Dive Brief:
- Royal Farms expects to host a total of 100 electric vehicle charging ports across stores in Maryland and Delaware in partnership with EV infrastructure and services company Blink, according to an announcement last week.
- Blink and Royal Farms first announced their partnership in September 2023, when they said they expected to build 60 ports across 30 direct-current fast chargers at 20 locations. The companies have now deployed 76 ports across 23 Royal Farms locations.
- With U.S. federal support for EV charging infrastructure expected to take a backseat under the Trump administration, experts expect to see a slowdown in EV charging buildout.
Dive Insight:
Since Blink owns, operates and maintains the chargers, the financial outlay required from Royal Farms is minimal. While the c-store retailer won’t get any direct financial gain from the chargers, it can take advantage of longer dwell times to entice those drivers inside the store with its well-regarded fried chicken program and other c-store offerings.
“It’s exciting to be able to offer Royal Farms customers yet another form of convenience and support, while also supporting the adoption of sustainable transportation in general,” said Tom Ruszin, fuel and environment leader for Royal Farms.
In addition to the Blink chargers, Royal Farms also includes Tesla and ElectrifyAmerica charging ports at some of its locations.
Some c-stores, like 7-Eleven or RaceTrac, have been building out proprietary, EV charging networks. Others, such as Stewart’s Shops, have joined Royal Farms in serving as a host for chargers owned by other entities.
