Convenience store chain 7-Eleven is preparing for the electric vehicle‘s future in North America with plans to dramatically increase the number of EV chargers it owns and operates, going from a mere 22 such chargers at 14 stores scattered about four states to a total of at least 500 chargers at 250 stores located by the end of 2022. In other words, 7-Eleven plans to increase its EV charging infrastructure by nearly 2,200 percent over a period of fewer than two years.
These 500 new DC fast chargers are due to dot the U.S. and Canada, although 7-Eleven did not disclose the specific states or provinces of stores it plans to install the units at. We wager 7-Eleven stores in major metropolitan areas are more likely to receive this new batch of chargers over stores in more rural environments. Although these chargers will surely make EV ownership more convenient, the units will almost certainly require a fee for consumer use, as is common for public EV chargers. For instance, PlugShare reports a 7-Eleven in Flushing, New York currently costs customers $0.30 per minute to use.
Given that around 16,000 7-Eleven stores exist in North America, the company’s pledge to add 500 chargers to 250 of its stores is still a very small drop in a much larger bucket that will leave more than 98 percent of 7-Elevens in North America without an EV charger to satiate the power needs of battery electric vehicle owners.
