July 17 (Reuters) - A Mercedes-Benz unit said

on Wednesday it had partnered with Starbucks ( SBUX ) to deploy

its fast-charging stations at more than 100 locations across the

United States.

The first phase of the program will have 400 kW EV chargers

at Starbucks ( SBUX ) stores along Interstate 5, a west coast travel

corridor spanning from Canada to Mexico, according to

Mercedes-Benz High-Power Charging.

The Mercedes unit opened its first charging site in 2023, as

part of an initial $1 billion investment.

Since its launch, the charging network has opened a dozen

locations across Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South

Carolina, Tennessee and Kentucky.

There are plans for the network to expand to nearly half of

the states in the country over the next 12 to 18 months, and is

expected to include around 10,000 charging points in the United

States, Europe, China and other core markets by the end of the

decade.