The German manufacturer has a go at what a futuristic filling station might look like
No gas, more time
Audi looks into the future of gas stations and from what it sees, we’ll be pumping a lot less gas and spending a lot more time consuming organic food and reading magazines and coffee-table books while we wait for our electric vehicles to charge up.
At least that’s the impression I got when I read about Audi’s futuristic “e-den” charging station on display at Design Miami/2010.
Since electric vehicles take more time to charge than simply sticking a hose in a filler tube and pumping 20 or so gallons of petrol into your ride, Audi has decided that looking forward, their vision of the common service station has morphed into “a wellness oasis featuring fair-trade products and sustainable materials. A real paradise…”
To accomplish this, Audi contracted with Mirko Borsche, a Munich-based graphic design studio that envisioned “a greener tomorrow where traditional gas stations no longer exist, but have transformed into more intimate places of encounter and relaxation.”
Where’s the lotto machine?
According to Audi, “The installation is dominated by reflective glass that mirrors the resplendent Audi e-tron Spyder, a study in electric vehicle design. The architecture is also reminiscent of a 1950s American gas station, with an old gasoline pump encased in glass like a museum piece serving as a reminder of the oil-dependent past.”
While I admit that the description certainly sounds great (the single accompanying image was small and I couldn’t get any real sense of the e-den’s “presence” from it), it doesn’t appear as though anyone from Mirko Borsche has spent any time at all in a southeast Michigan gas station, as there are a number of items missing from their design including:
1. lotto machines
2. racks displaying camouflage hunting attire
3. countertop containers filled with beef jerky
4. soda/slurpee/coffee/espresso/capuccino machines
5. glass door refrigeration units containing energy drinks, pop, beer, wine and the requisite eclectic mix of Arizona iced teas
Note to the designers at Mirko Borsche: people need a reason, besides electricity, to visit your whiz-bang “e-den”. Next time, check with Sam’s gas station in Sterling Heights, Michigan beforehand.
