Thousands of Walmart, Sam’s Club stores will get EV chargers

• Walmart is building out its electric vehicle (EV) charging network. 
• The retailer plans to have EV chargers at thousands of stores by 2030. 
• It's part of Walmart’s sustainability efforts, which also involve cutting its carbon emissions to zero by 2040. 

Walmart is the latest retailer to announce an expansion of its electric vehicle charging fleet. 

In an April 6 blog post, Walmart said it planned to deploy EV charging stations at thousands of its stores across the U.S. by 2030. Walmart said the chargers would be deployed across its fleet, at Walmart supercenters, Neighborhood Markets and at Sam’s Club locations. In total, Walmart operates more than 4,700 stores in the U.S. plus 600 Sam’s Club locations. 

At present, Walmart has 1,300 EV fast-charging stations at 280 stores in the U.S., according to the blog post, authored by Vishal Kapadia, Walmart’s senior vice president of energy transformation. 

“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,” Kapadia said in the blog post. “Our goal is to meet the needs of customers and members where they live and open the road to those driving across the country. Easy access to on-the-go charging is a game-changer for drivers who have been hesitant to purchase an EV for concerns they won’t be able to find a charger in a clean, bright and safe location when needed.”