Mercedes-Benz and Starbucks have announced a partnership to construct quick electric vehicle chargers at 100 coffee shops along Interstate 5, which stretches from Canada to Mexico.
Andrew Cornelia, President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz High-Power Charging confirmed the partnership in a news release on Wednesday.
Newsng gathered that Starbucks has experimented with EV charging previously.
As part of an agreement with Chargepoint and Volvo, there are 50 fast chargers at 15 Starbucks locations along the Seattle to Denver route.
In addition to helping the automaker with its plans to extend its High-Power Charging network, the partnership with Mercedes-Benz now broadens the coffee chain’s goal to become the future petrol station for electric vehicles.
“At Starbucks, we have a long history of bringing renewable and clean energy projects to connect communities that lack the infrastructure,” said Michael Kobori, Starbucks’s chief sustainability officer.
“Partnering with Mercedes is the next step in expanding our EV charging network so our customers can refuel sustainably while they enjoy Starbucks.”
Newsng understands that Starbucks only provides the space in its parking lots for the charging stalls and other equipment; it does not cover the costs associated with installation.
Crucially, Mercedes is not paying the full $1 billion project; rather, MN8 Energy, a Goldman Sachs Asset Management subsidiary that specialises in solar and energy storage, will pay for half of it.
The news comes at a time when most automakers are reevaluating some of their ambitious electric vehicle (EV) ambitions due to slower-than-anticipated growth.
Mercedes had previously declared it would only offer electric cars (EVs), but it later stated it would also sell gas-powered cars beyond 2030.
“Together, we seek to infuse delight into this facet of EV ownership through intentional experiences that make drivers genuinely excited to plug in.
“We envision a future where charging your vehicle is as easy as enjoying your favourite Starbucks,” Cornelia stated.
We earlier reported that Mercedes-Benz’s CEO stated in an episode of Decoder that the German automaker has no intentions to implement Apple’s immersive, next-generation CarPlay system.
