QSR July 2023

INNOVATION

the energy and franchising industries. “It’s a great opportunity for restaurants in particular to integrate an additional offer for their customers.” With more than 20,000 restaurants across the country, Subway is the largest chain in the U.S. by store count. Chief operating and insights officer Mike Kap pit says the brand can use its “unmatched footprint” to help grow the country’s charging infrastructure. That’s why the sandwich chain is teaming up with GenZ EV Solutions and Red E Charging to build Subway Oasis charging parks. “Our partnership will elevate the EV driver experience by offering canopies with several EV charging ports, picnic tables, restrooms, Wi-Fi, playgrounds, and green spaces,” Kappit says. “The project is designed to offer added con venience for our on-the-go guests while doing good for the planet and generat ing incremental revenue for franchisees.” To kick things off, Subway is working with its partners to install smaller charg ing stations this year. Those initial sites will feature fast chargers that provide a 120-mile charge in under 20 minutes for around $20. “The pilot phase of the rollout will include smaller-format, fast-charging stations at select new or newly remod eled restaurants,” Kappit says.

people are likely to gather is an intuitive one. In practice, though, many char gers have been placed in remote parking lots or seemingly arbitrary locations. As EV adoption grows, charging will need to blend seamlessly with how consum ers already live their lives, says Rebecca Wolkoff, co-founder and chief tech nical officer of ChargeNet Stations, a fast-charging station development and software startup. The company is work ing with Diversified Restaurant Group, a franchisee operating more than 300 Taco Bell and Arby’s locations, to install chargers at Taco Bell stores in California. “It’s all about offering convenience and making ultra-fast charging avail able to everyone everywhere,” Wolkoff says. “More than 84 million people eat at quick-serve restaurants every day in the U.S. We want to go where the people are. Both quick-serve restaurant patrons and EV drivers appreciate convenience, quality, and value. With this partnership, we each provide that to our customers.” Diversified Restaurant Group unveiled its first “electrified” Taco Bell store in South San Francisco last fall, and it’s working with ChargeNet Stations to install chargers at more than 100 addi tional restaurants throughout the Golden State. The sites pair ChargeNet’s software with fast-charging hardware from Tri

CHARGENET STATIONS IS WORKING WITH DIVERSIFED RESTAURANT GROUP, A FRANCHISEE OF TACO BELL.

As an incentive for guests to plug in, Subway will offer ded icated promotions that are only available while utilizing the chargers. It plans to use insights from the pilot locations to shape its strategy for building out larger, more ambitious charging parks going forward. “We are working closely with GenZ EV Solutions to deter mine the right format and number of locations for the Subway EV Charging Oasis parks, using research and guest insights, as well as considering the expected timeline for development based on market conditions,” Kappit says. “Funding of the charging parks will vary per location and franchisee.” Following the launch of an “eco-restaurant” model a decade ago, the move into EV charging is one of Subway’s biggest sustainability initiatives to date. It comes on the heels of a multi year transformation journey that includes a focus on menu innovation, modernization of restaurants, and improvements to the overall guest experience. “As part of our journey to be better, we’re taking a fresh look at how we make an impact on the world around us,” Kappit says. “As a global company, sustainability is important to our brand and we’re committed to developing innovative solutions that will result in better living, better businesses, and a better planet.” The idea that chargers ought to be located in places where

tium, an Australian EV charger manufacturer, which recently opened a factory in Tennessee that is capable of producing up to 30,000 Buy-America charger units annually. “The technology is compatible with all EV connector types and offers, on average, a 100-mile charge in 15 minutes or fewer, for around $10,” Wolkoff says. ChargeNet Stations is working with Diversified Restaurant Group to ensure a sizable portion of the charging stations are located “in and around underserved communities,” she says. That’s important for expanding access to charging where it is most needed in anticipation of cheaper and more widespread EV use in the future. “We know there will be many people who don’t have access to convenient at-home charging, especially ultra-fast charg ing,” Wolkoff says. Starbucks also is bringing much-needed infrastructure to underserved communities with its nascent charging network. The coffee giant last year teamed up with Volvo and the EV infrastructure company ChargePoint to install charging sta tions at its parking lots along a 1,350-mile route from Denver to Seattle. The thoroughfare passes through five states and several federal economic opportunity zones that are lacking in acces sible public chargers.

DIVERSIFIED RESTAURANT GROUP / CHARGENET (2)

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JULY 2023 | QSR | www.qsrmagazine.com