The Kwik store tour will include DC fast chargers in “a number” of its stores across the Midwest.
Kwik Trip's DC fast chargers
Kwik Trip announced yesterday that it is launching the Kwik Charge program in Wisconsin, which will include DC fast chargers with both CCS and NACS connectors.
Kwik Trip's EV chargers are funded by the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program, so they must be NEVI compliant.
That means they must be located within a one-mile walk of the Alternative Fuel Corridor. EV charging stations must include at least four ports with connectors capable of charging four EVs simultaneously at 150 kilowatts (kW) each, with a total station capacity of 600 kW or more.
NEVI-sponsored charging stations must also have 24-hour public accessibility and provide services such as toilets, food and drink, and accommodation.
Kwik Trip developed an app using Driivz software for EV drivers to find Kwik Charge chargers and check charger availability and pricing.
Its first two EV charging stations will be completed in Ashland and West Salem, Wisconsin, by the end of October.
Kwik Trip of Wisconsin is a family-owned company with more than 880 stores throughout Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Michigan, South Dakota, and Illinois.
John McHugh, vice president of external relations at Kwik Trip, told Madison, Wisconsin Cap Times in May that it will be excluding EV charging at all stores in Wisconsin. He said:
Will this be the main indicator of our company? No never. Statistically, it doesn't seem like it will be a big factor. But for those visitors who want it, that's why we pursued it.
Electrek's Take
Tourists who want to charge are almost half of why Kwik Trip followed. The main reason for installing EV charging stations in Wisconsin, the company teased in its announcement, is that it received $8.1 million in NEVI funds from the state to install chargers at its 24 locations.
However Cap Times reports that “when it came to Senate bill 792 – the one that allowed the DOT to release [NEVI] money – Kwik Travel spent more hours soliciting than any other group in the second half of 2023.”
So it appears the EV chargers at their Wisconsin stores were a “bigger” feature than McHugh made it out to be.
Read more: Love's operates multiple EV charging stations throughout the US
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