Walmart Expands Volkswagen Group Electric Car Charging Locations From 120 To 300

Electrify America, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Volkswagen Group of America, is investing $2 billion over a 10 year period in zero emission vehicle infrastructure, education and access. A major partner is the initiative is Walmart, which has now opened 120 charging stations at Walmart stores in the US.

On Monday, Electrify America and Walmart announced that the are expanding their relationship in an initiative that will make Walmart one of the largest retail hosts of EV charging stations across the US.

Plans are to add 180 additional locations. Every installation site is equipped with regular 150 kW stations as well as ultra-fast 350 kW stations that can charge vehicles at a rate of 20 miles per minute.

Most electric charging infrastructure—and most electric vehicles—are located on the coasts, writes Curbed. Walmarts tend to be located in states or areas within states where EV adoption is low. This sounds counter-intuitive but the initiative can help to influence consumer buying behavior in more ways than one. Walmart isn’t commonly associated with environmental initiatives, which is a reflection of elitist thinking about the company.

The lack of reliable charging stations is believed to be a detriment to sales. Not knowing where charging stations are located, coupled with not having access to an at-home charging unit is a deterrent to drivers who worry about “range anxiety” and a dead battery.

The Walmart initiative is part of the company’s ambitious sustainability plan. In December 2017, Luna Atamian interviewed Katherine Neebe, Director of Sustainability at Walmart.