Photograph courtesy of Kroger
By Christine LaFave Grace
Source: www.winsightgrocerybusiness.com, June 2022

Grocer collaborates with five companies to install more than 350 chargers in 10 states

Kroger is powering up its parking lots in markets across the country.

The Cincinnati-based grocer said June 20 that it has collaborated with several electric-vehicle specialists, including EVgo and Tesla, to install more than 350 EV charging stations at Kroger stores in 10 states (Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Nevada, Oregon, Texas, Utah and Wyoming). Additional stations are planned for six more states in the Midwest and South.

“Increasing our customers’ access to EV charging stations at convenient Kroger locations supports our collective transition to a lower-carbon economy,” Kroger SVP and Chief Information Officer Yael Cosset said in a news release.

Kroger’s EV tech partners, beyond Tesla and EVgo, are Blink, Electrify America and Volta. While the stations vary by location in EV compatibility and charging speeds, the installed chargers are compatible with most electric vehicles, Kroger said, and offer charging times of around 30 minutes per vehicle on average. Customers looking for a charging location near them are directed to check the websites of each of the charging station providers.

The next markets on deck for EV charging, according to Kroger, are in Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Tennessee and Virginia.

Earlier this year, The Save Mart Cos. announced an expanded partnership with EVgo to give drivers using EVgo charging stations at select Save Mart and Lucky California stores access to special in-store promotions, with deals delivered via email, text or the EVgo app once customers start a charging session. An internal survey, EVgo said in March, found that 45% of EVgo charging sessions had resulted in new incremental shopping visits. Meijer, too, debuted fast-charging EVgo stations in Michigan and Ohio over the winter. And Sam’s Club this spring said that starting May 1, 2022, members with a Sam’s Club Mastercard would earn 5% back in Sam’s Cash on EV charges at eligible EV charging stations in the United States.

Said Kroger’s Cosset on June 20: “We are leveraging technology and innovation to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and are offering customers easy ways to live a more sustainable lifestyle.”