Stewart's Shops Grows EV Charging Footprint

BALLSTON SPA, N.Y. — Stewart's Shops has officially opened a Tesla Supercharger station at a convenience store in Ballston Spa. The charger is one of the first of its kind, capable of being used by either Teslas or non-Tesla electric vehicles (EVs) with combined charging system compatibility. 

The newly installed station can be found at 2951 State Highway 9 — off  Exit 13N of Interstate 87 — and is one of only a few locations in the United States where this type of charger is accessible, according to Stewart's Shops. The site is equipped with eight Superchargers that are available 24/7 and charge up to 250kW.

"Stewart's is proud to support our EV customers by working with Tesla to bring these chargers to our location in the town of Malta," said Chad Kiesow, senior vice president of facilities at Stewart's. "Twenty to 30 minutes at a Supercharger brings the car back to a full charge while the driver has an opportunity to enjoy a hot meal or a cold ice cream treat in the shop."

Stewart's originally broke ground on charging stations in 2021, with its first EV-friendly locations opening in 2022. The company currently has 11 shops equipped with EV charging stations, six of which are Tesla Superchargers and five that are NY EVolve stations. All of Stewart's EV chargers are level 3 direct current fast chargers, which take about 20 to 30 minutes to reach full battery. The costs to charge depend on a variety of factors.

Like a number of other chains in the last few years, Stewart's Shops said its EV projects are intended to facilitate a gradual energy shift toward both environmental and economic sustainability. All of the Stewart's EV charging stations are placed in strategic locations that make sense in their respective market areas and reduce range anxiety, according to the retailer.

Stewart's has also worked to broaden its dedication to environmental responsibility beyond the EV market, using thousands of solar panels to offset the electricity used at their manufacturing plant and more than 50 shops. The panels primarily offset electricity used in the summer when ice cream production is at peak demand. 

Saratoga Springs-based Stewart's Shops operates more than 345 c-stores across 31 counties across upstate New York and southern Vermont.