BALTIMORE — High’s has installed its first electric vehicle (EV) charging stations as demand for the service has begun to pick up in Maryland.
The chain partnered with ChargePoint, said to be the largest charging station network in the United States, to add the two fast-charging stations to its store in Jessup, Md. The units have two dedicated parking spaces on the side of the High’s store.
“We are seeing an increase of EV drivers, so we’re excited to support them and welcome new EV drivers with these charging spots,” said Jesse Newman, project manager for High’s. “We chose ChargePoint because they’re networked, so it’s easy for us to manage the stations from anywhere and customize the charging experience for our guests.”
The addition of EV charging stations is part of High’s efforts to support the future growth of EVs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The retailer, which was established in 1928 as an ice cream chain, was acquired by Carroll Motor Fuels in 2012 and today has 49 stores.
- High's is No. 134 on CSP's2019 Top 202 ranking of U.S. c-store chains by number of retail outlets. CSP will release the complete 2020 list in June.
Maryland has a goal of registering 300,000 EVs by 2025. It offers incentives for buying plug-in EVs and installing charging stations, including $5,000 rebates for retail locations and grants to develop public charging infrastructure. It is a member of The Transportation and Climate Initiative, a group of Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states that aims to cut and cap carbon emissions from transportation fuels. And Maryland is home to RS Automotive, which made headlines for replacing its gasoline pumps with EV charging stations with a grant from the Maryland Energy Administration's Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Program.
Other fuel retailers that have EV charging stations as part of other ChargePoint networks include Hy-Vee, 7-Eleven, Terrible Herbst, Kum & Go and Royal Farms. In February, NATSO, the national association for travel centers and truckstops, partnered with ChargePoint to form The National Highway Charging Collaborative, which aims to install EV charging stations at 4,000 travel centers and fueling sites.
Campbell, Calif.-based ChargePoint has a network of more than 108,100 charging points around the world and has reportedly supplied more than 73 million charges.
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