RESTON, Va. and BENTONVILLE, Ark., June
6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Electrify America and Walmart
announced today that more than 120 plus ultra-fast electric vehicle
(EV) charging stations are now operational and open to the public
at Walmart stores across the U.S. Building upon the original
commitment set forth 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 U.S. 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, AR. 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 U.S. 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 U.S. 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."
"Along with providing our customers with an enhanced shopping
experience through added convenience, this initiative also allows
us to contribute to the expansion and accessibility of our nation's
EV charging station infrastructure," said Mark Vanderhelm, vice president of energy for
Walmart, Inc. "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."
Additional Electrify America charging station are expected to be
installed at Walmart stores located in urban areas such as the
District of Columbia and 46 states
including California, the largest
electric vehicle market in the U.S. Prior to its EV charging
station expansion with Electrify America, Walmart was an early
adopter of EV technology, providing EV chargers at approximately
100 store locations beginning with the first installations almost
10 years ago.
Electrify America chargers at Walmart stores feature 150
kilowatt (kW) and 350kW DC Fast Chargers. Chargers at this power
can charge a vehicle at speeds of up to 20 miles of range per
minute.
Electrify America, which is investing $2
billion over the next ten years in electric vehicle
infrastructure and education, plans to deploy more than 2,000
chargers across 484 sites in 17 metropolitan areas and on highways.
Stations will be located at convenient EV charging stops with
access to retail, dining, parking and other facilities, with
Walmart becoming a key partner to these objectives.
About Electrify America
Electrify America LLC, a
wholly-owned subsidiary of Volkswagen Group of America
headquartered in Reston, VA and
with an office in Pasadena, CA, is
investing $2 billion over 10 years in
Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) infrastructure, education and access.
The investment will enable millions of Americans to discover the
benefits of electric driving and support the build-out of a
nationwide network of workplace, community and highway chargers
that are convenient and reliable. For more information, visit
www.electrifyamerica.com.
About Walmart
Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) helps people
around the world save money and live better - anytime and anywhere
- in retail stores, online, and through their mobile devices. Each
week, over 275 million customers and members visit our more than
11,300 stores under 58 banners in 27 countries and eCommerce
websites. With fiscal year 2019 revenue of $514.4 billion, Walmart employs over 2.2 million
associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in
sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity.
Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting
http://corporate.walmart.com, on Facebook at
http://facebook.com/walmart and on Twitter at
http://twitter.com/walmart.
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SOURCE Electrify America, LLC; Walmart