Volvo and Starbucks are teaming up to create the first charging network for electric vehicles at the coffee company’s stores in the United States. Powered by ChargePoint, the fast-charging network will include as many as 60 Volvo-branded chargers at up to 15 Starbucks locations. In the first stage of the project, scheduled to begin this summer, the chargers will be installed along a 1,350-mile route from Denver to Starbucks’ headquarters in Seattle.
The idea is simple yet smart. If you are traveling with an electric vehicle, you can recharge between, say, 20 and 80 percent in about 40 minutes at a fast-charging station. In the case of the new DC stations on Starbucks locations, while the car is recharging, you can relax and enjoy your favorite Starbucks beverage. Volvo plans to have a charging location about every 100 miles, which is well within the range of most modern electric vehicles.
If you drive an all-electric Volvo, you’ll be able to use the ChargePoint app integrated into the vehicle’s infotainment system to find the next available charging station at a participating Starbucks location. More importantly, Volvo owners will use the chargers at no cost or at preferential rates, while drivers of all other EVs will be able to use the stations for a fee. There’s no available information about the charging rates for now.
“Volvo wants to give people the freedom to move and lower their impact on the environment,” Anders Gustafsson, Sr. Vice President Americas and President and CEO, Volvo Car USA, explains “Working with Starbucks we can do that by giving them enjoyable places to relax while their cars recharge.”
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The Swedish automaker plans to begin the installation of the DC chargers this summer and to have the job done by the end of the year. Volvo wants the EV owners to be able to travel between the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Northwest only by using chargers at Starbucks locations.
According to Volvo’s global strategy, the company should be selling only battery-powered cars by the end of the decade. It is currently working on a few different electric vehicles, including a small electric crossover developed with Polestar.
