Dive Brief:
- Alimentation Couche-Tard has partnered with electric vehicle charging app ChargeHub, according to an announcement last week.
- The agreement will make Alimentation Couche-Tard’s EV charging sites available to anyone using ChargeHub’s Passport Hub.
- This announcement comes as Couche-Tard continues expanding its North American EV charging infrastructure, with a target of 200 U.S. and Canadian charging locations by the end of 2024.
Dive Insight:
As more companies roll out EV charging, the landscape is becoming a mishmash of apps from charging companies, automakers and even retailers — not all of which take credit cards. ChargeHub’s technology allows users to access chargers from all of its partner companies, including Circle K, using only the Passport Hub.
This agreement also makes it easier for people to find and use chargers at Couche-Tard’s c-stores, and encourages ChargeHub’s more than 1 million users to consider those sites. This extends to fleet customers using ChargeHub as well as individuals.
The convenience store sites may be of particular interest to drivers using ChargeHub because they offer amenities to help customers pass the time.
“We are delighted to see that these players, who have strategic sites and complementary services to charging, want to make their network available to as many EV drivers as possible," said Simon Ouellette, President and CEO of ChargeHub.
Couche-Tard has been steadily working on its EV charging network, both in North America and overseas. It tapped Driivz for its network platform early in 2023, upgraded 50 of its more than 400 European sites with software from Nuuve and is slowly growing its U.S. charging footprint.
Laval, Quebec-based Couche-Tard has more than 16,700 stores in 29 countries worldwide.
