Well regarded as a national retail store, Walmart has quietly become one of the largest EV charging options for drivers in the country. Its partnership with Electrify America is making road trips more feasible as the two recently completed an additional 120 Walmart locations with fast-charge technology available.
EV drivers can now make the drive across country — on major interstates and highways — with the option to solely recharge at Walmart stores during their travels. The travel points between Houston to Chicago via I-45, I-35 and I-44; San Antonio to St Louis via I-35 and I-44, and Washington DC to Savannah, GA via I-95 are now fully drivable.
The Electrify America charging stations at Walmart stores will feature 150 kilowatt (kW) and 350kW DC Fast Chargers. Simply put: this power can charge a vehicle at speeds of up to 20 miles of range per minute.
“Along with providing our customers with an enhanced shopping experience through added convenience, this initiative also allows us to contribute to the expansion and accessibility of our nation’s EV charging station infrastructure. Many of our Walmart associates and customers are EV drivers so providing access to these stations is the right thing to do for our customers, our business and the environment,” Mark Vanderhelm, Vice President of Energy for Walmart, Inc. said in a press release.
Its collaboration with Walmart is part of the long term strategy for Electrify America to help promote greater zero emission vehicle (ZEV) adoption. The company is focused on offering its ultra-fast chargers at convenient locations to ensure more drivers will be willing to adopt the technology.
The first 120 Walmart sites with Electrify America chargers are located across 34 U.S. states with a plan to expand to 46 total.
“This milestone marks an important moment in the expansion of our charging station network,” said Brendan Jones, CEO at Electrify America. “We look forward to continuing our work with Walmart to make electric vehicle charging faster and more convenient for consumers across the country, and in turn, encourage more adoption of zero emissions vehicles.”
A recent study by AAA showed that many Americans are still unsure about many facets of EV driving, namely that nearly 60% of consumers did not know if electric vehicles were better on the highway or in stop-and-go traffic.
The market confusion indicated in the study included fear factors, like 57% of respondents saying that they fear they will run out of a charge while driving and 58% believing that there were not enough charging stations available — both which are rectified by this Walmart solution.
Electrify America is committed to investing $2 billion over the decade in EV infrastructure and in total, it plans to build and operate over 2,000 chargers at 484 locations on highways through the country.
About Electrify America
Electrify America LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Volkswagen Group of America headquartered in Reston, VA and with an office in Pasadena, CA, is investing $2 billion over 10 years in Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) infrastructure, education and access. The investment will enable millions of Americans to discover the benefits of electric driving and support the build-out of a nationwide network of workplace, community and highway chargers that are convenient and reliable.
About Walmart
Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) helps people around the world save money and live better – anytime and anywhere – in retail stores, online, and through their mobile devices. Each week, over 275 million customers and members visit our more than 11,300 stores under 58 banners in 27 countries and eCommerce websites. With fiscal year 2019 revenue of $514.4 billion, Walmart employs over 2.2 million associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity.
