7-Eleven has set itself an ambitious goal: installing 500 Direct Current Fast Charging electric vehicle (EV) ports at 250 select stores in the U.S. and Canada by the end of 2022. The convenience retailer currently operates just 22 charging stations at 14 stores.
“7-Eleven’s legacy is bringing convenience to the customer, and that continues to evolve — from ice on a dock in 1927 to electricity for your car today,” said Joe DePinto, President and CEO of 7-Eleven in a statement. “7-Eleven’s rapid expansion of EV charging ports across the country is good for our customers and our planet and it’s the right thing to do.”
The company also has pledged a 50% reduction in its CO2 emissions by 2030. 7-Eleven had set sustainability goals in 2016 that included achieving a 20% reduction of CO2 emissions from its stores by 2027, but it reached that goal in 2019 — eight years ahead of schedule. The emission reductions already achieved equal the carbon sequestered by more than 349,000 acres of U.S. forests in one year, according to the retailer’s estimates.
Additionally, 7-Eleven is stepping up its use of renewable energy sources with its purchases of:
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- 100% wind energy for more than 800 stores in Texas and more than 300 in Illinois;
- Hydropower for 150 stores in Virginia; and
- Solar power for 300 stores in Florida.
7-Eleven joins other industry giants that are investing in both electric vehicles and the infrastructure needed to support them. Amazon began adding electric vehicle charging stations in February 2021 at delivery points throughout North America and Europe, part of the retailer’s expansion of its electric vehicle fleet, and Walmart has invested in autonomous electric vehicles and used them in delivery pilots.
