NORFOLK, Va. — Is the decline of the gas station that far off?
Technically speaking, it’s already happening.
From the mid -90s to today, we’ve seen a 25% decrease in the number of them around the country.
Three big things have started to accelerate that decline in the past few years.
Electric cars, like the new Tesla Cybertruck, rideshare companies, like Lyft and Uber, and something from the not so distant future- self-driving cars.
In fact, the last one is closer than you think, geographically speaking at least.
A map from Bloomberg Philanthropist shows where in the country autonomous vehicles are being tested right now.
One of the cities marked on the map is Washington D.C.
Leaders there approved a pilot program for sidewalk friendly delivery robots, and that’s just the beginning for the district and other cities piloting similar programs.
Now, before you get worried about that new car you just bought, retail gas is still a huge part of our economy.
Just something to think about, the next time you fill up.