Walmart to Add Thousands of New Quick-Charge EV Stations
Walmart might’ve taken one of the most concrete steps towards ending range anxiety in America.
The big box goliath recently announced plans to install thousands of fast-charging stations at locations around the country. This, in turn, could massively expand the average American’s access to fast chargers, given Walmart’s breadth and reach.
“We’ve got a Walmart store or Sam’s Club within 10 miles of 90 percent of the population in this country,” Vishal Kapadia, said the company’s senior vice president of energy transformation. “We know we can address range anxiety in a way that no one else can.”
That said, is range anxiety even a valid concern? Yes and no.
The average daily (roundtrip) commute is about 40 miles, far less than the electric range of most EVs. Even if commuters do experience low batteries, more and more cities and corporate parks are adding charging stations. So for all intents and purposes – where it concerns electric range – you can effectively cut that commute time in half.
On the other hand, we’re not emotionless machines, and the “average commute” is just that – an average. Larger cities have longer commutes, and there’s such a thing as vacations and road trips. A full fast-charger network would mitigate those concerns, but we don’t even have a surfeit of normal charging stations.
The Walmart network of fast-chargers could put a serious dent in that issue. And whatever our feelings on the issue, local and federal legislation could indirectly solve range anxiety by…making it a universal concern.
For example, President Biden has allocated $7 billion towards building 500,000 charging stations by 2030, while California has outright banned the sale of gas-powered vehicles by 2035.
The Walmart additions join their existing portfolio, where charging stations are already available at more than 280 Walmart and Sam’s Club stores.
