Forecourt operator Fuzail Patel is making moves to introduce his first electric vehicle chargepoints, as well as his premier coffee shop drive-thru, at Redbeck Service Station in Wakefield, one of four petrol stations owned by his family.
He believes that both initiatives have proved themselves enough in the forecourt industry for his family to make the leap, in a redevelopment of the Doncaster Road, Shell/Nisa site which has been part of the Redbeck Group since 2002.
In a planning application to Wakefield Metropolitan District Council, Patel is also proposing to build a bigger and more energy efficient, largely glazed fronted shop, to offer a wider range of convenience top-up foods. The existing hand car wash will be removed to make space for the drive-thru, and a new two bay jet wash area will be introduced.
If successful, the drive-thru with a national food to go or coffee chain, and the four electric vehicle chargepoints could be used as a template at the family’s other petrol stations in Rotherham and Manchester.
“We’ve held back so far, but the success of drive-thrus can be seen by how many are appearing on forecourts, and although with electric vehicle charging it is still early days, we want to get in early now before everyone else,” says Patel. “We need to be brave and take the next step, because the fuel market is going to be diluted with the emergence of electric vehicles whether we like it or not,” he adds.
The aim of the application to Wakefield Metropolitan District Council is to “future proof” the forecourt on the main thoroughfare to Wakefield, says Urban Future Planning Consultancy, which has advised on the project.
In its submission it says there is a “renewed need” for enhanced roadside services within the immediate locality and that the scheme “primarily seeks to prepare the site for the inevitable phasing out of petrol/diesel vehicles and the rapid transition to electric and hybrid powered vehicles, which is well underway”.
