If you drive an electric vehicle and enjoy drinking coffee, there will soon be an extra incentive for driving to Starbucks for a beverage.
Starbucks is partnering with Volvo and ChargePoint to install EV fast chargers at 15 Starbucks locations along a 1,350-mile route as part of a pilot program. In total, some 60 charge points will be installed roughly every 100 miles, allowing you to drive from Seattle to Denver without any range anxiety.
Volvo intends to monitor how popular the chargers are with a view to scaling up the installations. Starbucks operates 8,947 locations in the US, but doesn’t list how many of those have access to parking. The big question for the coffee company is whether offering EV charging results in customers buying more coffee (and cake) while they wait.
Starbucks revealed the pilot as part of a wider announcement about its “planet positive” goals for 2030. One of those goals is to reduce waste by 50% by 2030, and a new reusable cup program is being introduced in six markets to help achieve that goal. By the end of 2023, Starbucks will support the use of personal reusable cups at every location across the US and Canada.
There’s also a new Starbucks Partner Waste and Recycling app being launched to “help partners navigate complex and unique store recycling guidelines.” The app offers all the information required for sorting waste for recycling and how to reduce waste, as well as store-specific information and notifications.
