Walmart plans own EV charger network at U.S. stores by 2030

Walmart Inc (WMT.N) plans to have its own network of electric vehicle charging stations by 2030 to tap into the growing adoption of EVs in the United States.

The new fast-charging stations will be placed at thousands of Walmart and Sam’s Club stores, alongside nearly 1,300 it already offers as part of a deal with Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) unit Electrify America, one of the country’s largest open public EV networks.

Walmart’s more than 5,000 stores and Sam’s Club warehouses are located within 10 miles of about 90% of Americans.

“We have the ability to address range and charging anxiety in a way that no one else can in this country,” Vishal Kapadia, Walmart’s recently appointed senior vice president of Energy Transformation, said in an interview.

As EV charging infrastructure ramps up in the U.S., there are widespread concerns over uptime, performance, ease of use and high installation costs of the machines.