12 Chain Stores That Offer EV Charging to Customers – EQ Mag

Here’s where you can power up while you shop.

Interest in electric vehicles has revved up in recent years, with sales increasing 65% last year alone. But providing abundant places to charge up has long been a sticking point to greater EV adoption.

To address the need, President Joe Biden’s trillion-dollar infrastructure bill allocated $7.5 billion toward installing 500,000 public EV chargers by 2030.

On April 6, Walmart announced it was adding thousands more chargers to the nearly 1,300 already installed at more than 280 Walmart and Sam’s Club locations nationwide.

Walmart is just one of a growing number of retailers making EV charging available. Some, like movie theaters, have Level 2 chargers that can add 25 miles of range in about an hour. Many more have direct-current, aka DC, fast chargers, which can provide a near-full charge in less than an hour.

In some cases, charging is offered for free.

Pasquale Romano, is CEO of ChargePoint, the largest network of public charging stations in the US. The half hour it takes to get a decent charge is just long enough “to provide businesses with increased engagement,” Romano said.

“We like to refer to this as the 30-minute retail economy,” he told CNET. “Eventually, we’ll see entire charging hubs comprised of dozens of charging stations and retail businesses.”

Below, check out retailers that let you charge up while you shop. Be sure to download an app like PlugShare or ChargeMap to see which stores have charging stations near you and read reviews to see if they’re in service.

7-Eleven

The largest convenience store chain in the US, 7-Eleven added 7Charge stations to locations in California, Colorado, Florida and Texas earlier this year and has plans to add more across the US and Canada.

“Once the network’s expansion is complete, 7‑Eleven will have one of the largest and most compatible fast-charging networks of any retailer in North America … and make EV charging available to neighborhoods that have, until now, lacked access,” the company said in a statement.

The 7Charge system uses high-voltage DC plugs that allow most EVs to reach an 80% charge in roughly 30 minutes.

Drivers can find a nearby station and pay via the 7Charge app. According to 7-Eleven, pricing is based on either energy consumed or time spent charging, depending on the state laws.

Cinemark

The movie theater chain has free Volta EV charging stations at more than 160 locations, with more planned for 2023.

Individual theaters with charging stations have an icon on their page on the Cinemark website.

Ikea

In August 2022, Ikea launched a partnership with Electrify America that has added 199 ultra-fast public chargers spread across its 50 US locations.

A representative for the Swedish furniture company said it’s in the process of installing more, with the goal of having 500 “in the near future.”

Kohl’s

Kohl’s has more than 375 EV charging spots spread across 170 stores nationwide. To find one near you, go to the store locator page and filter by “EV charging station.”

The company averages more than 105,000 charging sessions a year, a Kohl’s spokesperson said.

Kohl’s works with a variety of EV partners, so charging costs vary by location. Select locations even offer free charging.

Kroger

The largest supermarket chain in the US, Kroger announced in summer 2022 that it was adding over 350 charging stations at select stores in Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Nevada, Oregon, Texas, Utah and Wyoming.

The company also has plans to expand its network into Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee and Virginia.

Macy’s

Macy’s started providing free EV charging at select stores in 2014. It expanded its partnership with Volta In 2021, with 200 charging stations spread across 60 locations in key markets.

Starbucks

In March 2022, Starbucks announced a pilot program that would see DC fast chargers installed at shops along the 1,350-mile route from Denver to the company’s headquarters in Seattle.

When it’s complete, the network will include up to 60 chargers installed at 15 Starbucks in Colorado, Idaho, Oregon, Utah and Washington, each spaced roughly 100 miles apart.

Six stations are already operational, according to a Starbucks spokesperson — in Seattle; Provo and Uintah, Utah; Twin Falls, Idaho; and Hermiston and La Grande, Oregon. Each store has two to four Volvo-branded charging stations.

The stations are co-branded with ChargePoint and Volvo, and while drivers of any EV with a standard CCS1 or CHAdeMO connector can charge up, Volvo owners can do so for free or at a reduced rate.

Charging times vary, but according to Starbucks, the ChargePoint DC fast chargers can take a Volvo C40 Recharge from 20% to 90% full in about 40 minutes.

Starbucks said it will continue ramping up charging stations at its 15,600 US locations through 2030, with the goal of reducing its carbon footprint by half.

Subway

In February, Subway announced a partnership with GenZ EV Solutions that will add small-format RED E charging stations at new and remodeled locations starting in 2023.

The company also plans to build a series of EV “charging oases” that include bathrooms, playgrounds and green spaces, and make exclusive promotions available to customers utilizing them.

Taco Bell

In December 2022, Taco Bell debuted a super-fast electric vehicle charging station at a location in South San Francisco, the first of 100 planned for California by the end of this year.

The pilot program is the brainchild of Diversified Restaurant Group, which operates nearly 300 Taco Bells in Alaska, California, Nevada, Kansas, Missouri and Nevada.

According to DRG, customers can plug into one of six high-speed ChargeNet stations and get over 100 miles of range in about 20 minutes for a cost of about $20.

Walgreens

Walgreens has EV charging stations at nearly 400 locations — including stores in Boston, Chicago, Denver, Orlando, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, Washington, DC, and Portland, Oregon. The drugstore chain plans to double that number over the next few years.

The stations offer either high-speed direct current chargers that add 30 miles of range in as little as 10 minutes, or Level 2 chargers that can add up to 25 miles of range per hour of charge.

Walmart

Walmart already has 1,300 EV fast-charging stations spread across more than 280 stores. In April, it announced plans to develop a network of stations at thousands more Walmart and Sam’s Club locations over the next seven years.

“Our goal is to meet the needs of customers and members where they live and open the road to those driving across the country,” Walmart said in a statement.

Whole Foods

Whole Foods’ first EV charging station was installed at its flagship Austin store in 2010.

Three years later, the gourmet supermarket debuted a fast charger at a supermarket in Fremont, California, where Tesla has its main US plant.

By 2019, at least 200 Whole Foods locations had Level 2 chargers and more than 50 had fast chargers.

Source: cnet