Volvo and Starbucks Make EV Charging As Easy as Getting Coffee

To help EV drivers get rid of the hustle and bustle of charging, Volvo Cars and Starbucks partnered up to make EV charging as fast as drinking a coffee. Therefore, they have opened the first public electric-vehicle fast charging network. The first chargers were installed back in August 2022.

There will be 50 Volvo Cars-and-Starbucks-branded DC fast chargers placed at 15 Starbucks locations between Denver and Seattle. That is a 1,350-mile (2,172-kilometer) route with chargers placed about every 100 miles (161 kilometers) on average.

The route crosses through several Federal Opportunity Zones, which previously had no access to charging infrastructure, but also near six national forests, helping zero-emission transportation in the iconic spots. The list includes the Snoqualmie Pass in Washginton, the Snake River in Idaho, and the Arches National Park in Utah, also connecting Park City and Vail.

The cars will be able to charge, once connected to the DC fast chargers, enough for 110 miles (177 kilometers) in just 15 minutes. Meanwhile, the drivers recharge themselves with an energy boost at the coffee shop.

Those who have their cars with Google embedded can use the vehicle’s integrated ChargePoint app in order to find and access the charging stations at the participating Starbucks locations.

Meanwhile, owners of other EVs fitted with a standard CCS1 or CHAdeMo receptacle can find the locations on their Charge Point smartphone app.

The charging stations will benefit from both virtual and in-person monitoring supports, which will assist drivers with any issue that may come up.

It is one more step that Volvo takes on the road to becoming a fully electric car company by 2030 and climate neutral by 2040. At the same time, Starbucks is targeting to cut its carbon footprint in half by 2030.

There are five EVs in the Volvo lineup

Volvo currently has five EVs in the lineup, but one of them is a China-only affair. It all started with the XC40 subcompact crossovers and the C40 crossover coupe.

Volvo also officially presented the EX90 electric SUV in China, at the Shanghai Motor Show in April 2023. It is a seven-seat SUV that sits at the top of the lineup.

Back in June, Volvo brought another subcompact crossover into the spotlight, in the shape of the EX30, the smallest and the most affordable of them all. The model is built in China on Geely’s SEA platform.

To show appreciation for its biggest market, China, Volvo Cars is rolling out a model that is specifically designed for the market. It is the fully electric premium Volvo EM90 MPV, based on Geely’s Zeekr 009, which is only sold locally for the moment.