The two brands of convenience stores are operated by Alimentation Couche-Tard
The company has already added EV chargers to some of its stores in Europe
The first Circle K store to receive charging stations in the US is in Rock Hill, South Carolina
Convenience store operator Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. unveiled a plan to add electric vehicle charging stations to 200 of their Couche-Tard and Circle K stores across North America by 2024.
The company announced this at the opening of the new charging stations installed at its Rock Hill, South Carolina store, which became the first Circle K franchise to provide power to EV drivers.
This store will be monitored closely by Couche-Tard in order to determine the effects of the stations on the in-store traffic and the pattern of charger use.
Even without this American test-store, the company knows roughly what to expect since it has already installed over 1,000 charging stations divided in more than 230 Circle K stores in Northern Europe, starting in Norway four years ago.
The company said it will prioritise regions where EV adoption is highest and regions where the electricity supply is reliable and plentiful for the implantation of its next charging stations, which could be situated inside cities and on the side of major highways.
This will likely be beneficial both for electric vehicle owners and for the Convenience stores themselves. Indeed, convenience stores are usually located in areas that are frequented by a lot of motorists, which means that electric car drivers will have more charging points available.
In addition, the additional traffic generated by EV drivers will likely be beneficial for the stores since vehicle occupants will likely be tempted to enter the store while their vehicle is charging and leave with snacks or beverages.
Convenience stores could also be a favorite of EV owners since they will be able to use the bathroom or simply stretch their legs out of the elements, which is impossible at many of the current charging stations, which consist of a number of chargers in an empty parking lot.
Alimentation Couche-Tard’s plan currently calls for 200 stores equipped with chargers by 2024, but it is likely this program could be extended to the company’s 9,000 North American locations if it is successful.
