By Sam Boughedda
Investing.com — Shares of Blink Charging Co (NASDAQ:BLNK), the electric vehicle charging company, jumped more than 5% at the open on the back of news it has agreed with Bridgestone Retail Operations, a subsidiary of Bridgestone Americas, to deploy Blink IQ charging stations to tire and vehicle service centers.
Blink will deploy 50 Blink IQ 200 charging stations at 25 Firestone Complete Auto Care and Wheel Works tire and automotive service centers. The deployments will be the first Blink chargers at Bridgestone service centers.
The 25 locations will have a dual-port Blink IQ 200 fast level 2 charging station. The deployment will begin with pilot locations in central markets, such as Austin, Denver, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
The company said in a statement that the move is part of its broader plan to address the needs of electric vehicle consumers.
“Demand for EVs is expected to continue to rise exponentially. More EVs on the streets brings a need for EV car services in addition to increased demand for convenient charging stations for EVs to fuel up,” said Michael Farkas, Founder, and CEO of Blink Charging.
“This collaboration combines our industry-leading charging technology with the trusted Bridgestone brand, providing drivers with reliable EV charging at trusted automotive locations."
Last week, Blink shares closed more than 6% higher after announcing it would deploy EV chargers at GM dealerships in the U.S. and Canada.