New indoor EV charging station in San Francisco offers a glimpse into the future

A couple of blocks from the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, Electrify America is about to open an indoor charging station that lets drivers relax in a lounge while their electric vehicle batteries are being filled up. The 20-plug direct-current fast-charging station, which opens for business Friday near downtown San Francisco, is part of a trend toward more appealing neighborhood stations, designed to serve EV owners who can’t charge at their homes as well as travelers or commuters who are low on juice. It’s also designed to allay fears from potential EV buyers that charging stations are too scarce or that they will have no safe place to wait as their vehicles charge.