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More coffee, less carbon: Inside Starbucks’ strategy for EV drivers

The chain wants chargers at or near 1,000 of its U.S. locations. Read More

(Updated on July 25, 2024)
Sandy Springs, GA
Starbucks is adding fast-charging stations for electric vehicles at more than 100 of its locations, as part of a partnership with Mercedes. More than 1,000 cafes will have access to chargers after the installation. Image: Mercedes-Benz High-Power

Starbucks is adding fast-charging stations for electric vehicles at more than 100 of its locations, starting with the 1,400-mile Interstate 5 corridor from California to Washington state. 

The installation is being handled by Mercedes-Benz High-Power Charging, a $1 billion, year-old joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and solar developer MN8 Energy that targets quick-service restaurants, retailers in urban locations and other places where charging tech is scarce.

“It offers a way to provide a valuable amenity and service to a growing customer base,” said Andrew Cornelia, CEO of Mercedes-Benz High-Power Charging. 

Each Starbucks café selected for the 400-kilowatt chargers will be equipped with four to 10 stations, depending on the infrastructure available or the number of EVs in the area. Each port will provide a “meaningful charge” in 15 to 20 minutes and work with a wide array of EVs.

“This is no longer about going out of your way to find ‘fuel’; it’s about integrating the process into everyday life,” Cornelia said. “You want to dial down inconvenience.”

Starbucks and Volvo EV

Chargers at or near 1,000 locations and counting

Starbucks’ investment follows an earlier partnership with Volvo Cars that added 50 charging stations at 15 locations from Seattle to Denver, approximately 100 miles apart. Other routes are planned, including on the East Coast.

After these installations, Starbucks’ customers will have access to chargers at or near 1,000 U.S. cafes. (There were 17,068 Starbucks coffee shops in the United States as of May; 3,352 of those were in California, which has the most locations.) Selection factors include:

  • Proximity to high-transit corridors.
  • Areas with high EV adoption rates.
  • Cities with a low number of public chargers. 

Goal: Lure EV drivers who are in a hurry

The world’s biggest coffee chain wants to cut the carbon footprint of its customers while also drawing in EV drivers seeking a caffeine pick-me-up.

“We’re trying as a company to be as sustainable as we can be,” said a Starbucks barista from Washington state. “Why not do it in a way that people can realize they’re participating, that it’s all shared, so that they can come along for the journey?”

Other coffee chains are adding EV chargers to appeal to drop-in customers. Costa Coffee in the U.K. announced plans to install fast chargers at more than 200 drive-in locations starting in 2021, doubling the number of places with charging ports. Canada’s Tim Horton is making similar investments.   

Subway, the sandwich chain, is piloting remodeled “Oasis” stores that include fast-charging stations, canopies, picnic tables, green space and playgrounds. The company’s chief operating officer, Mike Kappitt, described the strategy as a way to “exceed our guests’ expectations for a high-quality, convenient experience.”

Graph

61,000 publicly available charging stations

Six out of 10 Americans live within two miles of publicly available EV chargers, and there were approximately 61,000 of them with fast-charging Level 2 capacity, as of February. Those who live close to these locations tend to view electric vehicles more positively, according to May data from the Pew Research Center.

Pew found that public stations are available in two-thirds of all U.S. counties. Rural areas have far less access: urban areas had 90 percent of the EV charging infrastructure as of Feb. 27. Just 17 percent of the U.S. public said they were “extremely” or “very confident” in the public sector’s ability to provide the infrastructure to support EVs.

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