US charging network EVgo has announced an expanded partnership with supermarket chain Meijer to install up to 480 new fast chargers at store locations across the Midwestern United States. Meijer has already installed EV chargers at over a third of its store locations.
Today's news builds upon a partnership between EVgo and Meijer that began in March of 2021. Meijer however, had been offering EV chargers to its customers and employees since 2010, long before its partnership with EVgo.
According to Meijer's 2023 Corporate Impact Report, it had achieved the lowest corporate-wide
refrigerant emissions rate out of all EPA GreenChill Program partners nationwide for a third consecutive year. The supermarket retailer also reported that 36% of its 250 locations had EV chargers installed on their premises at the end of last year.
Since establishing its partnership with EVgo, Meijer has opened 24 public EV fast chargers at six Meijer stores in Michigan and Ohio. However, with today's expanded partnership, EVgo expects to open up to 30 new stations at Meijer stores by the end of 2026 and 30 more by late 2027.
EVgo shared details of its expanded partnership with Meijer today, explaining plans to implement new EV chargers beyond Ohio and Michigan and into all six states the retail chain currently operates, including Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Kentucky.
The expansion plans include up to 480 new EV fast charger stalls at Meijer properties across the six states mentioned above to help keep up with growing EV adoption in the region. Per EVgo president Dennis Kish:
Fast charging should be an effortless part of drivers' daily routines, and nothing is more routine than a trip to the grocery store. EV adoption is growing in the Midwest, and by adding hundreds of new fast-charging stalls with the region's leading supercenter, EVgo's partnership with Meijer shows our companies' shared commitment to delivering an elevated charging experience for EV drivers living or traveling throughout the Midwest.
Although EVgo is not Meijer's lone provider of EV chargers, it will play a more significant role in the future in helping deliver more readily available stalls to customers who are doing their shopping. Erik Petrovskis, director of environmental compliance and sustainability at Meijer, elaborated:
Access to electric vehicle charging is an essential pillar of our broader sustainability goals and we're proud to partner with EVgo as part of our ongoing environmental stewardship efforts. As we continue to connect more customers with these charging resources, we are able to make notable progress toward minimizing our shared emissions and ensuring a more sustainable future for all.
Meijer customers who drive EVs will continue to gain access to more EVgo fast chargers, which currently deliver rates between 100 kW and 350 kW.