Dive Brief:
- Arko Corporation, parent company of convenience retailer GPM Investments, has debuted a new type of electric vehicle charging station at one of its Scotchman c-stores in Rock Hill, South Carolina, according to a recent announcement.
- The Zoozter-100, created by Israeli e-mobility firm Zooz Power, uses flywheel-based kinetic energy storage that’s environmentally friendly and built for longevity, according to the announcement.
- This marks the first Zooz Power-designed charger to hit North America, and the company intends to use Arko’s Scotchman site for demonstrations as it plans its U.S. rollout.
Dive Insight:
As of March, Arko had 18 charging stations installed across five c-stores in Massachusetts and six active EV projects at stores in Ohio and Michigan.
By launching the Zoozter-100, Arko is testing a new type of charging format, which it will operate as part of a joint pilot with e-mobility designer ABM, according to the announcement.
The charger successfully completed a site acceptance test on Sept. 7 and began a “run-in period” of several weeks. During this time frame, the Zoozter-100 will charge vehicles for the public while Arko and ABM monitor the site and ensure it runs properly.
Besides Arko, Zooz Power announced a pilot installation of the charger at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, as well as projects with the New York Power Authority and a “large car rental agency.”
According to Zooz Power’s website, the Zoozter-100 connects to charging grids using a standard three-phase connection, which means it can be installed in remote areas with an underdeveloped grid. It uses a steel flywheel that rotates up to 17,000 rounds per minute and levitates on magnetic bearings in a sealed vacuum environment. This minimizes friction and energy loss while significantly extending the efficiency and life time of the flywheel. The charger converts electricity from the grid to kinetic energy in the flywheels for storage, then back to electricity when a vehicle plugs into the machine.
Richmond, Virginia-based Arko operates more than 1,500 c-stores in 33 states under a variety of brands through GPM Investments, including Scotchman, E-Z Mart, Breadbox, ExpressShop and Pride.
A previous version of this story misattributed a statement about EV targets to Arko.
