Quicklee's Adds EV Charging Stations

AVON, N.Y. — Quicklee's Convenience Stores is the latest convenience store retailer to enter the electric vehicle (EV) charging arena.

The New York-based chain opened three level 3 DC Fast Charge EV charging stations at its Batavia, Belmont and Avon, N.Y., travel center locations.

The charging stations were manufactured by ChargePoint, one of the industry's largest EV charging and open charging network providers.

"As a community-focused organization, we must pay attention to and be prepared to help address the needs of our customers and the communities we serve," said Ken Perelli, Quicklee's vice president and chief operating officer. "Electric vehicles are growing in demand, and our customers, as well as travelers passing through, need and want convenient places to stop and charge up."

Quicklee's partnered with Victor, N.Y.-based Power Management Co. for the rollout of the charging stations. Together, the businesses identified which locations would be ideal for the EV charging infrastructure. Power Management provided a turnkey solution on the project, including design, installation, incentive coordination and commissioning services.

"We are proud to partner with Quicklee's on their venture to offer electric vehicle fueling across their convenience stores and fueling stations," stated Michael J. Hedges, who is energy advisor to Quicklee's and vice president of sales at Power Management Co. "Quicklee's put forth considerable time, effort, and financial resources to start building out EV charging infrastructure for the benefit of the communities they are a part of."

The new charging stations are part of ChargePoint's network of more than 200,000 charging ports globally. The ChargePoint units can offer up to 125-kilowatts of charging capacity, and a majority charge to vehicles within 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the make and model of the electric car. The chargers are app-driven, making planning and payment easy for travelers, according to Quicklee's.

"Range anxiety, or worry stemming from how long your charge will last, is a real concern for many EV owners. Power Management commends Quicklee's in their dedication to serving the underdeveloped EV infrastructure market and doing their part to improve convenience for EV drivers on main thoroughfares in New York State," added Hedges.

Quicklee's leadership team continues to evaluate locations for new chargers, with possible destinations throughout the company's service territory from Buffalo to Syracuse, N.Y. Tesla charging adapters will be available at locations with a charging station soon.

"We are one of the first retail operators in the Upstate N.Y. area to report focusing on making charging easier for those traveling through," Perelli said. "By investing now we are helping to eliminate concerns, while also investing in the area we love by building out an EV infrastructure that will help benefit it for years to come."

Through the partnership with Power Management, Quicklee's is evaluating electric power commercial fleets' energy needs and ways to integrate future faster-charging technologies.

Avon-based Quicklee's operates 29 locations throughout New York State.