Mercedes-Benz has announced a partnership with Starbucks to install public DC fast-charging stations at 100 Starbucks locations along Interstate 5, which stretches from Canada to Mexico through Washington, Oregon, and California.
This collaboration between Mercedes-Benz and Starbucks aims to create a dense network of charging stations for EV owners traveling along the West Coast. The 100 sites will feature 400-kilowatt(kW) chargers, capable of significantly reducing charging times.
Capable EVs will be able to charge from 10% to 80% in less than 30 minutes, adding over 150 miles (241km) of range in just 15 minutes.
Starbucks will be providing the space in its parking lots, but will not bear the installation costs. Instead, 50% of the $1 billion project will be funded by MN8 Energy, a solar power and energy storage company.
The Mercedes-Benz and Starbucks partnership is not limited to the West Coast. Both companies have said they plan to explore additional opportunities in other critical travel corridors on the east coast of the US.
The new charging stations are part of Mercedes-Benz’s $1 billion plan to build 2,000 new EV charging hubs globally. The first of these stations, featuring 400kW charging speeds and waiting area, opened in Atlanta last year.
In addition to this initiative, Mercedes-Benz is also part of Ionna, a network backed by seven major automakers. Ionna aims to install over 30,000 chargers across the U.S. by 2027.
This isn’t the only EV charging deal for Starbucks. In 2022 the company partnered with Volvo to install 60 DC fast chargers along a 1,350 mile route between Seattle, Washington and Denver, Colorado.
