It’s not as simple as switching to electricity or biofuels, she added, “Every source of energy has unintended consequences. Every single source. Nothing's perfect.”
For example, electric vehicles require lithium-ion batteries. Battery production (especially mining lithium, cobalt and nickel) has significant environmental and human rights concerns. Charging with coal-based electricity reduces environmental gains. Drivers of EVs are anxious about finding limited charging stations, especially along highways.
Still, electric vehicles continue to increase. Many retailers have been installing or adding EV charging stations to their forecourts, including majors such as:
- Pilot Co. (Pilot Flying J): Partnered with GM and EVgo to install over 2,000 fast chargers at 500 locations by 2026.
- 7-Eleven: Launched its own branded EV charging network called 7Charge, expanding across company-owned locations in Texas, Florida, California and Colorado.
- bp (Amoco / bp Pulse): Investing $1 billion by 2030 in U.S. EV infrastructure, with plans to install chargers at Thorntons and TravelCenters of America locations.
- Shell (Shell Recharge): Acquired Volta and is expanding its Shell Recharge brand at select convenience stores.
- Circle K: Operating EV chargers in North America and Europe, piloting Level 3 fast chargers at select stores in California and Arizona.
- Wawa: Partnered with Tesla and Electrify America to offer superchargers at numerous locations, especially in Florida, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
- Buc-ee’s: Added Tesla Superchargers and Electrify America stations at several travel hubs.