One of the most important factors in the implementation of electric car charging infrastructure is location. Beyond just having fast-charging stations along popular commuter and road trip routes, those chargers should be installed in places with amenities for drivers to use and enjoy while they juice up their vehicles. Volvo is doing just that, having now opened its first 50 fast chargers at more than a dozen Starbucks coffee shops in a partnership with ChargePoint and the java giant.
This plan was first announced last year, with Volvo initially saying the project would be completed by the end of 2022. The 15 Starbucks stores with chargers are all located on a 1,350-mile stretch between Denver, Colorado, and Seattle, Washington, with each one being placed about 100 miles apart on average. The route runs through cities like Provo, Utah, and Twin Falls, Idaho, and passes by six national forests and a number of other parks and landmarks.
These DC fast chargers can deliver up to 200 kW of power, which Volvo says is good enough to add 110 miles of range in just 15 minutes to its latest C40 Recharge and XC40 Recharge models. (For the updated rear-wheel-drive cars, a 10 percent to 80 percent charge on a 150-kW charger takes 28 minutes.) The ChargePoint app in Volvo’s infotainment system makes it easy to find and use these stations, but drivers of any EV will be able to use these stations as well. Every charger has both a CCS cable and a CHAdeMO cable.
Volvo says it is taking on the responsibility of charger operation and maintenance, which is another common pain point. The brand promises quick responses and minimal down time through the use of both in-person and virtual monitoring, as well as customer support. It’s the latest in a growing number of automakers getting into the charging game, having gotten fed up with the way companies like Electrify America and ChargePoint have been running things themselves.
While these 15 Starbucks stations are the only ones for now, this partnership is something that should (and hopefully will be) implemented across the country. Regardless of whether I’m driving a gas car or an EV, stopping for coffee, a snack or a bathroom break is something I want to do after roughly every couple of hours driving anyway. The easier and more appealing stopping to charge gets, the more popular EVs will become.
