Circle K to invest €7 mn in its own brand of EV chargers

Petrol station operator Circle K is planning to invest €7 million in installing its own brand of fast chargers for electric vehicles at more than 30 forecourts across Ireland by 2025. The new Circle K chargers will expand the company’s existing network comprising ESB, Ionity and Tesla chargers.

The company has installed the first chargers at service stations on the M9 in Rathrogue, Co Carlow, and the M8 at Fermoy, Co Cork. The new chargers have speeds of up to 300kW, and future chargers will offer charging speeds of 150kW, informs Circle K.

“We are excited to introduce our new high-speed, reliable, strategically placed charging points and look forward to welcoming customers to our locations,” said Gordon Lawlor, managing director of Circle K Ireland.

“EV is something we have been extremely focused on for a number of years,” added Lawlor. “Being part of the Circle K global network means we have access to the very latest thinking and key developments on EV charging, especially from our colleagues in Norway, who are leading the way in terms of electrification.”

In Norway, the convenience store brand aims for one-third of the “energy stops”, as Circle K recently rebranded its petrol stations, to be equipped with charging stations. In some cases, like this pit stop in Oslo, petrol pumps had to make way for charge columns.

Circle K Ireland currently has chargers at 42 service stations, making it one of the country’s “most extensive” networks at pit stops.

The company did not mention the technical details of its chargers other than the power of 150 kW. These could be white-label solutions. In the US, for example, Circle K has just started rolling out branded chargers based on technology by ABB, which are manufactured in ABB’s new US facility. Circle K plans to equip 200 sites across North America with chargers by 2024.

Globally, Circle K has over 1,400 fast chargers available across 300 locations, including Norway, Ireland, Sweden, and Denmark.

techbuzzireland.com, irishtimes.com, electrek.co (ABB-USA)