Either side of the Atlantic, supermarket giants are reinventing their roles as service providers for an emerging EV market as both Walmart and Sainsbury’s detail new plans to ramp up their EV charging point offerings over the coming year.
As part of the US retail giant, Walmart’s plans to ‘accelerate its progress towards its renewable energy goals’ with the expansion of its off-site clean energy investments and new means of making clean energy ‘accessible and affordable’ for its customers, the business will be rolling out a fast-charging electric vehicle charging network across thousands of of its stores and clubs in the US this year.
It’s all part of an ongoing project at Walmart that also includes ambitions to add one gigawatt of new clean energy across its on-site facilities – such as solar and storage – by the end of 2030. This will supplement its current 600 current energy projects spanning ten countries.
Within the retailer’s ambition to make clean energy ‘accessible and affordable’ to its customers, meanwhile, are current plans to unlock up to two gigawatts of new community solar projects around the US. These projects will act to not only drive more clean energy into the grid but help communities across the country save money on their electricity bills.
“The role we play in our communities provides us with a tremendous opportunity to help people transition to clean energy in a way that also helps save them money and live better,” said Vishal Kapadia, senior vice president, energy transformation for Walmart.
By the end of 2030, it is Walmart’s aim to ‘advance our transition as a society toward emissions free energy’ by enabling up to 10 gigawatts of new clean energy projects into service both on-site and off. This will be the equivalent of the annual power consumption of more than two million households.
Meanwhile, in the UK, Sainsbury’s recently launched its own dedicated EV charging business, Smart Charge – an initiative that will give drivers access to ultra-rapid EV charging points across its stores.
The move itself follows research commissioned by the supermarket giant that found 80% of EV users avoid long journeys due to not wanting to charge at public EV charging stations. They described the main frustrations as chargers being broken (40%), not enough charging bays (36%), and speed of service (33%).
Smart Charge has been designed to mitigate these frustrations and will initially feature over 750 ultra-rapid charging bays rolled out across more than 100 stores by the end of 2024.
Recognising the desire for a trusted EV charging brand in the UK and the benefits for customers being able to charge their vehicles while shopping, Sainsbury’s believes the convenience, speed, and reliability of Smart Charge will represent a game changer for EV users.
Patrick Dunne, Sainsbury’s director or property, procurement, and EV ventures, said: “As EV ownership continues to grow, it’s shocking to see that an incredible three quarters of EV drivers still suffer range anxiety and many have avoided journeys as a result.
“With our new network of easy-to-use and reliable charging points conveniently located in our supermarkets, Smart Charge will make a real difference to EV drivers in the UK. As one of our few providers to be focusing exclusively on cutting-edge ultra-rapid 150kW+ chargers, customers can be in and out in as little as half an hour and avoid waiting longer with less powerful alternatives.
“We’re committed to helping reduce carbon emissions and offering a national EV charging service forms part of this pledge. Our new charging points are powered by the same 100% renewable electricity that powers the rest of our estate.”
