Volvo Car USA and ChargePoint have now opened Starbucks’ first public DC fast charging network at 15 of its stores.
Volvo DC fast chargers at Starbucks
The pilot was first announced by Volvo and Starbucks in March 2022, and 50 ChargePoint DC fast chargers are now online at Starbucks stores along a 1,350-mile route between Denver and Seattle. The chargers, which are Volvo Cars-and-Starbucks-branded, are sited approximately 100 miles apart.
Drivers of Volvo EVs can use the car’s integrated ChargePoint app to find and access charging stations at participating Starbucks locations, while drivers of other EVs equipped with a standard CCS1 or CHAdeMO receptacle can use the ChargePoint smartphone app.
Volvo told City Dwellers last year that it would use a mix of ChargePoint DC equipment, including the Express Plus and Express 250 units. The Express Plus can deliver up to 350 kW to a single vehicle.
The 15 Starbucks with Volvo DC fast chargers are in:
- Seattle, WA
- Issaquah, WA
- Yakima, WA
- Hermiston, OR
- La Grande, OR
- Nampa, ID
- Twin Falls, ID
- Uintah, ID
- Sandy, UT
- Provo, UT
- Grand Junction, CO
- Glenwood Springs, CO
- Silverthorne, CO
- Idaho Springs, CO
- Broomfield, CO
City Dwellers’s Take
You can fast charge in locations that have a Starbucks, such as at rest stops on the New Jersey Turnpike, but these are the first DC fast chargers that are Starbucks (and Volvo) branded.
Around 100 miles apart is pretty convenient. The 2024 Volvo C40 and XC40 Recharge can achieve up to 297 and 293 miles EPA range, respectively. So, if you drove that route in either of those models, you’d need to stop to charge at every other Starbucks stop. But you’d have to get creative with your drink orders so you don’t get sick to death of coffee.
The route passes six national forests and spans Arches National Park in Utah. It also connects Park City and Vail. So if an EV driver wanted to take a recreational road trip between Seattle and Denver, and that driver really liked Starbucks and was going to stop to sightsee along the way, then this would now be a dream route.
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Photo: ChargePoint
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