ANKENY, Iowa—Casey’s continues to expand its electric-vehicle charging options, adding its 11th Tesla Supercharger at its Urbana, Illinois, location. Providing robust alternative fuel options is part of the company’s environmental stewardship efforts, according to the company.
“At Casey’s, we strive to build a sustainable future for our team members, guests and the communities in which we live and work,” said Darren Rebelez, president and CEO of Casey’s. “As part of our environmental stewardship efforts, we are exploring a number of ways to provide our guests with more lower carbon fuel options, including biofuels and EV charging stations.”
Higher ethanol and biodiesel blends also are located across Casey’s footprint. In 2022, renewable blended fuels increased to about 87% of all fuel sales for the company.
Casey’s has more than doubled its number of EV chargers during the past year. The company has 134 EV chargers across 28 locations in the Midwest and South and plans to add more chargers in 2023. Each EV-charging location is equipped with DC fast-charging, and select locations offer level 2 charging in addition to multiple plug options.
To support its EV-related efforts, Casey’s says it’s building partnerships with local and national organizations, including Electrify America and EV manufacturers. The company also has participated in grant opportunities with local utilities such as MidAmerican Energy in Iowa and Omaha Public Power District in Nebraska.
“These partnerships allow Casey’s to guide its long-term strategic planning to align with evolving trends in EV technologies as consumer demand increases,” wrote Casey’s in a statement.
Partnering with utility companies can help alleviate some of the demand charges that convenience retailers must assume because they are considered commercial users of electricity when a customer uses their EV charger to juice a battery. A demand charge is not just based on how much electricity convenience retailers use but the highest consumption they have over a short period of time. Kum & Go also is working with utility companies to ensure the company can handle the high rates.
NACS believes that EV charging should be an open, competitive market. Convenience and fuel retailers should have the option to sell any legal source of transportation energy in a competitive market with a level playing field. 7-Eleven, Sheetz and Circle K are among many other c-stores that are investing in EV charging.
Casey’s is also working to minimize the environmental impact of its operations and improve sustainability practices across the organization. This year, Casey’s launched its first energy and carbon assessment to collect data on its energy use and associated greenhouse gas emissions. Casey’s also operationalized its solar array to help power its newest distribution center in Joplin, Missouri, with about 14% of its energy use coming from the solar array.
Learn about how convenience stores, specifically Parkland USA and Hightowers Petroleum, are approaching ESG initiatives and reporting in the NACS Magazine article “Crafting Your ESG Story” in the digital September issue. Here’s how ESG impacts small operators in the industry.
Also, here’s how c-stores can save on energy costs by going solar.