Volvo Cars US said on Tuesday it was partnering with coffee giant Starbucks to create a public electric vehicle (EV) charging network that is set to begin this summer.
The Swedish car maker said its pilot installations would include as many as 60 Volvo-branded ChargePoint DC fast chargers at up to 15 Starbucks store locations.
Volvo, which plans to have a charger installed every 100 miles (160km), said it expects the installations to be completed by the end of 2022. The charging stations could be used by all EV drivers for a fee but Volvo car owners could use them free or at preferential rates.
The move comes as car manufacturers race to overtake EV maker Tesla Inc, with Ford Motor Co on Monday unveiling plans for seven new electric models that it plans to launch in Europe.
Volvo Cars, which is primarily owned by China's Geely Holding, aims to sell 50% pure electric cars by the middle of this decade and fully electric cars by 2030.
The Biden administration last month unveiled its plan to award nearly $5bn (roughly R75,557,850,000) over five years to build thousands of charging stations.
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