Electrify America has deployed EV charging stations across 120 Walmart locations

[Polycount]

In context: As electric vehicles become more popular, companies have begun to develop infrastructure to better support them. For example, Tesla's network of Superchargers is excellent for longer road trips -- the downside, of course, is that Superchargers are only available to Tesla vehicle owners. In terms of more accessible on-the-go charging options, Walmart has begun to offer fast EV charging stations at dozens of its store locations.

These stations are built and maintained by Electrify America (EA), and according to a press release published by the organization on Thursday, there are now a whopping 120 of them in total. To be clear, that number isn't counting individual chargers, just stations as a whole.

Though that figure does pale in comparison to what Tesla has been able to achieve with its Supercharger network (1,533 stations as of writing), the carmaker has had years to develop it. By contrast, Walmart and EA's partnership has only existed since April of 2018, so they certainly deserve some credit for their efforts. Those 120 stations are spread across 34 US states for now, but Walmart and EA are aiming to bring the stations to 46 states in the future.

"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."

"This milestone marks an important moment in the expansion of our charging station network," said Walmart VP of energy Mark Vanderhelm in a statement. "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."

Of course, EA isn't operating solely alongside Walmart. It's developing plenty of stations along highways, throughout metropolitan areas, and more -- the company is aiming to deploy "more than 2,000" chargers over the next ten years, investing $2 billion into the project in total.

We'll have to wait and see to determine whether or not EA can accomplish that goal, but for now, it's clear that the future of electric vehicles is looking brighter than ever.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/80410-electrify-america-has-deployed-ev-charging-stations-across.html

 

[Plutoisaplanet]

This is one of the most promising fast-charging networks out there. They are focusing on spreading out their network which is great, and it is being built out in bulk (ofc VW was forced to fund them). I have two California cities not in the bay area or LA that have EA stations coming in the next 6 months.

The fastest charger it comes with will charge your car in 20 minutes, assuming your car can take the full speed (which none do, a Porsche will be the first). Only a few luxury cars can take 150 kW (the most common chargers in EA stations) and the rest take less than 100kW.

As for pricing, it’s slightly less than the price of gas (as opposed to 3x cheaper) but this isn’t a real problem since this network is best for long distance travel.

 

[tkabou]

And place them at the end of the parking lots :-D

 

[Uncle Al]

It's a good tactical move although I think they would be wise to populate those Walmart's that are along interstate routes too. If it's only slightly less than the cost of gas, I'm not sure it will catch on as quickly as desired, after all, what's the benefit to the driver? Car costs more, little to no savings in fueling, limiting range ... sounds like the recharging boys are making a killing. Of course for the folks in California won't have to content with the "summer vs winter blend" issue .... or have they changed that law of physics too???

 

[QuantumPhysics]

The Tesla Model 3 is the fast adopted EV I've ever seen. Model S and Model X are simply too expensive.

I'm glad to see more charging networks being available. I feel every gas station should have at least one EV charge point.

Walmarts, movie theaters and any other place people stop the car for more than 30 minutes need one: malls, grocery store lots, etc.

Even if an EV has less than 300 miles range, being able to charge at a moments notice can effectively increase range without cutting too much into a person's routine.