7-Eleven North America has announced its own electric vehicle charging network that will be called ‘7Charge’.
Once completed, 7-Eleven plans for 7Charge to be one of “largest and most compatible electric vehicle fast-charging networks of any retailer in North America,” though it’s yet to give any concrete details on how many chargers will be installed or by what time frame.
Tesla’s supercharger network was the first of its kind in Australia
This 7Charge network adds to the 7-Eleven EV charging initiative that was announced in 2021, where the brand set out to install 250 chargers around the US by the end of 2022.
Offering exclusively DC fast charging facilities, the network will support vehicles that use both CHAdeMO and Combined Charging System (CCS) ports.
7-Eleven also notes that it’s “backed by 100 percent green electricity”, and can be used via the 7Charge app, or simply just a credit card.
7Charge to become one of the biggest networks in North America
Currently, 7-Eleven only operates chargers as part of the 7Charge network in Florida, Texas, Colorado, and California, but there are big plans for expansion in place.
7Charge will exclusively offer a DC fast charging service
Once the expansion is complete, 7-Eleven plans to have one of the largest charging networks on the continent.
7-Eleven did note that this expansion won’t happen right away, as it plans to grow the network alongside electric vehicle adoption.
Will 7Charge come to Australia?
With over 700 stores across Australia, implementing an electric charging network locally would make sense, but it seems that the brand’s local arm has no plans of the sort.
When asked by Chasing Cars, a 7-Eleven spokesperson explained that 7-Eleven in Australia is “locally owned and operated under licence from 7-Eleven International.”
Ampol was the first service station to roll out EV chargers locally
“We currently don’t have any plans to roll out EV chargers at our stores,” they added.
However several other retailers in Australia including Ampol and BP have started to roll out EV chargers at its stations, significantly increasing charging options for EV owners.
Along the same lines, the New South Wales government recently pledged to bring the number of EV chargers to 30,000 by 2026 if re-elected.
