Walmart’s plan to become one of the biggest EV charging hosts in America is now visibly taking shape. The retailer’s own company-owned fast-charging stations have reached more than 100 locations, a milestone in its push to put charging within easy reach of the vast majority of American shoppers.
Key Takeaways
- Walmart’s own company-owned fast chargers have now reached over 100 stores, apart from its earlier Electrify America partnership sites.
- New Walmart chargers are rated up to 400 kW and support both CCS and NACS.
- Walmart previously hosted nearly 1,300 Electrify America chargers at more than 280 stores.
- The retailer’s goal is thousands of charging locations at Walmart and Sam’s Club stores by 2030.
Quick Answer: Walmart now operates DC fast chargers, supporting both CCS and NACS plugs at over 100 of its own stores, part of a plan to bring charging to thousands of Walmart and Sam’s Club locations across the US by 2030.
Table of Contents
From Electrify America Partner to Network Owner
Walmart’s charging story started as a partnership: working with Electrify America, the retailer helped install nearly 1,300 fast chargers at more than 280 of its stores over several years. But in 2023 Walmart announced it would build and operate its own charging network directly, citing better control over reliability and cost as the main reasons for going it alone. The newly crossed 100-store threshold reflects chargers Walmart itself owns and runs, not the earlier Electrify America installs.
Also Read : No Driveway, No Problem: Voltpost’s New Charger Mounts on Walls, Ceilings and Lampposts
What the New Chargers Look Like
Walmart’s own stations are rated up to 400 kW and support both the CCS plug used by most non-Tesla EVs and the NACS plug used by Tesla and a growing number of other automakers. Customers can track charger status directly through the Walmart app, tying the charging experience into the same platform shoppers already use for pickup orders and store navigation.
Why the Store Footprint Is the Real Advantage
Walmart’s pitch centers on its sheer physical reach: a Walmart or Sam’s Club sits within about 10 miles of roughly 90 percent of Americans, giving the company a built-in advantage over charging networks that have to negotiate real estate from scratch. That density is especially useful in rural and suburban areas that many dedicated charging networks have been slower to reach, since Walmart is simply adding chargers to parking lots it already owns and operates.
AutoAkhbar Verdict
Retailers turning parking lots into charging hubs is one of the more under-covered trends in US EV infrastructure, and Walmart’s scale makes this rollout worth tracking closely — 100 stores is still a small fraction of its roughly 4,700 US locations, but the direction is clear. If Walmart keeps adding stores at this pace toward its 2030 target, it could end up rivaling dedicated charging networks purely on the strength of how many parking lots it already owns, especially in the smaller towns other networks tend to skip.
Source : Learn My EV
FAQ
How many Walmart-owned EV charging stations are there now?
Walmart’s own company-owned fast-charging rollout has now reached more than 100 stores, separate from its earlier Electrify America partnership sites.
What charging standards do Walmart’s chargers support?
Walmart’s own DC fast chargers are rated up to 400 kW and support both CCS and NACS connectors.
What is Walmart’s long-term EV charging goal?
Walmart has said it plans to build its own EV fast-charging network at thousands of Walmart and Sam’s Club locations across the US by 2030.
