Electrify America and Walmart have announced that more than 120 ultra-fast electric vehicle charging stations are now operational and open to the public at Walmart stores across the US. Building upon the original commitment made in April 2018, the companies are planning to expand the relationship in the coming years with additional Electrify America charging stations located at Walmart stores across the country.
Electrify America's continued collaboration with Walmart is expected to make the retailer one of the largest retail hosts of electric vehicle charging stations across the United States, and reinforces Walmart's broader mission to spark collective action – alongside key partners – to drive environmental sustainability and provide customers access to sustainable options.
The collaboration with Walmart is part of Electrify America's strategy to help promote greater zero emission vehicle (ZEV) adoption by offering an ultra-fast and convenient charging network. The first 120 Walmart sites with Electrify America chargers are located across 34 states. Most of the new stations are strategically located at Walmart stores off major highways, with dozens more chargers planned for major metro areas.
Walmart's first Electrify America EV charging station was opened to the public on July 24, 2018 in Hope, Arizona. In the succeeding 11 months, Electrify America and Walmart have opened on average one new EV charging station every three days.
Currently, a significant number of commercial EV charging stations in the US are concentrated on the east and west coasts or in major urban areas. Through the Electrify America-Walmart collaboration, EV users will have increased access to services near highways, rural communities and driving routes in other sections of the country.
EV drivers can now travel across the country on major interstates and highways with a large concentration of EV chargers along the interstates. EV charging station placement along many of these routes allow for EV drivers the option to solely recharge at Walmart stores during their travels. Examples of routes include 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.
"This milestone marks an important moment in the expansion of our charging station network," said Brendan Jones, chief operating officer 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 emission vehicles."
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