Circle K, Vädermotet, Gothenburg, Sweden

2024 Entry profile – ‘Best EV Hub in the World’ – Highway

Circle K Vädermotet, located in Göteborg, Sweden is the first public charging station for heavy traffic in the Nordics.

Company overview

Circle K is a multinational chain of mobility- and convenience stores which, over the years, has grown significantly and become one of the most recognized mobility- and convenience store brands globally.

Circle K was established by Fred Hervey in 1951. It started as a series of three stores in El Paso, Texas, and has since expanded its operations worldwide. The brand is known for its wide array of products, including snacks, beverages, gasoline and EV charging; as well as for offering quick-service food items. In 2003, Alimentation Couche-Tard, a Canadian multinational, acquired Circle K, further boosting its growth and market presence.

Circle K operates primarily in the retail convenience store sector and serves a diverse customer base, providing a variety of products for on-the-go consumers. Circle K operates in 29 countries across North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa, with its strongest presence in the United States, Canada and Scandinavia (particularly Norway and Sweden).

We have a network of over 16,000 stores worldwide, serving approximately 8.5 million people a day, making Circle K one of the largest convenience store chains globally (both company-owned and franchise stores).

We’re obsessed with our customers and making sure they have the easiest experience possible at our sites. This trickles down to all we do; making sure we have the desired product offer for each market, optimizing the layout and traffic flow at site, giving our employees sufficient training and knowledge to provide stellar customer service and generally just making sure we have our customers in focus – no matter what.

Our EV journey

Circle K’s first EV chargers were installed in 2011 at Økern, Norway, marking the beginning of our EV adventure. Following this, we’ve been proactive in rolling out EV charger infrastructure to support the growing number of EVs on the road.

We’ve been expanding our EV charging footprint in Europe and North America, focusing on markets with high EV adoption rates and supportive infrastructure, especially in Scandinavia. In Europe alone, we have over 300 sites with close to 2,000 DC EV Chargers (owned and though partners).

Our EV charging business model focuses primarily on owned and Circle K branded chargers on site but, where we see fit, we also have collaborations with external charge point operators (CPOs). This blended approach allows for flexibility in scaling up infrastructure and offering various charging solutions to customers.

Circle K has strategically focused on installing EV chargers at our owned locations, primarily located at larger motorway sites, where we already serve long-distance travellers who need to recharge.

These sites are often equipped with various amenities to cater to travellers during their charging stop. In addition to highway locations, we have also deployed EV chargers at urban sites to cater for B2B drivers and the commuter market, especially in areas where home charging may not be an option for every EV owner.

At Circle K, we’re redefining EV charging by turning our sites into full-service destinations that go beyond just charging your vehicle. We’re committed to sustainability and meeting our customers’ high expectations in every aspect of our service.

We’re integrating user-friendly digital interfaces to streamline the EV charging process and provide additional services for an effortless experience. As consumer needs evolve, particularly in the mobility sector, we’re dedicated to adapting quickly, ensuring our charging stations offer both state-of-the-art technology and essential conveniences for today’s drivers.

Site overview

Circle K Vädermotet, opened in May 2020, is strategically located between Gothenburg’s container ports and Hisingeleden, with connections to European roads E6, E20 and E45.

The station is specially designed to give professional drivers and other road users a place to rest and recover along the way. But here you can also find all of Circle K’s large food selection and more.

We especially wish to shine extra light on Vädermotet since it is our, and Sweden’s biggest site for truck charging. Not only is it delivering at a high level already, it is set up to scale enormously for the big transition of Heavy Duty Vehicles to EV.

The lot size is 8,500m², plus an additional 10,000m² for truck parking.

Site layout and traffic flow.

Vädermotet is a gigantic site, with a big store where customers find several seats in our lounge area for longer breaks, and nice toilets with the possibility to shower and change after a long day’s work.

The store is also equipped with a baby changing table for families in need. The station serves all of Circle K’s large food selection, including fresh shop-made sandwiches, stone-oven pizzas, fresh salads, as well as hot dogs and hamburgers. Customers can also benefit from the innovative self-check-out register that scans items automatically, making it possible to skip the regular line if they are in a rush.

The highlight of this site is the spacious area for truck charging. Here trucks (with trailers attached) can easily access our drive-through chargers and fill up with energy in the fastest way possible. Today, we have four 360kW chargers with a total of eight DC connectors, and we’ve already prepared the site to more than double this in the future.

Vädermotet is also one of the sites in Sweden were MSC-chargers (1 MW of charging power) will be tested(!). The truck site is located directly to the right on arrival, with plenty of space for manoeuvring multiple semi-trailers simultaneously.

This makes for a safe entry to Vädermotet, both for truck- and other drivers. Security is increased by clear directional signage for vehicles and pedestrians. Adjacent to the truck charging site there’s also 10,000 m² dedicated to high security truck parking. There is, of course, the possibility to fill up with petrol and diesel, as well as HVO100 and AdBlue.

On the site there’s also 300kW Hyperchargers, where four EVs can charge simultaneously.

These are separated from the truck charging area and closer to the store entry to separate normal EVs from the bigger trucks. Next to the chargers there’s an outdoor seating area with a garbage bin and proper lighting.

Surrounding the store you’ll find plenty of space for parking and not only for trucks – we also have more than 15 parking spaces allocated for LDVs. Our popular car wash has a dedicated queuing area too for busy days. There’s also a service station providing two vacuum cleaners in close proximity to the car wash.

Additional mobility offer

AdBlue, Miles 95, Miles Diesel, milesPLUS Diesel, milesPLUS 98, HVO100 diesel. Four pumps for light vehicles and two pumps for trucks. Two vacuum cleaners on site. Pay-by-plate offer for fuel. Truck parking area. Trailer rental.

Retail offer

Open 24/7. K-freeze, Simply great coffee. Serving pizza from Pizza Hut; juicy burgers; our famous, award-winning hot dog offers; fresh salads and a big variety on both sandwiches, wraps and hot offers (calzone etc.).

We also offer a variety of kebabs, lots to choose from in our kids’ menus, different vegetarian options as well as plenty to-go along with a traditional “Swedish Fika”.

Plus, a large variety in our beverage options with healthy smoothie and juice offers and everything from the classic Coca-Cola to new energetic drinks from Monster and Red Bull.

And, of course, we also serve our customers our own branded Circle K water. For our loyal EXTRA customers there’s always a deal on combining their favourite choices.

In-store seating with free WiFi

Spacious lounge area inside with seats for both eating and relaxing. 20+ seats.

Car wash facilities

Yes, automatic car wash with subscription and drop-in offer. Service station with windscreen washing options on site and two vacuum cleaners.

Additional amenities

Showers, baby changing table. High security truck parking area. We also provide mobile payments fuel, mobile payments car wash, pay by plate fuel, TruckDiesel Network offer, truck parking, car wash subscription, mobile payments fuel (business).

EV charging information

Our forecourt is designed for both Light and Commercial Vehicles (canopy height: 4.7m).

Circle K Vädermotet was the first public EV truck charging site in the Nordics, and marks a big step towards making EV charging easier for heavy trucks. It’s already one of our top three sites on energy delivered per day and it is set up to more than double its potential charging offer to the heavy duty vehicle segment.

Type of chargers available

EV: 2 Alpitronic Hypercharger 300kW DC. Each with three connectors (2 CCS + 1 CHAdeMO).

Truck charging: four ABB Terra 360kW. Each with two connectors (CCS).

All chargers are fully CK branded with LED screens for a better customer experience.

Payment and loyalty

Payment

RFID (both tags and Circle K company cards), App, OTP (Visa, MasterCard), Autocharge, Roaming partners.

Open-loop payment system

Yes, and we’re actively monitoring this to minimize the risk of fraud.
All chargers are equipped with NFC card readers. Price displayed in app and on web.

Loyalty B2C: Circle K EXTRA

Loyalty B2B: Cirlce K EXTRA PRO

Circle K EXTRA:

EXTRA offers loyal customers an abundance of offers and discounts, ensuring that our valued customers consistently receive extra attention and special care. Registration to EXTRA can easily be done in our app or on our website. As an EXTRA member you will receive welcoming offers and recurring campaigns on “every 6th for free” that includes; Pizza Hut, car wash and hot dogs for 15SEK and lots of other tasty and beneficial offers. On top of this, we also give our EXTRA users discounts to Best Western Hotels and, as an Extra user, you can find all the latest offers and track your bonuses in our portal and app.

Circle K EXTRA PRO

Start and stop charging with the Circle K company card and get all your charging and Circle K expenses on one invoice. Circle K EXTRA PRO gives all the benefits and offers that a loyal customer deserves. In addition to our advantageous EXTRA benefits, as an EXTRA PRO member you get five welcome offers and every 6th food menu, coffee cup and car wash free with the purchase. Part of the welcoming offer is a 0,50SEK discount/litre on the first filling. We also offer a free cup of coffee as well as a 50% discount on a car wash of your choice. Plus we offer a Premium wash on every 6th wash. The best part? Customers don’t have to keep count, we’ll just send you a text message when it’s time! We always keep our offers updated to make our loyal customers’ life on the road easier, keeping track of the offers is easy both in our stores and in the app. The EXTRA PRO members are also offered discounts on Best Western Hotels.

Human health

Kindness Day, combatting harassment in service

Thursday 25.01.2024, our second annual initiative addressing the rising threats and harassment faced by service industry staff.

Why Kindness Day?

  • Illuminate the prevalent issue of threats, violence, and harassment in the service industry.
  • Transparently address the daily challenges our employees endure.

Scope of the problem

  • Just over one third – 34% – said they had experienced harassment, bullying or violence in the workplace
  • Societal issue affecting recruitment and retention.

Types of incidents

  • Racist comments, sexual innuendos, profanity, and threats of violence. Alarming experiences for our employees in their daily work.

Safeguarding our employees

  • Far-reaching action plan for proactive and reactive measures.
  • Continuous training for employees and managers.
  • Simplified incident reporting for a comprehensive understanding.
  • Visible communication at stations to encourage concern for staff.
  • “Button Stations” pilot project successful in assessing customer behaviour.

Leadership and support

  • Ongoing leader training to care for vulnerable staff.
  • Collaborating with occupational health care when necessary.

Message to customers

  • Break the harsh social climate – everyone can contribute.
    Service proficiency is a superpower; reflect on how you treat service professionals.
    Without them, Sweden would cease to function.

Kindness matters. Let’s create a supportive service environment together.

We support Bris (Every Child’s right in Society)

We have chosen to support Bris – and we have done so for 10 years! We know they make a difference.

  • Our collection has reached SEK 30 million since the start
  • Supporting Bris is our employees’ choice. Since the start in 2013, together with our customers, we have collected over SEK 30 million for the benefit of Bris through campaigns such as Bris car wash, Exercise for Bris, The Bris menu and Bris recycle.
  • In 2022, our campaigns contributed SEK 3,340,300 to Bris, which enables the funding of six full-time counsellors in Bris’ operations during 2023 – counsellors who are there to support children and young people via phone, chat, email, forums and group activities. It is something we are really proud and happy about.

Sustainability

Sustainable food and drink at Circle K

Delicious, healthy, simple: Your order, your way! We prioritize Swedish meat, free-range eggs, organic coffee, and satisfying vegetarian options. Commitment to transparency: explore ingredients, allergens, and nutritional value with our search tool.

Focus areas

  1. Sustainable coffee:
    11 million cups sold annually.
    Exclusive use of organic, Rainforest Alliance certified coffee.
    Developing a sustainable coffee mug; target: 30% sales in reusable mugs by 2023.
    SEK 2 discount when using your own mug.
  2. Saved coffee project (fall 2023):
    Teamed up with Löfbergs to save 42 tonnes of coffee from waste.
  3. Food waste reduction:
    Collaboration with Too Good To Go*.
    All food waste composted or turned into fuel.
  4. Packaging sustainability (2023):
    Exclusively using degradable or recycled consumables.

Too Good To Go: rescuing excess food at Circle K

Overview:

  • Partnered with Too Good To Go: world’s largest food-saving app.
  • Mission: utilize excess food, preventing wastage.
  • How it works: purchase surplus food at a third of the price.

Circle K Offerings:

  • Fresh sandwiches, coffee bread, assorted drinks, sweets, nuts, and salads.
  • Box value always exceeds USD 12.0; customer pays only USD 3.9.
  • The energy used at Circle K Vädermotet meets the EU Guarantee of origin certification.
  • Circle K meets the requirements of the management system standards for environment and quality: ISO 9001:2015/ ISO 14001:2015

Electricity with a Guarantee of Origin for your electric vehicle

Circle K offers electricity with a Guarantee of Origin for electric vehicles, ensuring eco-friendly charging. The guarantee means that for every unit of electricity used at its chargers, an equivalent amount of renewable energy is produced, supporting sustainable power generation.

While electricity itself cannot be tracked, the Guarantee of Origin ensures Circle K’s commitment to renewable energy. By using its chargers, customers support the growth of renewable energy production, particularly hydropower in the Nordics. Even when traveling outside Sweden, customers can access Circle K’s fast chargers across Scandinavia, all backed by this eco-friendly guarantee.