Mercedes teams up with the ‘largest convenience store’ operator for EV charging
Mercedes-Benz announced a new partnership with Buc-ee’s, known for operating the “world’s largest convenience store,” to expand its premium EV charging network.
Buc-ee’s is the self-proclaimed “world’s most-loved travel center,” with a massive assortment of food, clothes, gifts, and just about anything else you could think of.
Initially launched in Texas, Buc-ee’s has expanded into six additional states, recently breaking ground in another three.
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.
Work at numerous locations has already begun. Some are expected to open by the end of the year, according to Mercedes.
Bucc-ee’s has expanded into Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina, and Tennessee since 2019. It has also broken ground in Springfield, MO, Harrison County, MS, and Johnstown, CO, as part of a multi-state expansion.
Mercedes to expand premium EV charging with Bucc-ee’s
The partnership is part of Mercedes’ vision to develop an EV charging network across North America “where EV drivers are and where they are going.”
Mercedes plans to deploy 400 charging stations and over 2,500 chargers across North America by 2030.
Buc-ee’s locations are conveniently located at key travel routes across the South and Southeast, which will play a key role in EV adoption in the US.
Although the Southeast lags the nation in EV sales, charging deployment, and funding, the region is capturing the majority of EV investments. Around 40% of manufacturing investments and 35% of all announced manufacturing jobs have gone to the Southeast to date.
Interest is picking up, with light-duty EV sales up 50% and charging deployment growing 66% from last year.
Although Tesla still dominates the Southeast market, a growing number of electric models are using demand higher.
The region now has over 15,000 public Level 2 chargers, up 69% YOY, but it still trails the national average.
Electrek’s Take
There’s a need for more convenient charging stations throughout the Southeast. Mercedes is taking advantage of it with a “big” partner.
Meanwhile, the Southeast leads the nation in population growth. According to US Census data, nine of the 15 fastest-growing cities were in the south last year. More people means additional EVs on the road, which increases the demand for convenient charging.
Mercedes-Benz was the first German automaker to adopt Tesla’s NACS charging port, and now it looks to make charging even more accessible.
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China just laid out a plan to roll out over 100,000 ultra-fast EV charging stations by 2027 – and they’ll all be open to the public.
The National Development and Reform Commission’s (NDRC) joint notice, issued on Monday, asks local authorities to put together construction plans for highway service areas and prioritize the ones that see 40% or more usage during holiday travel rushes.
The NDRC notes that China’s ultra-fast EV charging infrastructure needs upgrading as more 800V EVs hit the road. Those high-voltage platforms can handle super-fast charging in as little as 10 to 30 minutes, but only if the charging hardware is up to speed.
China had 31.4 million EVs on the road at the end of 2024 – nearly 9% of the country’s total vehicle fleet. But charging access is still catching up. As of May 2025, there were 14.4 million charging points, or roughly 1 for every 2.2 EVs.
To keep the grid running smoothly, China wants new chargers to be smart, with dynamic pricing to incentivize off-peak charging and solar and storage to power the charging stations.
To make the business side work, the government is pushing for 10-year leases for charging station operators, and it’s backing the buildout with local government bonds.
The NDRC emphasized that the DC fast chargers built will be open to the public. This is a big deal because a lot of fast chargers in China aren’t. For example, BYD’s new megawatt chargers aren’t open to third-party vehicles.
As of September 2024, China had expanded its charging infrastructure to 11.4 million EV chargers, but only 3.3 million were public.
Read more: California now has nearly 50% more EV chargers than gas nozzles
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Tesla is starting to experience some consequences for misleading Full Self Driving customers – at least that’s the finding of one arbitration ruling that has Tesla refunding one customer $10,000 plus legal fees for failing to deliver on their promises. Find out more on today’s legally challenging episode of Quick Charge!
An arbitration “court” found that Tesla misled customers with its Full Self Driving product, and has now been forced to refund at least one person’s $10,000 payment (plus legal fees) for the not-quite autonomous driving software. France, too, is piling on claims of deceptive business practices – but there’s some good news for FSD fans! If you’re still willing to pay for it, Tesla will thrown in 0% financing on a brand new Cybertruck.
Check out the relevant links, below, to learn more.
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