Taco Bell Is Now Offering an EV Charge With That Chalupa The restaurant chain plans to open electric vehicle charging stations at 100 Taco Bell locations.

By Jonathan Small

On Thursday, a Taco Bell franchise in South San Francisco opened its first ultra-fast charging station in the parking lot.

The restaurant chain, in partnership with ChargeNet Stations, plans to open solar-powered charging stations at 100 Taco Bell locations in California over the next year.

"You can get an EV charge and a chalupa all in one easy stop," said ChargeNet Stations CEO and Founder Tosh Dutt. The ChargeNet Stations offer, on average, a 100-mile charge in 20 minutes for about $20.

The companies say the locations are being chosen to make EV charging available in traditionally underserved communities, providing charging access to people who may not have a home charging station.

California plans to ban the sales of new gas-powered cars and trucks by 2035, and analysts estimate that, by 2040, there will be 64 million electric vehicles in the U.S. To date, we've only built 4% of the charging stations needed to charge them all.

That's potentially a lot of cars waiting in the drive-thru in need of something more than a chalupa.

"We're solving a demand problem we know is coming," said Dutt.

Jonathan Small

Entrepreneur Staff

Founder, Strike Fire Productions

Jonathan Small is a bestselling author, journalist, producer, and podcast host. For 25 years, he has worked as a sought-after storyteller for top media companies such as The New York Times, Hearst, Entrepreneur, and Condé Nast. He has held executive roles at Glamour, Fitness, and Entrepreneur and regularly contributes to The New York Times, TV Guide, Cosmo, Details, Maxim, and Good Housekeeping. He is the former “Jake” advice columnist for Glamour magazine and the “Guy Guru” at Cosmo.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Starting a Business

The Hardest Parts of Being a Solopreneur (and How I've Learned to Handle Them)

Solopreneurship is on the rise, offering us freedom and independence — but lasting success depends on tackling its unique challenges with strategy.

Buying / Investing in Business

Big Investors Are Betting on This 'Unlisted' Stock

You can join them as an early-stage investor as this company disrupts a $1.3T market.

Science & Technology

How AI Is Turning High School Students Into the Next Generation of Entrepreneurs

As AI reshapes education, students are turning school problems into products and building the future economy.

Business News

Anthropic Is Now One of the Most Valuable Startups of All Time: 'Exponential Growth'

In a new funding round earlier this week, AI startup Anthropic raised $13 billion at a $183 billion valuation.