5 New Entrants Into EV Charging
By Samantha Oller on Aug. 11, 2017CHICAGO -- As Tesla began producing its mass-market Model 3 electric vehicle (EV) this July, more fuel retailers have been entering the car-charging business.
These latest entrants join chains such as Bosselman Enterprises, QuickChek, Royal Farms, Ricker Oil, Spinx and Sheetz in testing the EV charging opportunity.
Here are five new and up-and-coming locations to find EV charging ...
1. Maverik
In Utah, Maverik Inc. has opened the first of several EV charging stations as part of the state’s Mighty Five Electric Vehicle Corridor Initiative, which aims to provide charging for EVs from the Salt Lake Valley to its national parks.
Maverik, based in Salt Lake City, added Level 3 fast-charging stations to its sites in Fillmore and Washington City, Utah, which will help EV drivers journey along Interstate 15. The locations are about 150 miles from each other, to match up with the typical 150- to 200-mile range of many EVs, The Salt Lake Tribune reported.
The cost to charge could range between $15 and $20 for a Level 3 charger, which can charge an EV battery up to 80% capacity in about 25 to 30 minutes, according to Maverik.
The Utah governor’s Office of Energy Development and Utah Clean Air Partnership provided grants to Maverik to install the chargers. All of the state’s major interstates will have EV chargers within three years.
Maverik plans to add more EV chargers along other interstate corridors, Chief Marketing Officer Aaron Simpson said. The chain has 300 sites in 10 western states. It ranked No. 30 on CSP's 2017 Top 202 list of the largest c-store chains in the United States.
“Today is really just a first step—it’s a big first step—but it is just a first step in electrifying the corridors in Utah,” Simpson said. “As a smart company, we have to think about how consumers' needs are changing and we want to be out in front of that.”
2. BP
BP PLC is in negotiations with EV manufacturers to partner on adding charging stations to its global network of fueling stations, CEO Bob Dudley told Reuters.
"We have discussions going on with a lot of the EV manufacturers to have a tie-up with our retail network for charging," Dudley said. BP has about 18,000 branded fueling sites around the world.
The London-based oil major is planning to add EV charging stations as its own projections suggest a flattening of global fuel demand as soon as the late 2020s. It expects the number of EVs on the road to grow from 1.2 million in 2015 to 100 million by 2035. This is a 40% upward revision from its energy outlook only one year ago, according to Bloomberg.
3. Shell
BP follows on the heels of Royal Dutch Shell, which is testing EV charging in Europe. By the end of 2017, the London-based oil major plans to have 10 fast-charging stations at Shell-branded fueling sites in the United Kingdom. It is also planning to test them in the Netherlands, Russia, Norway and Spain, Istvan Kapitany, executive vice president of retail, told CSP Fuels.
Shell is partnering with Allego, a Dutch EV charging station provider, for the European rollout. Shell’s CEO, Ben Van Beurden, even plans to buy a vehicle with an electrified motor—the Mercedes-Benz S550e—for his next car. He currently drives a diesel-powered vehicle.
“The whole move to electrify the economy, electrify mobility in places like northwest Europe, in the U.S., even in China, is a good thing,” Van Beurden told Bloomberg. “We need to be at a much higher degree of electric-vehicle penetration—or hydrogen vehicles or [natural] gas vehicles—if we want to stay within the 2-degrees Celsius outcome” to avoid irreversible climate change.
4. Rutter’s Farm Stores
In July, Rutter’s Farm Stores added Level 3 DC fast chargers to its Mountville and New Cumberland, Pa., convenience stores, with the potential to add more.
The York, Pa.-based chain of more than 60 sites did so in partnership with Nissan as part of its No Charge to Charge program. Launched in 2014, the program offers customers who buy or lease a new Nissan Leaf EV with two years of free public charging at a network of participating locations. Nissan is debuting its latest-generation Leaf EV in September.
“Part of the future of fuels is making sure we represent all of them,” Derek Gaskins, chief customer officer, told CSP Fuels. “With foodservice and our loyalty program, we give people choices.”
5. Meanwhile in Canada
Canada is preparing to build out its own EV charging network on the Trans-Canada Highway in Manitoba and Ontario, the Financial Post reported.
The $17.3 million project, which will include 34 charging stations, is one step toward building a coast-to-coast network. Bryan Urban, executive vice president with Leclanche North America, a partner on the project, said the specific locations will be determined later in 2017, with installation to begin in 2018. Drivers would pay a fee to use the charging network.
The Canadian government is hoping to stimulate EV demand by building out the charging infrastructure. In 2016, only 0.59% of new vehicles sold in Canada were EVs.