Known for its solid cars, Volvo took a step that could please the electric car owners in the US first and then perhaps all the electric car owners around the world, and announced that it will turn some Starbucks cafes in the USA into electric vehicle charging stations.
Volvo and Starbucks are joining forces to offer electric vehicle owners a different charging experience. The two powerful companies have announced plans to install electric vehicle charging stations at several Starbucks cafes in the United States as part of a pilot program. About 60 chargers will be installed at 15 Starbucks cafes on the roads between Denver and Seattle in the US.
Volvo tells Autoblog that the chargers will be a homogeneous mix of ChargePoint DC chargers, consisting of Express 250 units with a capacity of 62.5 kW and Express Plus units capable of delivering up to 350 kW. All chargers will have both CHAdeMO and CCS plugs.
Every 161 km there will be a Starbucks with an electric vehicle charging station.
The charger-equipped Starbucks, which will be placed approximately 161 km apart, will match the road capacity of most electric vehicles. Volvo and Starbucks state that everyone can use these charging stations and standard charging fees will apply, and Volvo vehicles can benefit from these stations at a discount.
The locations of the charging stations included in the project can be found on the smartphone app of the project’s name, ChargePoint, or with an inbuilt app on Google-equipped Volvo models. This project opens up a world of new opportunities for charging.
For example, a Volvo C40 Recharge’s battery charges from 20% to 90% in about 40 minutes. Just as cars need to renew their fuel tanks or batteries on a long journey, drivers must renew their energy. As a solution to this, chargers in coffee shops can be really useful.
