Public charging stations for electric vehicles once tended to be confined to the dark corners of parking lots and highway rest stops. Now they are getting more obvious.
Companies are opening brightly lighted, canopied lots and converting gas stations into charging destinations, as well as investing in better signage. The upgrades and expansion will satisfy new demand and make it clear to non-EV drivers that charging stations would be available to them if they went electric. Drivers who don’t see public chargers in and around their local areas are less likely to make the switch to electric, said Joel Levin, executive director of Plug In America, a nonprofit that advocates for EVs.
“All EV drivers have had the experience of driving aimlessly around a big parking lot because they know there’s chargers somewhere but they can’t find them,” said Mr. Levin. “And for…
