7-Eleven Inc. on Tuesday announced plans to significantly expand its electric
vehicle charging options in the United States and Canada.

The company said it plans to install at least 500 direct current fast-charging
ports at 250 locations across the two countries by the end of 2022. That's a
nearly 2,300% increase from the company's current offering of 22 charging
stations at 14 stores in four states.

In the same announcement, 7-Eleven said it intends to reduce its CO2 emissions
by 50% by 2030. That's more than double the company's previously stated goal of
reducing emissions by 20% by 2027. 7-Eleven had set that goal in 2016 and
achieved it in 2019, according to the announcement.

7-Eleven said it is purchasing 100% wind energy for 800 stores in Texas and 300
in Illinois. It says 300 stores in Florida are powered by solar energy while
150 Virginia stores use electricity generated by hydropower.

The company said that once its buildout of its charging network is complete, it
will be "one of the largest and most compatible fast-charging systems of any
retailer in the U.S."

While only a small percentage of U.S. gas stations and c-stores currently offer
EV chargers, more firms are beginning to include EV charging when planning for
the future.

Because of the cost of installing charging stations and the limited demand
currently for such services, fuel marketers and c-stores that want to add
charging stations frequently partner with third-party vendors that handle
permitting, installation and maintenance.

Kum & Go recently said it is adding parking and conduits for future EV charger
installation at new stores to save on future installation costs.

--Reporting by Steve Cronin, scronin@opisnet.com; Editing by Barbara Chuck,
bchuck@opisnet.com