• Ionna will install its high-powered charging stations at Circle K locations across the U.S.
• It will also take over the operations of Circle K’s existing charging network.
• Retail giants and gas station chains have embraced the build-out of fast chargers.

Convenience store and gas station chain Circle K is partnering with Ionna to install hundreds of public fast charging stations at its locations nationwide, the companies announced on Tuesday.

The announcement is the latest in a string of recent tie-ups between retail giants and electric vehicle charging companies, who are racing to build out charging infrastructure with the anticipation that EV sales growth will rebound in the coming years.

Ionna, the consortium founded by eight automakers including General Motors, Stellantis, and Toyota, has quickly become one of the fastest-growing charging networks in the U.S. with its so-called Rechargeries. 

BMW iX At Ionna Rechargery

Photo by: Suvrat Kothari

Under the new deal, it plans to bring its high-powered stations to over 350 Circle K locations across the country, pushing it closer to its ambitious target of installing 30,000 charging bays by 2030. All Ionna stations are equipped with 400-kilowatt charging dispensers that support both CCS and the Tesla-style NACS connectors.

What’s also notable is that Ionna will also take over Circle K’s existing charging network, which will dramatically expand its own footprint. According to the U.S. government’s Alternative Fuels Data Center, the chain already has 378 EV charging ports across 93 locations, which will now fold into the Ionna network. Ionna said it will “rapidly convert and upgrade approximately 85 existing Circle K charging sites.” In other words, existing Circle K stations should become more modern and easier to use, while offering faster charging.

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Photo by: Ionna

Access to reliable public fast-charging stations is one of the top hurdles to the broader adoption of EVs. Even though EV growth has cooled since the end of federal tax credits last year, the nationwide build-out of DC fast chargers has continued at a record pace. Popular convenience stores and gas station chains have leaned into this opportunity. 

Ionna also partnered with Sheetz and Wawa last year. General Motors and EVGo have continued to expand at Pilot and Flying J travel centers. And Mercedes-Benz High Power Charging is also installing its fast chargers at Buc-ee’s, the Texas-based travel center chain.

The logic behind these retail partnerships is pretty straightforward. For EV drivers, they help replicate the familiar gas-station and rest-stop experience, offering up amenities like restrooms, restaurants, cafes, and Wi-Fi. Many EV chargers lack those basic conveniences, much less a place to kick back as some of Ionna’s Rechargeries have. 

The opportunity is also clear for retailers. While a gas stop may only take 10 minutes, an EV driver hanging around for 30 minutes presents an even greater sales opportunity for snacks and the like. 

Contact the author: suvrat.kothari@insideevs.com

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Ford and Carhartt want to promote real “Carhartt-type” work

If there is one brand that is synonymous with both white- and blue-collar workers, as well as construction sites and the world’s fashion magazines, it is none other than the American heritage brand Carhartt. Born in Dearborn, Michigan, in 1889, the workwear brand has been known the world over not just for being a go-to brand for style influencers and fashionistas, but more so as a tried-and-true brand that has produced tough, long-lasting quality clothing essentials for multiple generations.

Although you may be able to find people of all stripes wearing Carhartt everywhere from a rising skyscraper, oil rigs, and mechanics’ shops, to your local third-wave coffee shop, it has been linked to another Dearborn-based company for nearly 100 years: Ford. According to Ford, Carhartt has produced clothes for Ford’s factory workers since the 1920s, with workwear programs between the two companies dating back to the 1970s.

However, the two companies are now getting together to serve the next generation of skilled labor. In an announcement at the Detroit Auto Show on January 13, Ford CEO Jim Farley and Carhartt CEO Linda Hubbard announced that they will be linking up on a multi-year strategic partnership designed to support what they call the “Essential Economy.” The two companies aim to “create long-term impact” by focusing on specific initiatives to support the trades, including workforce development, community building, and the development of new products.

“Hamilton Carhartt founded our company on a simple principle: listen to hardworking people and build products that help them do their jobs safely and effectively,” Hubbard said. “For 136 years, we’ve stood with the skilled trades by making durable gear they can rely on. That commitment has since grown to include support for programs that provide people with the skills and training needed for meaningful careers in the trades. We’re excited that our partnership with Ford will help us advance this important work.”

Ford aims to equip the auto technicians of tomorrow with tools, training, and fresh, new clothes

Part of that commitment is direct support, and, according to Ford, it aims to partner with high schools and community colleges to provide fast-track training programs and ensure a strong pipeline from education to the workforce. This also includes a partnership between Ford Philanthropy and Ford dealers with the TechForce Foundation to support Ford Auto Tech Scholars, its scholarships for potential automotive technicians in the U.S.

As part of its new partnership with Carhartt, the next batch of Ford Auto Tech Scholars will receive fresh, new custom Carhartt gear (or “drip,” as the youth say), as well as a new tool lending program for prospective Detroit-area auto technicians through ToolBank USA. Ford says that it will be donating a ProPower onboard-equipped F-150 to the Detroit ToolBank upon its opening in February 2026, which it will use to extend its outreach across Southeast Michigan.

“This is such a great match because we’re all committed to making sure workers have the best equipment and gear that they can get. ToolBank USA is inspiring people to do more with their hands while changing lives in our local communities,” Ford CEO Farley said. “Who better to expand their mission and bring the next hub to this great city than two iconic Detroit companies, Ford and Carhartt.”

A Carhartt Super Duty is coming

Since late 2025, Ford and Carhartt used uniform services provider Cintas to outfit dealership technicians with the legendary brand’s clothing, including Ford/Carhartt-branded shirts, pants, jackets, sweatshirts, footwear, and accessories. However, they are going one step further with their expanded collaboration.

Ford and Carhartt also announced that, in addition to new merchandise, which “explores the intersection of heritage workwear and automotive craftsmanship, uncovering shared values of durability, innovation, and local pride,” the two are linking up on a new 2027 Super Duty Carhartt truck, which is coming later this year.

No exact details have been revealed as of yet; however, Ford noted that the vehicle is inspired by the brand and that its designers injected inspiration that executives gained from a visit to Carhartt’s downtown Detroit store, where they got up close with the different colors and textures of the brand’s storied pieces, as well as the elements surrounding the store. The lone detail revealed by Ford, the truck’s wheel, is said to be inspired by the Detroit city manhole covers outside the store.

“Carhartt’s DNA is all about hardworking people, doing incredible things with their rugged apparel, which is as necessary as the tools they use — just like our trucks serve builders as tools for their trade,” Ford Global Licensing senior manager Tyler Hill said in a statement.

Final thoughts

Ford CEO Jim Farley has been very vocal about the growth of the skilled trades. On a November 2025 episode of the Office Hours: Business Edition podcast, Farley said Ford had 5,000 open mechanic positions that it is struggling to fill, despite it being a position that can open up a pathway toward an $120,000 annual salary, noting that its stuggle to fill jobs that require training or manual labor are signs that there is a shortage of skilled tradespeople in the U.S.

“We are in trouble in our country. We are not talking about this enough,” he said at the time. “We have over a million openings in critical jobs, emergency services, trucking, factory workers, plumbers, electricians, and tradesmen. It’s a very serious thing.”

This new partnership with Carhartt is just one piece of the puzzle. In an interview with Business Insider, Ford Philanthropy president Mary Culler added that these seemingly dirty, unglamorous jobs have a real perception problem in today’s connected-car era, as techs will be working mostly with technology and not wrenches.

“People we talk to tell us, ‘I didn’t realize it wasn’t the greasy job I expected,'” Culler told BI. “People don’t understand that it’s a very high-tech job, it’s a very computer-intensive job.”

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