The world’s largest retailer with more than 10,500 stores and clubs under in 20 countries, Walmart, has announced a plan to build its own “coast-to-coast” EV fast-charging network by 2030 to help deliver a convenient and affordable charging experience.

Walmart U.S. had a total of 4,717 stores throughout the United States as of January 31, 2023.

Walmart’s Plan To Attract The EV Charging Demographic

According to the Numerator data, around 95% of all shoppers went to Walmart more than twice over the course of the past year. But some people were more likely to frequent the store than others. Most notably, the “typical” shopper is a married suburban woman between the ages of 55 and 64.

The reach of Walmart’s retail network is staggering as ninety percent of Americans live within 10 miles of a Walmart store.

This typical Walmart shopper tends to go to the store around 63 times annually and buys 13 products on each visit. And the average spending from that typical shopper comes in at around $54 per trip. Most of this money goes to groceries, including chicken, snacks, fruits, sweets, and packaged food.

For the typical shopper, Walmart spending actually takes up a bigger percentage of her budget than another well-known online retailer, Amazon. While around 13.5% of her spending is done at Walmart, just 11% is spent on Amazon.com purchases.

Then there is the free advertising. There are 40+ ev charging apps that will list thousands of Walmart locations as places for EV drivers to plan their trips as recharging locations. Many of these locations will be in middle America where, for years, Walmart will be the only location for miles. Just to give some scale to this underrated aspect of EV charging – Plugshare alone gets ~3 million unique visitors to their app every month.

Walmart EV Charging Network

According to Walmart’s press release, the company stated:

By 2030, we intend to build our own EV fast-charging network at thousands of Walmart and Sam’s Club locations coast-to-coast. This would be in addition to the almost 1,300 EV fast-charging stations we already have available at more than 280 U.S. facilities.

Is there an electric vehicle driver  audience for to ensure utiliZation? Maybe that really doesn’t matter?

With a store or club located within 10 miles of approximately 90% of Americans, we are uniquely positioned to deliver a convenient charging option that will help make EV ownership possible whether people live in rural, suburban or urban areas.

Will Walmart Have Preferred EV Charging Pricing?

It looks like that is where this is going. Walmart has expanded its services in the past with fueling centers and repair shops. As the number of EVs on the road continues rising, EV charging will compile net their offerings nicely.

What’s more, with our chargers located on site with our Supercenters, Neighborhood Markets and Sam’s Clubs, we can offer customers and members the convenience of being able to pick up essentials for their families or grab a bite to eat while they charge. And in line with our purpose, we aim to offer Every Day Low Price charging – helping ease transportation costs