Love’s Travel Stops recently broke ground on next-generation electric vehicle charging stations at its New York state stores in Ripley and Waterloo. Each location will feature two dual-port Level 3 DC fast chargers (four charging spots) with high-power outputs (160 KW).
“Love’s is honored to play a critical role in actively shaping and building out the fast-charging electric vehicle network across the nation,” says Shane Wharton, Love’s president. “Expanding the EV charging network is not new to us as we first started in the EV space in 2017 and have continued to grow the network. We now offer more than 100 chargers at 28 stores in 11 states. These future EV investments reinforce our commitment to meeting customers’ needs regardless of fuel type.”
Love’s onsite amenities naturally align with the needs of its EV customers, including:
- Proximity to highways — Locations are conveniently located right off highways with efficient entry and exit points.
- Onsite amenities — The more onsite amenities that can be accessed while charging, the better the EV charging experience. Love’s onsite offerings include restaurants, Wi-Fi, fresh food and drinks options, Mobile to Go Zone with the latest technologies, clean restrooms, and dog parks.
- Staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week — The traveling public will have trained resources should they have questions or need immediate assistance while charging. Also, locations are well-lit, have full security camera coverage and team members regularly walk the property to check for safety issues.
- EV chargers — Love’s offers both AC charging (Level 2) and DC fast charging (Level 3) to meet a variety of vehicles and charging needs. Future charging stations will be DC fast chargers.
- EV canopies — Each new EV charging area is expected to have canopies installed to protect drivers from weather as well as typical fueling amenities including trash cans and windshield cleaning supplies.
In collaboration with Trillium Energy Solutions, a Love’s Family of Companies brand, Love’s has secured state and National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program federal grants to assist in building out the EV charging infrastructure nationwide.
The NEVI program allocates federal funding state-by-state for EV charging equipment installation. This historic infrastructure investment aims to invest $5 billion over five years to create a national network of 500,000 EV chargers along 75,000 miles of highways, with a focus on enhancing accessibility and convenience for drivers. Love’s continues to be among the top three firms to receive the most NEVI grant funds overall and leads in the travel station sector. A significant amount of the NEVI grants has been awarded to fuel retailers.
Groundbreaking on four NEVI-funded charging stations in Pennsylvania and four in Kentucky will start in 2024. In 2025, construction is expected to start on grant awards Love’s secured in Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Washington. All new Love’s Travel Stops will have space for EV chargers allocated to quickly partner with local utility companies to install EV charging stations should customer demand warrant it.
