If you told me 7-Eleven was going to beat Wawa and Sheetz to a nationwide charging network in the United States and Canada, I would have said, “Wait…7-Eleven is still around?”
But that’s what’s happening! In a blog post, the company announced that it is launching 7Charge — a new proprietary charging network and app. 7-Eleven says it “intends to build one of the largest and most compatible electric vehicle (EV) fast-charging networks of any retailer in North America.” Chargers are reportedly already available at select locations in Florida, Texas, Colorado, and California.
The company says that its charging network will work with any EV vehicle as long as it is compatible with CHAdeMO or Combined Charging System (CCS) plug types. In addition to rolling out the chargers to 7-Eleven locations, it will also bring the chargers to its Speedway and Stripes locations, two brands that fall under the 7-Eleven umbrella.
Joe DePinto, President and Chief Executive Officer at 7‑Eleven, said in a statement that its new EV charging network is its latest way to deliver convenience to its customers.
“For over 95 years, 7‑Eleven has innovated to meet our customers’ needs – delivering convenience where, when and how they want it. Now, we are innovating once again to meet our customers’ where they are by expanding our business to provide EV drivers convenience of the future…today.”
While many automakers have started to roll out self-branded EV chargers, there’s been less noise from brands known for their gas stations. With 7-Eleven announcing plans to offer EV charging across its brands, it’ll be interesting to see how other convenience brands respond to the move.
7-Eleven is just one of many brands starting to build out charging networks in the United States. Mercedes-Benz and ChargePoint recently announced a partnership to build thousands of EV fast chargers across North America and Tesla just started to roll out its Supercharger network to non-Tesla EVs in the country.
