Las Vegas — The NACS Show will feature new products and services for the convenience and fuel retailing business. Each year, about 23,000 people attend the expo which features over 1,200 exhibitors. It is scheduled for Oct. 1 – 4 in Las Vegas.
Some of the NACS Show exhibitors include well-known brands such as Coca-Cola, Conagra Foods, The Kellogg Company, Keurig Dr. Pepper, General Mills and The Hershey Company, among many others.
However, there are also newer companies such as Rambler Sparking Water, Glow Your Pup Up, Beast Cookie Living, Uncle Matt’s Organic, Lemon Perfect and Snapdragon.
There are more than 45 education sessions that will be held during the NACS Show. Many of the topics include customer experience, foodservice, fuels, marketing, supplier and technology.
Two of the education sessions peaked our interest:
- “EV Economics: Fact vs. Fiction”: speakers include Terri Micklon, SVP of strategy and development at GetGo; Anila Siraj, managing director of alternative fuels at Kalibrate; Laura Dusik, solutions consultant at Wejo. It will be moderated by Karl Doenges, EV liaison at NACS.
- “Reality of EV Transitions”: includes a speech by Mark Boyadjis, global technology lead at S&P Global Mobility. It will be moderated by John Eichberger, executive director of The Fuels Institute.
Michigan-based Bennett Pump Co. is one of the exhibitors on the show floor. They sell fuel pumps for gas stations and convenience stores.
The average price for a new gas station fuel pump costs between $16,000 and $21,000, according to Commtank.com. They say it costs around $2,500 to install one.
Blink Charging is one of the leading EV charger manufacturers. They are another one of the exhibitors at the upcoming NACS Show.
A new EV charging station with a single port can cost from $400-$6,500 for level two charging and from $10,000 to $40,000 for a DC fast charging station, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. They say the average installation cost is $3,000 for a level two charger and $21,000 for a DC fast charger.
The only question is… Will gas station owners purchase and install these EV charging stations? It is important to remember that most fuel centers are franchises and are not corporate owned. Also, how long will it take for them to recoup that money and turn a profit with EV charging?
The NACS Show kicks off with education and general sessions on Oct. 1-4. Then, the expo runs from Oct. 2-4. Everything takes place at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
For more info about the NACS Show, visit https://www.nacsshow.com
