What Businesses Have EV Charging Stations?

A Canadian Tesla Model Y driver was surprised to see electric vehicle chargers at an A&W location. Honest EVs (@honestevs) published a TikTok documenting his happy reaction to seeing a designated EV parking spot at one of the fast food chain’s locations. “Tell me why the A&W has EV charging? Like that is cool. You can eat your food and just charge your car.”

In his clip, he shows off a Level 2 wall-mounted charger with a blue light glowing from its terminal.

EV Charging: Good For Business?

The video hints at a growing trend among businesses trying to drum up goodwill from EV owners by installing chargers. A paper published in the journal Nature says, “Recent studies conducted by EV charging companies have documented an increase in customer visits and spending at nearby businesses based on pilot experiments or surveys.” However, it goes on to note that these studies “are often limited in scale and lack causal analyses.” 

The paper goes on to analyze consumer trends in California neighborhoods with chargers installed, noting “significantly positive effects of newly installed [electric vehicle charging stations] on customer count and spending at surrounding [points of interest.]”

It’s not difficult to understand why. Electric car owners will be more apt to get out of their car and stretch their legs to allow their cars to juice up their batteries. In doing so, they may wander into shops and make a purchase. Moreover, if an EV owner is debating which mall or business center they’d rather visit to grab a bite to eat or shop for their home, they may pick a place where they can power their car’s battery over one that doesn’t.

Electric car charging business EV Connect published a lengthy write-up expounding upon the return on investment folks may enjoy after installing chargers. The article highlights that in many cases, businesses can receive “tax incentives and rebates” from state and federal agencies for setting EV charging kiosks on their property. And if someone is attempting to set up a dedicated electric vehicle charging business, the IRS could provide business owners a tax break.

Which Businesses Offer EV Charging?

The EV Industry Blog urged fast food businesses to consider installing chargers at their locations. In its article, the site highlighted seven case studies that showed a correlation between upticks in sales and a company’s decision to offer charging solutions to consumers.

The case studies featured a number of retail chains: Chipotle, Taco Bell, Subway, 7-Eleven, McDonald’s, Burger King, and Starbucks were all mentioned as providing chargers to its EV-driving customer base. Battery Technology Online mentions these businesses and others including Cinemark theaters.

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Finance-Commerce wrote that in 2024, IKEA had 322 chargers across its 54 US properties and planned to roll out “500 public fast chargers and more than 300 fleet chargers in the coming years.”

Gas station chains have also made the jump. ExxonMobil made headlines after it “partnered with EV Connect to add electric vehicle charging to its slate of amenities,” EV Charging Summit reported. Midwestern gas station and convenience store chain Casey’s, has also begun equipping its stores with chargers for EV drivers. Buc-ee’s was mentioned in the same article, and InsideEVs has reported on one driver’s happy surprise upon learning they could charge their Silverado EV at a Kentucky Buc-ee’s location.

EV Charging In The U.S.

In general, more electric vehicle charging locations are popping up across the United States. Climate Central reported that between 2016 and January 2025, there’s been massive growth in this sector: from 30,000 public EV charging ports to 196,000. These offerings include fast charging solutions, as well.

Climate Central said the best states for EV driving are in the Northeast: Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Rhode Island have seen the biggest upticks in EV charging terminal installation.

Big businesses have touted their intent to draw in electric vehicle drivers as well. Starbucks announced in October 2024 that it was partnering with Mercedes-Benz to offer 400-kilowatt charging ports at more than 100 stores.

InsideEVs has reached out to HonestEVs via TikTok direct message for further information.

 

 

 

 

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