Photo courtesy of Love’s

Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores has begun installing next-generation electric vehicle charging stations at its New York City stores in Ripley and Waterloo. Each location will have two Level 3, dual-port, 160-kilowatt direct current (DC) fast chargers (four charging stations).

• Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores ranks 16th in CSP’s Top 202 rankings of U.S. convenience store chains by number of stores in 2024.

“Love’s is honored to play a critical role in actively shaping and expanding the electric vehicle fast charging network across the country,” said Shane Wharton, President of Love’s. “Expanding the electric vehicle charging network is nothing new for us, as we first entered the electric vehicle space in 2017 and have been steadily expanding the network since then. We now offer more than 100 chargers in 28 stores across 11 states. These future investments in electric vehicles underscore our commitment to meeting our customers’ needs regardless of fuel type.”

On-site amenities at Love include:

• Proximity to motorways: The locations are located directly on the motorways and have easily accessible entrances and exits.
• On-site amenities: Amenities include restaurants, Wi-Fi, fresh food and beverages, a Mobile-to-Go zone with the latest technology, clean restrooms, dog parks and more.
• Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week: Trained representatives are available to help travelers with questions or immediate assistance while charging. Additionally, locations are well-lit, fully equipped with security cameras, and team members regularly walk the premises to check for safety issues.
• Chargers for electric vehicles: Love’s offers both Level 2 alternating current (AC) charging and Level 3 direct current fast charging to accommodate a variety of vehicles and charging needs.
• EV roofing: Each new electric vehicle charging area is expected to include canopies to protect drivers from the weather, as well as typical refueling amenities such as trash cans and windshield cleaning supplies.

Below is a map of Love’s electric vehicle charging stations and the company’s future plans.

Love’s has also secured state and federal grants from the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program to support the deployment of electric vehicle charging infrastructure across the country.

The NEVI program awards federal funds to individual states to install electric vehicle charging stations. The goal of this infrastructure investment is to invest $5 billion over five years to build a national network of 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations along 75,000 miles of highways, with a focus on improving accessibility and convenience for drivers. 

Love’s says it continues to be one of the top three companies receiving the most NEVI grants overall and is the leader in the travel fuel station sector. A significant portion of the NEVI grants were awarded to fuel stations.

Four NEVI-funded charging stations in Pennsylvania and four in Kentucky will break ground this year, with construction expected to begin in 2025 as Love’s has secured grants 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 electric vehicle chargers to allow for rapid deployment of electric vehicle charging stations in partnership with local utilities as customer demand increases.

Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores, based in Oklahoma City, operates 642 locations in 42 states.

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