IONNA might be ready to begin operations after building the IONNA HQ in North Carolina, but the joint venture between eight automakers to build a national BEV charging network is not alone. After Toyota joined IONNA to support the BMW Group, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz Group, and Stellantis NV in their endeavor, more projects started popping up with third-party agreements. It would seem Mercedes-Benz may not be content with IONNA alone. Recently announced, Mercedes-Benz and Starbucks have teamed up to install fast electric vehicle chargers along Interstate 5, a highway that runs along the West Coast from Canada to Mexico.

They’re not alone. Ever since the House passed the biggest U.S. infrastructure package in decades $7.5 billion to help build a network of electric vehicle charging stations across the country, automakers have been working together to change city infrastructure for the impending influx of battery-electric vehicles (BEVs). Volkswagen and General Motors (another IONNA member) announced their plans to install more BEV charging stations a year before that. VW is working with Electrify America and are seeking to expand the U.S. network of electric vehicle charging stations, and General Motors is partnering up with construction firm Bechtel Corp to build fast-charging stations for electric vehicles across the United States.

This new development by Mercedes-Benz is just another drop in the bucket to fulfill the need for more BEV charging stations by 2030. There are currently 32,000 DC fast chargers available to the public as of now, IONNA plans to launch 30,000 more, VW has installed 120 with Electrify America and plans to install 180 more, and we’re not clear on how many General Motors has planned to develop. As for the new joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and Starbucks, they’re aiming for 100 new BEV charging stations at Starbucks locations on the west coast. That’s a small part of the 2,000 more BEV charging hubs Mercedes-Benz wants to install around the globe. It’s still a fraction of the 182,000 DC fast chargers we’ll need by 2030, but that number is based on the theory that everyone will be owning a BEV by the time automakers have completed their end-of-the-decade business plans, including Stellantis’ Dare Forward 2030 and the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance 2030.

U.S. consumers are still not as quick to adopt the new electric craze as consumers overseas, especially in Europe. It’s always the same reason – finding a place to charge up is just too hectic, what if I end up stranded? We get it, that’s a scary concept. That’s one of the main reasons why consumers are more likely to buy a PHEV over a BEV, at the moment. A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) offers a choice between fueling up at the nearest gas station or charging up for a little extra juice. The recent offer from Free2move Charge and Stellantis is making it even easier by offering to install Level 2 chargers for new BEV consumers free of charge. But it still might not be enough when most BEV chargers today are hidden away in a superstore parking lot. Mercedes-Benz and Starbucks have something to say about that.

“[We] share an ambition to identify additional opportunities in key markets, including core urban areas, charging deserts, and other critical travel corridors.”

Starbucks is definitely found in more places than the city, and can be found off most highway exits these days. What better location to grow interest in BEVs than one that attracts more than 10 million consumers every day (globally)? It’s a pretty bold move, and as usual, the west coast is a little more forward thinking than the rest of the country. It’s a good place to start installing more BEV chargers.

What do you think? With all these new involvements, are you ready to make the change to an electric vehicle? Share your thoughts with us on NowCar social media. Or, buy a new BEV when you shop for a car online with NowCar.

Photo Source/Copyright: Mercedes-Benz