Starbucks, Mercedes team up in EV charging network expansion

Mercedes-Benz's electric vehicle charging subsidiary is partnering with Starbucks to expand its charging network in the U.S.

Mercedes-Benz High-Power Charging announced Wednesday that it has teamed up with the Seattle-based coffee giant to install 100 EV charging stations at Starbucks locations across the nation.

The first phase of the project will begin along the Interstate 5 corridor that stretches from Canada to Mexico.

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"At Starbucks, we have a long history of bringing renewable and clean energy projects to connect communities that lack this infrastructure," Starbucks chief sustainability officer Michael Kobori said in a statement. "Partnering with Mercedes is the next step in expanding our EV charging network so our customers can refuel sustainably while they enjoy Starbucks."

Starbucks says it already has more than 1,000 stores with nearby access to EV charging stations in the U.S., and its new partnership with Mercedes to add more will help further its goal of reducing carbon emissions by 50% by the end of the decade.

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Mercedes-Benz High-Power Charging has invested an initial $1 billion in its mission to "build the most desirable charging network" in the U.S. The charging company's first station in America went up in November 2023, and since then it has opened a dozen locations in the South, including in Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Kentucky.

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The Mercedes charging unit says it plans to have EV charging stations operable in half the states in the U.S. over the next 12 to 18 months.