7Charge

Additionally they seem to just be using a rebranded version of the EV Connect app, so I suspect they are just slapping their logo on EV Connect stations. Doesn't scream "leadership" to me.
Screenshot_20230321-093151.pngScreenshot_20230321-093134.png
 
ironman said:
Don't hold your breath. Check out this article from last June. They were supposed to be over 400 ports by last December in the US. They currently sit at 31 ports on their app but only 14 are visible in the AFDC database.
7-Eleven Expected to Become the 6th Largest US EV DC Fast Charging Network By the End of 2022 – EVStatistics
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And actually, I just noticed the article was from June 2021, but still said an estimated 425 by the end of '22. Wow, what "progress."

By the end of 2022, the company should have an estimated 425 total DCFC ports in the US, making 7-Eleven the 6th largest DC fast charging network in the US, behind Tesla, Electrify America, and ChargePoint. Despite this significant investment and growth, the company’s US charging stations would only account for roughly 2% of the total number of DC fast charging ports by the end of 2022.
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6th largest by now, eh?
 
And maybe just for laughs at this point, here's the press release I saw which gave me hope:

7-Eleven, Inc. Launches New Electric Vehicle Charging Network, 7Charge

"For over 95 years, 7-Eleven has innovated to meet our customers' needs – delivering convenience where, when and how they want it," said Joe DePinto, President and Chief Executive Officer at 7-Eleven. "Now, we are innovating once again to meet our customers' where they are by expanding our business to provide EV drivers convenience of the future...today."
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IRVING, Texas, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today 7-Eleven, Inc. announced 7Charge, its new, proprietary EV charging network and app that delivers a convenient and reliable fast-charging experience at select 7-Eleven® stores in the U.S., and coming soon to Canada. 7-Eleven intends to build one of the largest and most compatible electric vehicle (EV) fast-charging networks of any retailer in North America with the launch of 7Charge, which is already delivering fast-charging services to customers in several locations in Florida, Texas, Colorado, and California.
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Several vs 425. Well, I hope they are serious now but as you have said above it doesn't look like real leadership. The EV Connect App? I haven't used it much. Maybe we should talk about apps somewhere, but not many are good.
 
Falcon73 said:
And actually, I just noticed the article was from June 2021, but still said an estimated 425 by the end of '22. Wow, what "progress."



6th largest by now, eh?
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What I really "like" about these statements that say things like "By the end of 2022, the company should have an estimated 425 total DCFC ports in the US, making 7-Eleven the 6th largest DC fast charging network in the US" is that they assume that all other networks will be standing still during the same period, when obviously those other networks are continually expanding as well.
 
Falcon73 said:
And maybe just for laughs at this point, here's the press release I saw which gave me hope:

7-Eleven, Inc. Launches New Electric Vehicle Charging Network, 7Charge





Several vs 425. Well, I hope they are serious now but as you have said above it doesn't look like real leadership. The EV Connect App? I haven't used it much. Maybe we should talk about apps somewhere, but not many are good.
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Yes, very good idea! I have several opinions I would like to air about them! Let me find a good spot...
 
Falcon73 said:
Yeah, no not exactly, huh? Sigh.

So more of "here's to hoping."
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The apps may start to all look the same because there are now vendors providing white-label solutions that get the EV Charging companies out of the app building business. One of these is driivz (driivz.com). Francis Energy in OK just upgraded to their solution as Francis is another CPO with grand ambitions
 
On the one hand I can appreciate the fact that the networks would not want to create a fresh app from scratch when there are third party solutions available (much as they don't manufacture their own charging stations...although maybe they should!) There are plenty of other examples of this in other industries as well.

But this does raise two questions in my mind.

First, what does it say about the networks that don't have the ability / wherewithal to create their own apps? Are they just trying to save money, or do they actually lack the technical expertise? And if the latter, how will they fare trying to maintain the availability of their network that likely relies on back-end applications that feed them real-time data on their stations? Are these networks likely to get swallowed up by their larger competitors? (probably)

Second, if it is possible to have white-label solutions that more or less work out of the box and can manage the various charger hardware real-time status, then why can't we reach the nirvana state of not having to have provider-supplied apps at all? We just fire up whatever favorite app we use to get real-time status (and maybe even handle payment) rather than having to install another app on our phone each time we visit a new network (or better yet, the car itself integrates it into its nav system).
 
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