More Bad News For Tesla, EV Charging Edition

The current occupant of the Oval Office kicked off the year by cancelling federal funds for public EV charging stations in the US, casting a pall of gloom over the environment for EV sales. The downward spiral of industry leader Tesla hasn’t helped matters much, including a fresh hit to the company’s Supercharger network in New Jersey. Still, activity in the EV charging area continues apace, in yet another indication that the vehicle electrification movement is here to stay.

Brand Reputation And EV Charging

Convenient access to a trusted, reliable EV charging network is, of course, a necessary ingredient for widespread EV adoption. Tesla burst forth upon the vehicle electrification market with “gold standard” Supercharger stations baked into its EV sales pitch. The results were stunning in terms of EV sales for the company … until things went south, that is.

The elevation of Tesla CEO Elon Musk to Chopper-in-Chief of the federal workforce is just one recent development in a years-long series of self-inflicted wounds to the company’s brand reputation. On the EV charging side, Musk also ran up a red flag of epic proportions last year when he fired almost the entire Supercharger division (and then hired many of them back).

Perhaps he could see the writing on the wall. Back in 2023, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority contracted with the Dublin-based firm Applegreen Electric to replace Superchargers at its very, very busy public service areas along the well-traveled New Jersey Turnpike, which serves double duty as Interstate 95. That’s replace, as in no more Superchargers at those locations. Instead, drivers will encounter the Universal Open Access EV chargers provided by Applegreen.

CleanTechnica’s Steve Hanley has lots more on the story here, including a full list of the colorfully named NJTA rest stops along I-95 scheduled to make the switchover by this past Friday, June 6. Two others, with equally colorful names, will get their new Applegreen chargers in July, with the last one coming onboard sometime this fall.

On May 30 of this year, NJTA reminded everyone that it is indeed replacing the Superchargers with Universal Open Access EV chargers provided by Applegreen.

“The chargers, provided by Applegreen Electric, are compatible with all makes and models of EVs,” NJTA emphasized.

More Applegreen EV Charging Stations For The USA

The New Jersey contract is just one among several hints that Applegreen is making a serious run at the Supercharger network. The company has also contracted with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation on its EV charging plans for the Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-76), which includes nearby off-highway private service centers as well as PennDOT’s service areas on the highway.

PennDot set the wheels in motion two years ago, deploying funds from the federal NEVI program. That’s the one Trump axed, but Pennsylvania was one of several fast-acting states to work through the complicated application process before the hammer came down.

No word yet on whether or not Trump will succeed in clawing back the funds, but as of October 2023, Applegreen won five of seven contracts for new NEVI-funded charging stations on or adjacent to I-76. CleanTechnica reporter Jennifer Sensiba also took note of PennDOT’s expanded public charging plans last year, which included several new Applegreen installations.

The C-Store Connection

For all the accolades heaped upon Tesla and Musk, the firm and its CEO have missed several boats in the electrification movement. Other automakers have already jumped on Tesla’s failure to introduce electric vans and trucks (actual trucks), for example. The company skipped over the small fry to focus on the long delayed Tesla Semi heavy-duty class 8 truck. The Semi is finally heading for full volume production sometime later this year, but that market is already populated with other trusted brands. EV battery swapping is another opportunity catching fire in some markets around the world, though not in the US.

The convenience store angle is another example. The C-store industry has been integrating fuel stops with food and beverages, travel supplies, and restroom facilities for decades. Those with loyal customers are in a good position to install EV charging stations and help gasmobile drivers feel confident about making the switch to EVs, too.

Applegreen Electric’s parent company, Applegreen, is among those jumping on the opportunity. The company already has dozens of convenience and fuel stations located primarily in the Midwest and Northeast, as well as Florida and South Carolina.

Last year, the news organization C-Store Dive took note of Applegreen’s plans for adding another 30 or so EV charging stations to its existing network of 41 stations in New York State.

“The retailer’s EV charging expansion is part of a $450 million private investment to redevelop and modernize all 27 New York State Thruway service areas,” C-Store Dive noted, emphasizing that no public funds went into the effort. Each of the 27 remodeled stations will sport an Applegreen convenience store. Though, not all will necessarily include Applegreen charging stations. According to C-Store Dive, Applegreen’s planned total of 70 EV charging stations will cover 13 of its locations in New York.

Follow The EV Charging Station Money …

If you’re wondering where that $450 million came from, that’s easy. It came from Empire State Thruway Partners. Back in 2020, the firm submitted a $450 million bid for upgrading the Thruway service centers and won the contract.

As for who Empire State Thruway Partners is, that’s also easy. “Empire State Thruway Partners LLC is a member of the Applegreen Group and holds the lease for 27 Service Areas on the New York State Thruway,” explains Applegreen’s US branch.

And, for everyone out there wondering why those Supercharger stations got kicked off the New Jersey Turnpike, money talks. Applegreen acquired the New Jersey concession back in 2021, and EV charging is only part of its plans for the Garden State.

In April of 2022, Applegreen announced a $126 million investment in New Jersey, earmarked for transforming its existing footprint in Glen Rock into the company’s new Travel Plaza Headquarters. “We welcome the hundreds of new jobs that Applegreen will bring to New Jersey and look forward to building a strong partnership that drives our state’s innovation economy forward,” enthused Governor Phil Murphy in a press statement.

Hold on to your hats. Applegreen already bills itself as the largest highway service plaza operator in the US, and last year word dropped of a new five year, $1 billion investment plan for its stateside business, leveraging its “established and trusted relationships with the roads authorities.”

Image (cropped): The Dublin-based C-store operator Applegreen is challenging the Tesla Supercharger network for a slice of the public EV charging pie.