Mercedes is getting serious with electric cars and, even more important for those on road trips, public charging where it's needed. Late last year the automaker opened a flagship charging location in Georgia. To say it's gorgeous is an understatement. But now it plans to expand these 'premium charging hubs' to one of my favorite chains: Buc-ee’s. Peter Johnson at Electrek has more.
Buc-ee’s operates the “world’s largest convenience store,” that’s 74,000 square feet (because everything is bigger from Texas). In comparison, the average convenience store in the US is about 2,600 square feet.
Where better than to build premium EV charging stations? At least, that’s what Mercedes-Benz believes.
Mercedes announced a new agreement Thursday to build premium EV charging hubs at “most of Buc-ee’s” existing stores. The company will start with about 30 by the end of 2024.
Electrek
To anyone who has never heard of or seen a Buc-ee’s, the best way to explain it is if 7-Eleven and Walmart had a baby. Located at logical locations on highways for catching a break, it has tons of good food, super-clean bathrooms, and a plethora of merch to buy. Going camping? It has everything you could need. Oh and generally it has 50+ gas pumps at each location.
In recent years Tesla has opened up its superchargers at Buc-ee’s because charging your Tesla there makes perfect sense too. Some locations also have Electrify America stations for all the non-Teslas out there.
But Mercedes will take it to another level. Dedicated bathrooms, snack machines, fully-covered chargers, and a premium experience that's open to non-Mercedes vehicles all come together to set the bar for what EV charging can and should be. I can't wait for the first Buc-ee’s location with these to open so we can see what it's like in real life.