Walmart Opens its 100th EV Fast-Charging Location

­If you’ve been to a Walgreens, Kroger, Target, or WAWA anytime recently, you’ve been privy to a multitude of regular and fast EV chargers. And though it “only” sports 100 fast-charging locations, the biggest retailer on the planet is quickly catching up.

With annual revenue of more than $690 billion, Walmart is a cultural institution, equal parts retail giant, punchline, and a lightning rod for controversy. Walmart courts a customer base that’s almost inconceivable – nearly 100% of Americans shop there at least once a year – and so it makes sense to support the next generation of transportation.

And so it was, at a Supercenter in Monument, Colorado, that the retail goliath recently opened its 100th location in its own fast-charging network. Each charging point offers eight and 16 fast-charging points, with up to 400 kW output and both CCS and NACS connectors.

While the company reiterated their goal to “bring fast, dependable charging to the places customers already shop,” I’m under no illusions that this is pure altruism – like most retail amenities, this is designed to keep customers there longer. But whatever their intentions, this is a net win for consumers and for the environment.

“By expanding EV fast charging at Walmart locations across the country, we’re giving drivers a dependable way to charge while they’re in the store,” said Shayne Wahlmeier, Senior Vice President, Walmart Energy. “Reaching 100 sites is an important milestone, and our broad footprint positions us to make EV charging more accessible for communities while expanding the ways we serve our customers.”