Walmart Plans to Expand EV Charging Network to Thousands of Stores

(Bloomberg) -- Walmart Inc. plans to add thousands of electric-vehicle charging stations by 2030, saying the move will make it easier for US motorists to pivot away from cars powered by fossil fuels. 

The expansion will add to the retailer's existing network of 1,300 fast-charging stations at 280 locations, Vishal Kapadia, Walmart's senior vice president of energy transformation, said in a statement Thursday. Walmart didn't say how many charging stations it would build, but the company has about 4,700 US stores plus 600 Sam's Club locations. 

“We are uniquely positioned to deliver a convenient charging option that will help make EV ownership possible whether people live in rural, suburban or urban areas,” Kapadia said. “Our goal is to meet the needs of customers and members where they live and open the road to those driving across the country.” 

The plan gives Walmart the chance to burnish its environmental credentials while enticing EV owners to shop at its stores while they're charging their automobiles. About 90% of the US population lives within 10 miles of a Walmart location. 

The Bentonville, Arkansas-based retailer is seeking to expand in an increasingly crowded field. The Biden administration is pushing to deploy 500,000 charging stations over the next five years and the Transportation Department began accepting applications last month for $2.5 billion in grants to run public charging sites.

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