Cracker Barrel Installing EV Charge Points At Tennessee Stores

Cracker Barrel, not exactly the bastion of green technology, has launched a pilot program that will see a number of EV charge points installed at 24 of the restaurant chain’s outlets across the state of Tennessee.

The company that prides itself on old-style country stores is taking a very modern approach to the issue of climate change and ending the nation’s reliance on foreign oil. For its latest EV charge points initiative, Cracker Barrel is partnering with Ecotality Inc., based in Tempe, Arizona, and the first charge points should be installed by next spring.

Cracker Barrel is helping pay for the installation of the charge points, as well as some necessary upgrades to local transformers, but the company is expected to profit by charging a small fee for the service. Guests will be able to get a full charge in less than 30 minutes at 12 restaurants equipped with DC Fast Charging stations, while the remaining 12 restaurants will have longer charge times.  

The restaurants chain is ideal for such a program as most of its locations are near major highways, which experience high levels of traffic. This is one of the key reasons Ecotality partnered with Cracker Barrel for its charge point program, which will eventually see more than 15,000 charge points (like the one pictured) installed right across the country.

[The Detroit News]