PROVO, Utah — Four electric vehicle charging stations have been installed at a Provo Starbucks as part of a plan to electrify an underserved route from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Northwest.
The pilot program from Starbucks and Volvo announced will install up to 60 EV charging stations between Denver and Seattle by the end of 2022, and the first four DC fast chargers were unveiled at a Starbucks location near 900 South and University Avenue in Provo Tuesday.
The 1,350-mile route will eventually feature charging stations roughly every 100 miles along Interstates 70, 84 and 90.
“With Volvo and Starbucks, we’re creating a premium EV driving experience between the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Northwest with Starbucks and Volvo Cars,” said Pasquale Romano, CEO of ChargePoint. “Through our partnership, EV drivers will have the opportunity to quickly fuel their vehicles at Starbucks locations along one of America’s most scenic byways.”
The route will help electric vehicles reach six national forests and national parks near Denver, Salt Lake City, Boise and Seattle.
Cities that will receive charging stations
- Seattle, WA
- Issaquah, WA
- Yakima, WA
- Hermiston, OR
- La Grande, OR
- Nampa, ID
- Twin Falls, ID
- Uintah, ID
- Sandy, UT
- Provo, UT
- Grand Junction, CO
- Glenwood Springs, CO
- Silverthorne, CO
- Idaho Springs, CO
- Broomfield, CO
Utah, Idaho and Colorado are already part of the ChargeWest project — an eight-state collective that hopes to work together to build electric-vehicle-friendly corridors.
“The Intermountain West is becoming one of the most visited places in the United States,” said Tammie Bostick, executive director of Utah Clean Cities and ChargeWest project lead. “We want the modern traveler to experience the same highways and byways of our western heritage with today’s new electric fuel horsepower.”
The Beehive State is currently home to 109 DC fast chargers (245 if you include Tesla-only Supercharger stations), with “many more coming” through state and federal projects, according to Gov. Spencer Cox.
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According to ChargeHub.com, there are three levels of chargers in North America.
Level 1 is the standard wall outlet of 120 volts. It is the slowest charge level and requires tens of hours to fully charge a 100% electric vehicle.
Level 2 is the typical EV plug found in homes and garages and most EV charging stations, charging at a rate of 12-80 miles an hour, filling most EVs from empty within 4.5 hours.
Some public charging stations are Level 3, or DC fast chargers, like the four installed at the East Bay Starbucks in Provo. Not all EVs can use Level 3 stations, which can fully charge some EVs in under 60 minutes.
ChargePoint’s DC fast chargers can bring the Volvo C40 Recharge, for example, from 20% to 90% charge in about 40 minutes.
To use these charging stations, drivers must set up an account with ChargePoint, which has over 30,000 charging locations. Other EV charging station brands also require memberships. Some, like Electrify America stations, allow drivers to pay at the station or sign up for a discounted rate with a monthly fee.
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