Zest, the UK’s fastest growing investor-operator of public access EV charging infrastructure, has announced a new partnership with Starbucks franchise operator Café Fortune. Zest is providing six 120kW rapid charging bays at the newly opened Starbucks Alfreton site, matching customers’ typical length of stay and allowing them to quickly recharge at a time that’s convenient for them.
Starbucks Alfreton is the first of a series of sites for the partnership, with rollout at pace planned for several Starbucks Drive Thrus nationwide. The provision of the chargers is aligned with Starbucks’ environmental commitments to reduce their carbon footprint and innovate operations, and will help anticipate future demand and ease the transition to EV adoption.
In addition to developing the charging infrastructure, Zest will fully manage and operate the charge points ensuring a reliable service for customers. Zest, a certified B Corp, is backed by the government-sponsored £420m Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund, meaning they can invest in projects such as Alfreton and accelerate the provision of public-access EV charge points in a sustainable manner.
The Alfreton deployment marks the first of many food and beverage hubs to be developed by Zest, with sites signed country-wide over the coming months. The hubs form a key element of Zest’s ongoing strategy to rollout convenient charging infrastructure that synchronises with drivers’ everyday lives.
Ian Gill, property director at Café Fortune, said: “The addition of EV charge points to our sites gives customers and added reason to visit and aligns with our commitment to being a greener company. There is a strong synergy between these uses and we look forward to this site being the first of many.”
Robin Heap, CEO and founder of Zest, said: “For a smooth transition to EV adoption we need to install abundant charging across the UK. Our long-term partnership with Café Fortune will give people an additional reason to visit the development, and allows customers to charge at a time that’s convenient for them. We look forward to working with Café Fortune on future sites and responding to the fast- growing population of EV drivers”.
