Retailers, restaurants and travel centers install EV chargers

Some of the most high-traffic venues in the country — convenience stores, big-box retailers, travel centers and quick-stop restaurants — are having an aha! moment: Adding electric vehicle chargers on site could bring in new customers to shop while their cars power up.

Subway announced plans to install EV chargers this week, while BP Products North America acquired TravelCenters of America, expanding its EV charging goals, this month.

The addition of EV charging hubs at popular retail, restaurant and travel center locations could be a tipping point for electrification, said Loren McDonald, analyst at EVAdoption.

Such businesses "see this as a long-term gain," he said. "They are trying to figure it out."

The list of retailers, restaurant groups and travel centers experimenting with EV charging is growing. Starbucks, 7-Eleven, Walmart, Target, Pilot Flying J, Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores and others have launched EV charging initiatives. McDonald said that most regional and major convenience store chains have at least been testing on-site EV charging.

He estimates that about 1,500 restaurants across the U.S. offered Level 2 or Level 3 charging last year, based on an analysis of Alternative Fuels Data Center metrics.

Having a safe, comfortable place to charge is essential for drivers as electrification scales. A typical 10-minute fill-up at a gas station becomes a 30- to 40-minute power-up at an EV charger. EV owners want to charge up at a location that is near travel corridors, is well-lit and offers key amenities, such as restrooms, food and beverages, a place to sit and early and late hours.