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Mercedes-Benz and Starbucks are teaming up to make sure you and your car can get your morning jolt at the same time.
The companies on Wednesday unveiled plans to expand Mercedes-Benz’s network of DC fast chargers to 100 Starbucks stores across the US, with initial locations planned along Interstate 5 on the Pacific Coast. The chargers would be “open to all vehicle brands,” according to a news release.
“Our collaboration with Starbucks solves a critical need for more reliable, high-quality, and experiential charging matched to where customers already go,” Andrew Cornelia, president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz High-Power Charging, said in a statement to Tech Brew. “When we integrate charging into our daily lives, we help bring the freedom of travel back to the EV road trip and remove a critical barrier for those customers wanting to make the shift to electric.”
Both companies already are invested in EV charging. Starbucks offers “nearby access” to charging at more than 1,000 stores, per the news release. And this partnership is part of a $1 billion investment by Mercedes-Benz High-Power Charging to build fast chargers across the US. The network opened its first location in November and now has a dozen sites, with plans to be in nearly half of US states in the next 12 to 18 months.
Mercedes-Benz spokesperson Anna Russell Murray told Tech Brew via email that lack of “access to public charging continues to be the No. 1 barrier for EV adoption.”
“To bring freedom of travel back to the road trip for EV drivers, we must fill the gaps along popular travel routes,” she said. “Our network philosophy is to create an anticipatory charging experience, meaning we want to take the guesswork out for the driver and really make charging so seamless that it fades into the background of everyday life.”
Indeed, consumer concerns about the charging experience are contributing to a slowdown in EV sales. The Biden administration is trying to get 500,000 public chargers installed across the country by 2030, supported by billions of dollars in federal funding.
Adding public chargers at retailers could help solve charging woes for people who can’t charge at home. Examples abound of charging providers teaming up with retailers—that could see boosts to revenue and foot traffic—like Walmart, Ikea, and Sheetz. Last week, BP announced that it would install EV chargers at 75 Simon Property Group sites.