Quiet talks surrounded this Walmart charging project for a while. Walmart, that huge store, is entering the EV charging world now. They announced plans a year back, staying rather quiet about it. Now they are ready to reveal their big EV charging plans. This could really change things for US electric car drivers.
Walmart’s EV charging manager shared details of their vision first. It is clear Walmart is taking EV charging very seriously indeed. They plan to use their main strengths for this system. Things like cost and convenience are really important for them. They want to offer unique value to their customers for sure.
Walmart’s ambition is very big; it is quite striking. They will add chargers at thousands of stores by 2030. There are plans for even more expansion next decade also. We do not know how many chargers each store gets. But the design will surely fit local needs very well. The number of chargers depends on the local market condition. This includes how many EVs are nearby and other networks.
This focus on local needs is very important indeed. If an area needs more chargers, Walmart will provide them. Crucially, sites will be designed so they are quite flexible. Walmart will watch how much the chargers get used. Infrastructure can take on more chargers as use increases. This prevents annoying waits at busy charging locations also.
Reliability stands as another important area of focus. They picked Alpitronic and ABB after testing many different suppliers. This ensures a fast and reliable charging experience for everyone. While these are choices now, they are open to other brands. They will consider other high-quality suppliers in the future. Using chargers is easy no matter what the hardware seems like. Drivers just use the Walmart app for starting and paying.
Using the Walmart app is a really convenient way to do it. Customers know the app for shopping and can do charging too. This simplifies things, avoiding the need for lots of different apps. Other networks often make you download more applications for users.
Other charging networks are already at Walmart locations now. Like Electrify America, many sites are there already today. This does raise questions about how things look ahead. Walmart’s partners have seemed okay with this plan so far. As Walmart adds more chargers, they will reassess their partners. This suggests the charging setup at Walmart could change soon.
To test things, I visited the first official site in Texas. McKinney, Texas, is the first official network site you see. There are two other test sites also in Texas and Arkansas. This site has four Alpitronic chargers that serve eight bays. Each charger has NACS and CCS1 connectors to charge two cars. The 400 kW power splits between two cars as needed. Each cable can give up to 600 amps for fast charging.
However, this site shows a reality of changing charging ways. Cars using CHAdeMO connectors cannot use these new spots. This affects older cars like some Nissan LEAF models out there. The industry is moving to CCS1 and NACS standards slowly. But this affects a part of the EV market, you know.
During the test, I charged a GMC Hummer EV there. The truck successfully pulled more than 300 kW for a bit. Charging from one percent to 53 percent took 27 minutes. It added 100 kWh of electric power to the battery. This session cost 42 dollars, or 42 cents per kWh. This shows these sites can offer really fast charging speeds. You can add a lot of range to your car pretty fast here.
Importantly, price will not be the same everywhere you go. Like other networks, prices change based on the location cost. The local electricity rates are the main thing that affects price. Loyal customers might get a special perk for their charging use. Walmart Plus members could get a charging discount perhaps too. This fits Walmart’s strategy to always reward loyal shoppers.
A big challenge is the money needed for each charging spot. One site with ten fast chargers can cost $300k to $500k. This cost is big for small charging companies, for sure. But it is not as big for a huge company like Walmart.
Walmart expects over $700 billion in money next year. Paying for chargers is not a money problem for this company. It is just about their plan and if they really want it. Their money lets them build quickly at thousands of places. Other companies cannot match this speed for sure now.
Putting chargers at stores gives practical benefits too for users. Walmart stores have staff there during most business hours. If a customer needs help, a trained staff is right there. You do not get this kind of help at charging spots without staff.
Having staff on-site helps fix a big problem for networks. This problem is finding and fixing broken chargers right away. Usually, you report broken chargers using a phone app only. This can go unnoticed or take a while to get fixed for you. At Walmart, you can just tell store management yourself. Report any broken charger or damaged cable straightaway.
Telling a manager directly gets action faster, it seems. An app comment might be read much later by staff far away. Store managers want to fix things quickly themselves for customers. They talk to customers and do not want the same complaints again.
Walmart’s charging network could really change things a lot. It truly has the potential to become a “game-changer,” for sure. Imagine if Walmart builds 2,000 or 3,000 stations by 2030. These could have 25,000 to 30,000 charging spots total. They would charge all car types fast, up to 400 kW too.
For comparison, Tesla built its network over 13 years. Tesla has around 2,600 sites with 30,000 charging spots now. Walmart might match Tesla’s numbers within five years easily. They use their land and money to build this network out. They have money and prime spots and want this fast growth now.
This huge build-out affects Walmart’s competitors also. Think about Costco and Target and how they are affected here. They may need to add chargers or lose EV-driving shoppers. They risk losing customers to Walmart because of this change. Convenience is a big draw for customer choice now. Shopping and charging at once makes Walmart look very good indeed. People may pick Walmart over stores lacking charging spots.
Walmart charging is key for those without a home charging option. These drivers can charge easily during their weekly shopping trip. No need for extra stops just for charging anymore, you see. Walmart, a value brand, should offer competitive low prices. They might even charge less than other charging companies around. This adds more value for electric car drivers looking to save.
People worried when a government EV charging plan ended. But Walmart is building a network across the nation for everyone. The Ionna network is also starting their own rollout soon. Tesla, Electrify America, and EVgo keep adding stations too. Public fast charging looks strong and growing now in the US. Walmart’s entry makes this future look much stronger. It promises more choices and lower costs for drivers anywhere.
Related posts:
Walmart Opens Up About Its EV Charging Network: Charge Better
Walmart shopper finds mystery $528 charge on bank account – then learns of serious security issue costing customers
