- Walmart is set to significantly expand its owned and operated EV charging infrastructure in the USA, with plans to bring 78 additional charging locations online soon.
- These locations are spread across 19 states, which will help make public EV charging infrastructure more accessible to a wide proportion of Americans.
- With over 90% of the US living within 10 miles of a Walmart store, the retailer is in a unique position to make public chargers closely available to all.
Walmart pushes forward with EV charging infrastructure in the USA
Whilst some Walmart stores have already benefitted from public chargers from third party operators such as Electrify America and EVgo, Walmart’s owned and operated EV chargers are part of a wider plan to have a comprehensive charging network that stretches right across the US by 2030. Under these plans, chargers will be installed at thousands of Walmart and Sam’s Club locations, which could allow a significant proportion of Americans to have close access to ultra-rapid public charging.
It looks like this significant EV charging expansion is now underway, with Walmart’s site confirming that 78 new locations are ‘coming soon’, which will help bring the total number of Walmart-owned EV charging locations to nearly 100. Chargers at all locations will support NACS and CCS charging connections, whilst charging speeds of up to 400kW are also possible – allowing the fastest charging electric cars to get a significant range boost in as little as 15 minutes.
Supermarkets and grocery stores are the perfect match for public charging infrastructure, allowing EV drivers to combine their charging session with their weekly shop. Walmart isn’t the only retailer who’s decided on an owned and operated strategy, rather than inviting in other CPOs to provide infrastructure. Over in the UK, supermarket retailer Sainsbury’s is finding similar success with its Sainsbury’s Smart Charge operation, which has seen rapid expansion over the last two years.
The combination of EV charging and Walmart’s potential to reach millions of Americans could be a helping hand to EV adoption in the region, with availability and accessibility of public charging remaining a barrier towards EV purchase.
