The charging stations will feature either a high-speed direct current charger that can add 30 miles of range in as little as 10 minutes of charging, or a Level 2 charger that can add up to 25 miles of range per hour of charge.July 28, 2011
Deerfield, Ill.-based Walgreens plans to offer electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at approximately 800 locations across the country by the end of the year, making it the nation’s largest retail host.
The charging stations will feature either a high-speed direct current charger that can add 30 miles of range in as little as 10 minutes of charging, or a Level 2 charger that can add up to 25 miles of range per hour of charge.
Major markets expected to host these sites include Boston, Denver, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. Select locations in Florida, New Jersey, Oregon, Tennessee and Washington will also receive EV charging stations. Installation begins later this month.
Walgreens already has EV charging station installations at more than 60 stores in Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth and Chicago.
“Consumer interest and enthusiasm has been incredible and we’re excited to provide locations to charge up in neighborhoods across the country,” said Mark Wagner, Walgreens’ president of community management and operations. “As more Americans embrace environmentally sustainable technologies, our convenient locations make us uniquely positioned to help address the concern around accessibility or ‘range confidence.’
According to the Department of Energy, once this project is complete, Walgreens will make up as much as 40 percent of all public EV charging stations across the country, Walgreens said in a statement.
Walgreens operates 7,733 drugstores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
GRD Views: File this story under "great strategy." In perfect alignment with Walgreens' positioning as a go-to neighborhood resource for daily living, this initiative will build credibility for Walgreens sustainability efforts with consumers and attract a highly desirable consumer segment to their stores. Here's my question -- will Walgreens tie in their dynamic ecommerce unit so I can place an order online using their "site to store" program and have the order brought out to me while my car is being charged? Walgreens is a retailer on the move and one to watch. -- John Failla for Green Retail Decisions