is by far the lowest margin, it is very high volume, with many people not buying anything else.
Fast charging stations will likely eventually do even better with the required 15-30 minute stop encouragement toward a coffee or a snack.
Probably, but since most charging will be at home, there will be a lot less total $ in play. Great gig if you can be on a route people travel long distances, but otherwise not much profit.