Dive Brief:
- Stewart’s Shops opened its “latest generation” electric vehicle charging site via the New York Power Authority’s EVolve NY program Sept. 12 at a site in South Potsdam, New York, according to a press release.
- This is the first Stewart’s location to use EVolve NY chargers that have power sharing technology included, an NYPA spokesperson confirmed in email. This means all NYPA chargers at that location can charge at the full rate of 350 kilowatts simultaneously, said Claire Flannery, public relations specialist for Stewart’s, in an email.
- As of this summer, Stewart’s growing EV program included chargers at 12 locations across its network, where it had seen as many as 40 charges per day, the company said in a previous interview.
Dive Insight:
When two or more EVs are drawing power from the same charger, the charger usually has to split its power throughput among each vehicle, resulting in longer charge times. Power sharing ensures a more reliable charging speed, which is ideal for a c-store setting and could encourage more drivers to use the site.
In addition to the four EVolve chargers at the South Potsdam store, the site also includes four Tesla Superchargers.
Stewart’s sees about 80% of customers who charge their vehicles also come inside the store, Flannery said in an earlier interview.
“This new EVolve charger will play a vital role in reducing range anxiety and contributing to a more sustainable future,” said Stewart’s Shops Senior Vice President Chad Kiesow.
NYPA operates 144 charging ports across 37 locations along key travel routes in New York state. Six of those locations are at Stewart’s Shops.
Installing EV chargers at various locations across its network underscores Stewart’s green energy strategy. The company also has solar panels at its power plant in Greenfield, New York, as well as at some of its stores, according to its website. It also employs hydro power for nine of its Vermont stores.
Ballston Spa, New York-based Stewart’s Shops owns and operates more than 350 locations in New York and Vermont. The company, which was founded in 1945, also runs its own dairy.
