The Jolt They Need

Two American staples betting on EVs’ future

With the federal government overturning EV rules and the $7,500 EV tax credit expiring, enthusiasm in the U.S. might be on the wane. But there are at least two big players that see EVs as the future and large-scale investment in charging infrastructure as worthwhile. Walmart and Waffle House have proven pretty good at recognizing what customers want as they grew into national and regional powerhouses, and they see EV charging as a service that will attract them. In fact, the charging networks they install at their stores could play a role in boosting EV sales.

The Walmart Way

Walmart has begun its planned rollout of charging stations across the U.S. The retail giant announced in 2023 that it will have charging stations at thousands of its stores by 2030. The first official site is in McKinney, Texas, with two other pilot test sites in Texas and Arkansas. The amount of charging stalls at each site will depend on the availability of rapid charging nearby. In areas rich with charging stations, Walmart will install fewer, adding more at stores in areas with few nearby charging options.

There are several reasons to expect Walmart will live up to its promises. One of the biggest challenges for charging networks is finding a place to put them and getting the lot owners to agree to host chargers. Including Sam’s Club locations, Walmart has over 5,000 stores in the U.S. and in most cases owns the real estate they sit on. Another major challenge is the capital needed to start a charging network. With revenue approaching $700 billion annually, that is not a problem for Walmart. The profit margins on EV chargers can be slim, but when you can scale on the size Walmart can, it becomes worth it. Plus, as Tom Moloughney of Inside EVs points out, trained employees can be on site most of the day to assist customers and notice if stalls are malfunctioning. Based on plans for 12 charging stations at the Grapevine, Texas, Walmart, they will be operational 24/7 and accessible through the Walmart app or with a QR code.

Alpitronic and ABB are supplying the chargers at the sites in Texas and Arkansas, though Walmart GM of retail EV charging told Inside EVs that the nationwide network will be brand-agnostic. Electric America has charging stations at many Walmart locations. Should it roll out charging stations at most of its locations, Walmart would have much of the country covered.

“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. Our goal is to meet the needs of customers and members where they live and open the road to those driving across the country,” Vishal Kapadia, Walmart SVP for Energy Transformation, said.

Waffle House Index

Nearly as ubiquitous as Walmart across the Southeast and Sun Belt is Waffle House, which has made disaster response, particularly in hurricane-prone areas, a priority since Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005. FEMA even made the “Waffle House Index” part of its emergency assessment criteria in 2011, judging that if the Waffle House in a city is closed, the situation there is dire.

Often in hard-hit areas, the Waffle House is the only thing open. So the company has taken to making sure customers can get not just a hot meal, but other emergency supplies they might need. But they don’t sell fuel. For EV owners fleeing disaster, the local Waffle House might provide the energy to get out.

Teaming with BP Pulse, Waffle House will begin with 50 charging stations at select locations in Texas, Georgia, and Florida, coming online in 2026. Stations will have six 400 kW DC fast chargers.

With many Waffle House locations right off highway exits, road trippers will be able to pull in and charge up their cars while they fuel themselves up with a meal. BP Pulse already has EV chargers at more than 8,000 locations in 46 states. Partnering with Waffle House, which has over 2,000 locations in 25 states, adds more opportunity for expansion.

“We’re building a robust network of ultrafast chargers across the country, and this is another example of third-party collaborations enabling access to charging co-located with convenient amenities for EV drivers,” Sujay Sharma, CEO of BP Pulse US, said.

With EV charging infrastructure scaling up widely at places people already frequent, it could encourage more drivers to hit the road in EVs, knowing they’ll be taken care of on their journey.