While Volvo is yet to announce any partnerships that will bring electric-vehicle fast charging to your local tweed outfitter or tobacconist, the company has launched a charging network stitching together 15 Starbucks coffee shops across 1,350 miles between Seattle and Denver.
The network includes 50 individual ChargePoint chargers across 15 locations. A driver traversing the entire network would find a station located roughly every 100 miles on average. Volvo notes that its electric model-year 2024 XC40 Recharge and C40 Recharge can add up to 110 miles of range in as little as 15 minutes at DC fast chargers such as these — just enough time to enjoy a cup of coffee and a couple of sous vide egg bites.
Volvo says its route “represents the American road trip at its best,” which is hard to disagree with. It passes near six national forests and links together the Snoqualmie Pass in Washington, Idaho’s Snake River and Arches National Park in Utah, as well as Park City, Utah, and Vail, Colorado. Depending on the time of year one undertook that trip, all-wheel drive might be a requirement; conveniently, Volvo has a few AWD EVs you can choose from.
While much smaller in scale than GM’s partnership with Pilot Travel Centers and EVgo, which will eventually include some 2,000 charging stalls at 500 locations, the Volvo-Starbucks-ChargePoint announcement shares some obvious parallels: a carmaker, a common travel stop and a charging utility.
