Sunita Somvanshi
Circle K has just opened a new type of convenience store in Sweden – one completely dedicated to charging electric vehicles, with no gas pumps anywhere on site.
Located in Gårda near Gothenburg, this new station features ten high-powered chargers that can fill up an electric car’s battery from empty to 80% in about 15 minutes.
“We want to win over electric vehicle customers by making charging easy and convenient,” said Hans-Olav Høidahl, who oversees Circle K’s European operations. “This site is designed as a safe harbor for EV drivers on the road.”
The location makes sense – it sits alongside Sweden’s busy E6 motorway, which sees more than 100,000 vehicles daily and serves an area where over 10,000 people work.
Unlike traditional gas stations where people typically spend just a few minutes, this new charging hub includes a 1,076-square-foot store with fresh food, Wi-Fi, and comfortable seating areas where drivers can relax while their cars charge.
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The charging equipment comes from Finnish company Kempower and includes a clever feature that recognizes returning vehicles. When regular customers plug in, the system automatically identifies their car and handles payment without requiring an app or card each time.
“Circle K is showing how an established business can successfully adapt to the changes electric vehicles are bringing,” said Erik Kanerva from Kempower.
This isn’t Circle K’s first big move into EV charging. The company recently opened an even larger charging hub in Järna, Sweden with 26 fast chargers for both cars and trucks. Circle K now operates more than 3,000 chargers across Europe and plans to install 1,000 high-speed chargers in Sweden alone by 2026.
The convenience store offers fresh pizza, kebab, and hot dogs, creating a space that feels more like a café than a gas station. This approach transforms waiting time – typically seen as a drawback of electric vehicles – into a pleasant break.
“Our customers appreciate the reliability and speed of these chargers,” said Maria Estenstad Friis, who directs Circle K’s charging operations.
With 17,000 locations worldwide, Circle K appears well-positioned to play a major role in building the infrastructure needed as more drivers switch to electric vehicles.
