Mercedes Is Putting EV Chargers At Starbucks: Here's Why It Makes Perfect Sense

Mercedes-Benz has inked a deal with multinational coffeehouse giant Starbucks to install fast chargers across 100 outlets in the United States. This won't be the first deal of its kind. Volvo has also collaborated with the global coffee brand to install ChargePoint DC chargers across 15 locations on a 100-mile stretch.

As part of the latest deal, Mercedes-Benz will install 400 kW electric vehicle (EV) chargers at more than 100 Starbucks locations on the Interstate 5 (I-5) stretch touching Canada in the North, to Mexico in the South. A part of the German automaker's Ambition 2039, the project is the brainchild of the company's Mercedes-Benz "High-Power Charging Network."

With its EV charger expansion plans, the company is pouring in investment worth over a billion dollars, and aims to cover more than half of the American states within the next one and a half years. Notably, Starbucks is not making any strategic financial moves into the deal, and is only offering its outlets as installation sites.

At the moment, Tesla commands the biggest charging network of all automakers in the segment. However, owing to the recent slump in EV sales and changing uptake attitudes, a healthy few brands — including Mercedes — have adjusted their electrification plans. However, expansion of the charging network is certainly a step in the right direction, and solves one of the biggest pain points of owning an EV, with some help from the US government's federal reserves, too.

In November last year, Mercedes-Benz launched its first premium electric vehicle (EV) charging stations for the North American market in partnership with MN8 Energy, which entails a target of more than 400 stations within a decade. These 400kW charging stations stand out owing to facilities like refreshment perks, lounge access, and restrooms.

The Starbucks deal slots right into Mercedes-Benz's vision of blending fast charging convenience with comfort. The strategy just might pay off, as it makes one of the most vexing aspects of owning an EV a tad less cumbersome. Finding a charger station is not always an easy task, and when off-roading or in non-urban locales, moving around in an electric car is no less than a test of patience and requires meticulous route planning.

It's also one of the key reasons why car rental businesses are also taking a hit, particularly because the realities of charging woes don't take long to hit. Allowing EV owners an opportunity to wait at a Starbucks shop, and sip on an overpriced sugar-bomb mocha in an air-conditioned hall would at least make the charging wait a bit more tolerable. We're not sure if Starbucks would offer any reward points to EV owners flocking to its outlets to charge their car and feeling compelled to splurge on a cup of latte, but any such incentive would certainly be icing on the cake — literally and figuratively.