CALGARY, Alberta — Parkland Corp. plans to build what it is calling the “Electric Charging Destination of the Future” to “set a new standard for electric vehicle charging and customer experience.”
The Calgary, Alberta-based fuel and convenience-store retailer has developed its initial architectural concept by sponsoring an international design competition operated by Electric Autonomy Canada, a platform focused on electric and autonomous vehicle technologies.
“Consistent with our energy transition and convenience destination strategy, our goal in sponsoring this competition was to engage talented architects and designers from around the world, invite them to put the needs of EV customers first, and entirely reimagine their experience,” said Darren Smart, senior vice president of energy transition and corporate development. “We are committed to bringing the winning concept to life as part of our ambitious EV charging strategy in British Columbia and believe the concept could be extended to our other geographies when we see opportunity to meet emerging customer demand.”
James Silvester, a Scotland-based architect with extensive global experience designing sustainable architecture, created the winning design. Named, “More with Less,” the design creates a relaxing environment where electric vehicle drivers can take a breath, and recharge not just their vehicles, but themselves.
“The environmentally friendly materials and modular nature of the ‘More with Less’ concept, provides tremendous versatility,” said Smart. “It can be scaled large or small, accommodate the amenities we know EV customers value while they charge, such as our On the Run convenience stores and high-quality dining. It also creates a series of outdoor spaces. The result is a destination that customers can enjoy and an environment where nature is integral to the structure. We look forward to working with James to further hone the design and identify a suitable location where we can bring it to life and create a world-class experience for EV drivers.”
Parkland previously announced plans to open British Columbia’s largest network of ultra-fast electric vehicle chargers by site count. These are co-located with On the Run-branded c-stores and Triple O’s restaurants on high-traffic routes through British Columbia and into Calgary. It expects this network to be complete in the second half of 2022.
“In addition to leveraging our supply and storage capabilities to provide the essential fuels that our diverse customers rely on, we are a leader in renewable energy and are rapidly building a charging network to serve growing demand for convenient charging from electric vehicle drivers in select markets,” Parkland said.
Parkland’s strategy involves growing organically, realizing a supply advantage, acquiring prudently and integrating successfully, it said. “We are positioned to win through the energy transition and are focused on developing our existing business in resilient markets, further diversifying our retail business into convenience, food and EV charging, and helping our commercial customers decarbonize their operations.”
Toronto-based Electric Autonomy is the news and events platform focused on advancing Canada’s transition to safer, cleaner and more affordable mobility and transportation through the adoption of electric and autonomous vehicle technologies and new mobility services.
Parkland is a consolidator and operator of convenience retail and fuel marketing businesses in Canada, the United States, the Caribbean and the Americas through retail, commercial and wholesale channels. It is the second largest c-store operator in Canada with 650 retail outlets and more than 1,830 dealer sites.
- Parkland USA is No. 85 on CSP's2021 Top 202 ranking of U.S. c-store chains by store count.
Under Charleston, S.C.-based Parkland USA, Parkland has operations in 13 mostly Western states, with more than 200 c-stores. In late 2020, Parkland USA acquired the license for the exclusive use of the On the Run brand in most of the United States.
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