As EV (electric vehicle) charging stations spring up along our information (and other) highways, consistent signage needs to keep the messaging on point.
Quick Buzz
The above two EV station charging signs hail from Japan: the first was snapped in Nagoya and the second along the Kan-Etsu Expressway that runs between Nerima (Tokyo) and Nagaoka. The Nagoya sign is backed somewhat incongruously by ramshackle structures that appear to predate the introduction of electric power but whatevs – today’s EV drivers are in far too much of a hurry to notice. (images via Sharon Hahn Darlin and Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., respectively)
My Other Chev Runs on Batteries
Kudos to Oregon for promoting the West Coast Electric Highway but c’mon guys, hiding an EV charging station in back of a gasoline station? It’s no surprise, really, that Big Oil (Chevron, in this case) gleefully relegates the uber-generic EV signage to the very bottom of its own sign. Even the Food Mart rates higher. Better luck next time, ODT. (image via Oregon Department of Transportation)
Level With Us
Picture this scene… the needle on your EV’s amp gauge is settling toward zero but you’ve finally, thankfully, found an EV charging station. Suddenly your sense of blissful relief turns to heart-pounding anxiety, as a sign indicates the desperately-needed power plug lies SIX LEVELS up an urban parking garage! One wonders: did this driver manage to make it past Level 4, where they snapped the ominous image above? (image via Andrew Stawarz)
Pump 2020
It’s big, it’s bold, it’s “electric blue” and its message is unmistakable. This sign from New Westminster, BC, Canada would be the perfect template for EV charging station signs anywhere in the world. So what if a classic gasoline pump like the ones charging stations are destined to replace looms large in the graphic imagery… much like the classic rotary-dial telephone icons on everyone’s smartphone screens. (image via Mike)
Got a thing for green signs of the times? Check out Eclectic Avenue: 10 Weird Animal Crossing Signs!
