"Drivers often grab a drink or a bite to eat when they pull into a gas station. So it should come as no surprise that Japan is currently in the process of installing charging stations near their outside vending machines.
Japan currently has over 2-million outdoor beverage vending machines. Over the next year or so, up to 10,000 electric vehicle chargers will be installed at existing locations of outdoor beverage vending machines.
This plan will come to fruition with the help of 10 Japanese companies, some of which include the charging unit manufacturer Panasonic and Forking Co., who own approximately 1.2 million vending machines. Reiko Kobayashi, a spokesperson for Forking, stated that future generations of vending machines could possibly incorporate beverages and charging units in the same machine. That would definitely be an interesting sight to see, but plausible if done correctly.
The majority of potential EV customers and current EV owners are concerned about the availability of charging stations. Establishing and expanding the network of EV charging stations at existing highway rest stops where beverage vending machines are installed, very well solve or reduce the anxiety consumers have when it comes to charging their vehicle."
Em: http://nissan-leaf.net/2011/03/11/japan ... p-your-ev/