The latest Walmart energy sites that are up and running:

Walmart starts its own EV charging network | PlugShare posted on the topic | LinkedIn

If you’ve charged your electric vehicle at a Walmart property over the past few years, you’re not alone—PlugShare lists more than 1,400 fast-charging stations at Walmart or Sam's Club locations. Those numbers could look small in just five years if Walmart’s plans for an in-house EV charging...

www.linkedin.com

Springdale Walmart Supercenter
4870 Elm Springs Rd, Springdale, AR 72762, USA

Springdale Walmart Supercenter | Springdale, AR | EV Station

Walmart Crossroads
11700 US-380, Cross Roads, TX 76227, USA

Walmart Crossroads | Cross Roads, TX | EV Station

Walmart Supercenter #206 - Mckinney Supercenter
2058 Redbud Blvd, McKinney, TX 75069, USA

Walmart Supercenter #206 - Mckinney Supercenter | McKinney, TX | EV Station

 

The latest Walmart energy sites that are up and running:

Walmart starts its own EV charging network | PlugShare posted on the topic | LinkedIn

If you’ve charged your electric vehicle at a Walmart property over the past few years, you’re not alone—PlugShare lists more than 1,400 fast-charging stations at Walmart or Sam's Club locations. Those numbers could look small in just five years if Walmart’s plans for an in-house EV charging...

www.linkedin.com

Springdale Walmart Supercenter
4870 Elm Springs Rd, Springdale, AR 72762, USA

Springdale Walmart Supercenter | Springdale, AR | EV Station

Walmart Crossroads
11700 US-380, Cross Roads, TX 76227, USA

Walmart Crossroads | Cross Roads, TX | EV Station

Walmart Supercenter #206 - Mckinney Supercenter
2058 Redbud Blvd, McKinney, TX 75069, USA

Walmart Supercenter #206 - Mckinney Supercenter | McKinney, TX | EV Station

View attachment 9258

Good explanation of charging on a Walmart Energy DCFC using the Walmart App!

 

When I drive by the WM/EA site here in Boise ID, there are usually two to four cars on the four poles (well, those that function), all times of the day. Station has three 350 plus one 150kW poles. There is plenty of room in the lot for a second, differently branded EV station and there appears to be no shortge of customers. But I'm a bit uninformed. I wonder if EA's site usage data is available anywhere. That would be informative.

 

Hard to say. A lot of EA stations are hit or miss in my experience. In this part of the country, they’ve been the best bet since they’re one of the few who have more than one pole at a stop.

 

Thanbks, buddy. What a pain in the ass. No matter how I attempt to put addresses/locations into any of the route planners, all I get are huge lists of options. No easy way to do this. I really don't want another app but I'll give your ChargeHub a try. Secomd question, once I've got the route and chargers selected and saved, how do I get that to the Volvo phone app and to the google maps?

 

You are welcome! At this point there is no integration directly built in from any of the charging apps (except ChargePoint). Once you enter your from/to destination in Google maps that should be good. I usually toggle between Google Maps and Waze when I am road tripping.

I have had really good solid experience (I am sure you did as well) with the following charging apps.

• ChargeHub App - many stations you can directly charge from the hub app
• Electrify America App.
• ChargePoint App.

You may likely have to use EVGo and a few others but my thought would be to stick to the route with the most popular DCFCs.

Make sure you have your payment method setup in these apps, so you are not scrambling at the station adding your credit card (I have done it multiple times and it’s not good to be whipping out your plastic card at a station in the middle of nowhere).

I would recommend you use these for your roadtrip and yes it’s a sure PIA to be using a myriad of them but, at this point there are more apps in the works (like Rivian Adventure Network, Pilot Flying J…) 😀.

 

I am starting to plan a drive from Boise to colorado Sorings using the Volvo/Starbies network. Very frustrating. I had hoped there would be a shortcut button in one or more of the planning apps that includes only the Starbies chargers but, no. There isn't even a list of addresses or a direct/siomple way to find Starbucks in any of the larger cities such as Sandy UT. Anybody have any suggestions on how to use filters in, say, ABRP to select ONLY Starbies/ChargePoint locations?

 

Don’t think you are going to get a single push button click of all Volvo Starbucks locations. This would be a great feature addition in the Volvo cars app however after they initiate Tesla supercharging or with the current ChargePoint integration.

These are the locations of the Volvo Starbucks from Seattle to Denver, CO. There is a map at the link below that shows the approximate location of charge in each of the states from WA to CO.

Give ChargeHub a shot.

https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2024/find-an-ev-charger-at-starbucks-stores-from-seattle-to-denver/

• Seattle, WA
• Issaquah, WA
• Yakima, WA
• Hermiston, OR
• La Grande, OR
• Nampa, ID
• Twin Falls, ID
• Uintah, ID
• Sandy, UT
• Provo, UT
• Grand Junction, CO
• Glenwood Springs, CO
• Silverthorne, CO
• Idaho Springs, CO
• Broomfield, CO
  From Nampa to Broomfield, CO there are 6 charging stops using the Chargeway app.
  

 

That's interesting, already here that's one of the most common places for an Electrify America charger.

 

Agreed, but we need a lot more of them. The Walmarts in my town don’t have DCFCs. My gut is they don’t want to be dependent on the shoddy EA reliability issues that have surfaced over the recent months. I hope Walmart installs their chargers with NACS only chargers, so they keep to the standard.

 

Walmarts latest announcement for EV charger expansion:


Walmart is planning to build a number of new stores and overhaul existing ones to bring them in line with its newfangled Store of the Future concept. Besides widened product selection and better store layouts, Walmart is adding a number of tech innovations to assist its employees and customers alike.
One of the customer facing improvements will be the addition of fast electric vehicle charging stations in the new or remodeled Walmart stores. Those fast chargers on Walmart parking lots will not only aim to facilitate the shopping sprees of EV owners, but will also be a part of a nationwide charging network that America's largest retailer is aiming to build.

These new facilities will be designed with sustainability in mind, including more energy-efficient equipment and lighting, lower impact refrigerants and more. We’re also working on developing a coast-to-coast network of affordable electric vehicle fast-charging stations we hope will make EV ownership a more convenient and accessible choice for Walmart shoppers and associates.

Walmart adding fast EV chargers to its store parking lots in affordable nationwide charging network push

Gone are the days when Walmart sued Tesla for solar rooftop fires as America's largest retailer takes steps to build a coast-to-coast fast electric vehicle charging network. The move is part of its Store of the Future vision for sustainability.

www.notebookcheck.net

 

Walmarts latest announcement for EV charger expansion:


Walmart is planning to build a number of new stores and overhaul existing ones to bring them in line with its newfangled Store of the Future concept. Besides widened product selection and better store layouts, Walmart is adding a number of tech innovations to assist its employees and customers alike.
One of the customer facing improvements will be the addition of fast electric vehicle charging stations in the new or remodeled Walmart stores. Those fast chargers on Walmart parking lots will not only aim to facilitate the shopping sprees of EV owners, but will also be a part of a nationwide charging network that America's largest retailer is aiming to build.

Walmart adding fast EV chargers to its store parking lots in affordable nationwide charging network push

Gone are the days when Walmart sued Tesla for solar rooftop fires as America's largest retailer takes steps to build a coast-to-coast fast electric vehicle charging network. The move is part of its Store of the Future vision for sustainability.

www.notebookcheck.net

This project from Walmart Energy is now reported to be gaining traction in 2025. A first site in McKinney, Texas is up and running with the addition of 10 new DCFCs under construction in the Dallas Fort Worth area, with Alpitronic hyperchargers (nice long workhouse cables with 32 inch screens). This should be a complete Walmart experience, and I am hoping there will be 1000s installed across key interstate corridors along with the new IONNA DCFC buildout.

NW Arkansas, Phoenix and Dallas markets are the initial three places where these DCFCs will be installed.

 

Someone fund this trip for me and I'll deliver a video clip worthy of the two brands AND satisfy the needs of EV roadtrippers.

 

I’d love to join you on this roadtrip! Never been to Colorado, Utah, Idaho and Washington, so it would definitely hit my sweet driving spot and I get to see the gorgeous Pacific Northwest, Western regions! It may likely take me 2 days with an overnight stop at a hotel to make it to CO! Let’s make it happen @bogiesan 🔥🔥🤘🏽

 

Thanks, ajrob for the link! Interesting but absolute torture to watch. I found myself screaming at the monitor: Where the **** are you? Be warned: this is terrible reporting with emphasis only on the predicted/actual state of charge estimate system with little to none of the supporting information that EV roadtrippers need. And they started at a Starbies in Vail CO? It's not even in the network. So, you won't get any of the information most of us want such as power level of the available poles (some are 62kW, some are 200kW), actual distances traveled, weather and elevation observations, names of the towns. At about 9:00 they stop at Price UT, which is located between two of the network Starbies on the LONG 240 stretch between the stores in Provo UT and Grand Junction CO. There's no Starbies in Price UT but there is a ChargePoint pole. The other major 200 mile gap on this route is between the Starbies in Uintah UT and Twin Falls ID. It's not until 22:00 they finally identify the vehicles as 2024 RWD units with extended range. Also of note, the crew on this trip were given a press book. I wonder if that document can be obtained from Volvo? If you search the yootoobs, you will find some other clips about this charging network. Sooner or later, we'll get a well produced report with the information roadtrippers want.

 

Thanks, ajrob for the link! Interesting but absolute torture to watch. I found myself screaming at the monitor: Where the **** are you? Be warned: this is terrible reporting with emphasis only on the predicted/actual state of charge estimate system with little to none of the supporting information that EV roadtrippers need. And they started at a Starbies in Vail CO? It's not even in the network. So, you won't get any of the information most of us want such as power level of the available poles (some are 62kW, some are 200kW), actual distances traveled, weather and elevation observations, names of the towns. At about 9:00 they stop at Price UT, which is located between two of the network Starbies on the LONG 240 stretch between the stores in Provo UT and Grand Junction CO. There's no Starbies in Price UT but there is a ChargePoint pole. The other major 200 mile gap on this route is between the Starbies in Uintah UT and Twin Falls ID. It's not until 22:00 they finally identify the vehicles as 2024 RWD units with extended range. Also of note, the crew on this trip were given a press book. I wonder if that document can be obtained from Volvo? If you search the yootoobs, you will find some other clips about this charging network. Sooner or later, we'll get a well produced report with the information roadtrippers want.

Yes. I don't think these folks are EV people (guessing so from the name of their channel) so the video is a little different from what we are looking for road tripping. I did find some useful info in it though. The lady, Jill, did state that the XC40 had a 297 mile range at the start of the video so that told me it was MY24. They also mentioned that the XC40 pulled into a 200kW charger and only received 30kW because the C40 had arrived first and was receiving the full charge on the shared system. Once the C40 started tapering down, the XC40 charging power starting ramping up. That seems to be a slight improvement over the older Chargepoint systems I am familiar with where you don't get the additional power allocation until the first car finished charging. Another was the parking spots for charging that were all labeled as "preferred" for charging and not restricted to charging only. That will lead to frequent ICEing, imho.

 

Here is an video of a roadtrip by a YouTube group checking out the new Volvo Starbucks chargers using MY24 XC40 and C40. These are also non-Volvo users so it is very interesting hearing their opinions about the vehicles.

 

It has a weird location tag in the ChargePoint app- it’s at the far east of Idaho Springs so if you scroll over there it pops up.

 

Idaho Springs, CO is now online. Four 62.5kW stations.

 

Pulled up the station via the “ChargeHub” app and it displays online, charging cost is .45c/kWh.

However, this station does not show up on the ChargePoint app as yet.

 

"They" is a collaboration between Volvo, Starbies, and ChargePoint (although CP has remained silent, claiming no credit for their participation). I have assumed, perhpas naively, that each of the installations was properly engineered based on the (economically) available electricity supply and space for the switching gear and transformer footprints. For instance, the La Grande OR site is equipped with 4x62kW units, each has a Chademo and a 1772 plug, total eight cables, but only four parking spaces. There seemed to be plenty of room for larger supply-side gear but you'd need to know who to ask to find out if the local transmission had the capacity for larger chargers.

 

Volvo has taken ownership for maintenance of these chargers, so I am just guessing that it could be the oncall Volvo tech support for this infrastructure that could be asked the “charger capacity question”! However not sure if they will share this information. Time will tell though!

 

Not much. Most of the commercial solar-enhanced EV chargers are L2s in remote locations, often off-grid. A solar canopy on an EV station would probably charge some batteries for other, far lower demand functions like a trash compactor, LED lighting, security camera backup power.

 

I disagree. 10 of these give 1 MWh a day. We need to put solar everywhere.

 

I am curious how much power could a 4 bay canopy of solar panels collect in ideal conditions?

Not much - I suspect

Standard parking space is 9x20
Standard (residential, I don't know commercial) solar panel is 3.25x5.5.
Standard solar panel output per hour is 300-400 watts depending on the panel.

If you figure you could fit 12 panels per stall times 4 stalls you get 48 panels per site generating 14.4kW to 19.2kW per hour.
So a highly efficient solar panel setup on a really sunny day would only provide 115kW of energy in a really sunny location.
Approximately.
Or about one batteries worth.

And you're only generating that during peak sunlight conditions:

Sun Hours Map: How Many Sun Hours Do You Get?

Check out this sun hours map from Unbound Solar to see how many peak sun hours you get in your specific zip code. Learn how this affects solar panels.

unboundsolar.com

Solar panels
You need massive a massive area with a lot of panels to generate a usable amount of energy. At least for electric cars.

115 kWh per day adds up fast. Sure, it’s not going to power all the cars using the site, but it’s significant. People are building solar canopies because they end up making money, probably assisted by the federal/state/local tax credits/rebates.

 

The canopies could be used for solar collectors. Several companies are building battery storage for conventional chargers that are supplmented by solar..

 

I am curious how much power could a 4 bay canopy of solar panels collect in ideal conditions?

 

I see these have no canopies. Oh why not? I did a road trip from the Bay Area to Olympia and got caught standing in the rain for 15 minutes trying to get an EVgo station working with the guy on the phone. In another spot the only available slot faced the rising sun and the reflection made the screen unreadable. Gas stations have canopies; EV stations should too.

 

I'm not sure this marriage between Volvo and Starbucks will last long. The Denver-to-Seattle Corridor program was ahead of its time by six moths. I inferred a future in which dozens of cities along major highway routes, already serviced by Tesla stations, would have Starbies equipped with customer-attracting DCFC units. Unfortunately, the concept has been outrun by the nax revolution and recently announced build-outs by huge operators like Flying J/Pilot truck stops.

Placement of the poles at the Denver-to-Seattle Corridor Starbies was based solely on available square footage in the already way too small parking areas so, at a few of the stores, poles are inconveniently sited or nearly impossible to back into, which is required because the relatively short cables. There is adequate lighting, sure, but there are no pull-throughs for trailers nor protective canopies. The amenities provided at the stores are only available during operating hours, 0600-2000 in most markets.

I hope for a good economic outcome for the corridor's coffee facilities, and I'm enamored of the novelty of photographing my little C40 at each of the Starbies between Boise and Denver and Seattle, but I might never stop again at any of the regional stores. While Nampa is only 25 miles away from Boise (basically across town), Twin Falls is 120 miles east and La Grande in 130 miles west.

 

After looking over the route on Plugshare and ABRP, there are two huge gaps where the corporate monkeys failed to provide adequate charging so the ignorant Volvo or Starbucks fan could get caught stranded in the middle of freakin' nowhere. Westbound distances are based on the STarbies locations, not city locations: 1) The gap between Grand Junction CO to Provo UT is 245 miles which will require a stop at another network or overnight at a Level 2; 2) The gap between Uintah UT and Twin Falls ID is 210 miles, a real pucker although there are two DCFC stations along the highway; and 3) The gap between Nampa ID and La Grande OR is 160 miles. All of the rest of the Starbies are 75-130 miles apart, all the way from Denver to Seattle.

I'm planning to drive form Boise ID to Colorado Springs CO along this route, maybe as soon as this spring. I'd be overnighting twince along the way but stopping at every Starbies just to see the chargers and to top off.

 

I went skiing today and took the opportunity to check on the Silverthorne and Idaho Springs charging stations.

The Silverthorne station is fully operational. FWIW, It's about seven blocks off I-70, and six blocks from the Starbucks. The chargers say 200kWh but I only got 84kWh at 32%. I paid $0.45/kWh.

The Idaho Springs station does exist but it's not operational yet. It's on the backside of Starbucks by Clear Creek.

Of course there's nothing special about these chargers unless Volvo follows through with their promise that 'drivers of Volvo Cars will get the added benefit of having access to these stations at no charge or at preferential rates.' I'm not seeing any of that yet.

 

... unless Volvo follows through with their promise that 'drivers of Volvo Cars will get the added benefit of having access to these stations at no charge or at preferential rates.

I used the app to contact customer support, and asked if Volvo intended to honor what was said in the press release. The agent initially claimed that no such promise had been made. I referred the agent to the original press release, and after a few minutes the agent replied with:

"I have found a message in our internal system that states the original communication mentioned this being free. But there is a technical issue that is keeping this benefit from being enabled and there is no ETA on a fix."

So, it might happen eventually.

 

Thanks for sharing. Where was this all the years I spent lot of time driving around to Starbucks? I can see this being a worthwhile perk for Volvo drivers. Although at nearly $5 for plain ol' drip coffee here in Chicagoland, I'm now just making it at home.

 

FYI: It’s 200 miles between the towns of Twin Falls ID and Uintah UT. and I’ve told Volvo several times the town in Utah is UINTAH, not Unitah, as it appears on their silly maps.

 

It’s official!

Watt's For Brunch? Volvo Opens EV Charging Stations At Starbucks | Carscoops

The network of Volvo's chargers stretches along a route between the Denver area and Seattle

www.carscoops.com

Volvo & Starbucks EV Charging | Volvo Car USA

Learn about the collaboration between Starbucks and Volvo to establish the first public EV charging network at Starbucks US stores.

www.volvocars.com

 

This relative bit is from another article at NEWSWEEK. I guess we wait to hear the official announcments from Starbcks and Volvo to know what's reallky going on and what we can expect as customers/owners of Recharge units.

In May of 2022 Volvo said it would start installing DC fast chargers at Starbucks coffee stores across the Pacific Northwest. Stores are now starting to pop up along the 1,350-mile route from Seattle to Denver. So far 50 have been installed at 15 locations, situated about 100 miles apart from each other. Volvo notes that its XC40 and C40 Recharge models would regain 110 miles in 15 minutes at one of the stations.

The ChargePoint branded stations will be available to reserve through Volvo's integrated Google setup in the navigation app while other drivers using a standard CCS1 or CHAdeMO receptacle can use the ChargePoint smartphone app. The route also passes through several Federal Opportunity Zones bringing charging access to neighborhoods that previously didn't have it.

Newsweek on new EV infrastructure

 

Trying to keep this thread on topic!

The entire Denver-Salt Lake City-Boise-Seattle Starbucks/Volvo corridor has been completely built-out and is ready for all CCS and ChadeMo EVs. You can now drive 1400 miles and expect to pull into a functioning and available charger every 100 miles or so.

"Newsweek was invited by the companies to be among the first to test the network from tip to tail during a 1,400-mile roadtrip last week, ahead of its official opening."

Newsweek reporter Eileen Falkenberg-Hull and three partners drove the whole route from Denver to Seattle in two Volvo Recharge units. Here is her article: Newseweek: Starbucks/Volvo corridor road trip

 

Absolutely love this update! Some key points I captured from reviewing this article are below. I’d like to see a similar network built out from Colorado going east around the I40 East bound corridor into Washington DC (as an example)!

• Charging isn't free. Activating charging via the ChargePoint app proved to be a lesson in patience and tolerance but using the ChargePoint card in my Apple Wallet, linked to a credit card, worked like a charm every time.
• ChargePoint and Volvo's in-house, real-time station monitor were able to ensure that the charging stations were operational ahead of our arrival. It's an experience that the companies intend to replicate. Volvo has taken ownership for the operation of the stations.
• Only one of the stations ever got close to the maximum charging rate, with most of them hovering at the 120 kilowatt mark. Time of day, vehicle state of charge, grid performance, weather and other factors can affect how quickly an electric car battery charges.
• The Starbucks stations are labeled as "Electric Vehicle Charging Preferred" via on-pavement paint marketings. Customers who aren't charging are able to use the spaces, meaning that some BEV drivers who need to charge may find themselves being "ICE'd out", a phrase used to describe when internal combustion engine vehicles take up BEV charging spaces.
• Utilizing hotels with charging stations, all unaffiliated with Volvo and Starbucks, was a key to the success of this journey and something that BEV drivers should consider while they're planning their road trips. An eight to 10-hour stay at a hotel is more than enough to charge up a BEV under traditional Level 2 (240-volt) charging station conditions as long as you don't arrive empty.
• In theory, we should have been able to arrive at our charging stop, a traditional ChargePoint location in Price, Utah, with around 17 percent charge remaining. The terrain, speed and winds dropped our predicted arrival state of charge to 6 percent.
• Parking at the 60-kilowatt ChargePoint chargers with such a low state of charge was a lesson in the charging reality many users face. The charger estimated that we would need to spend three hours charging to get to 100 percent. Volvo recommended we get to at least 55 percent to make the next Starbucks stop, in Provo.
• There were hundreds of fail point possibilities during the trip. Timing, weather, charge station operation, safety, and vehicle operation issues among them. Remarkably, none of them occurred.
• By placing charging stations 100 miles apart along the route, Volvo and Starbucks have done one two things that Interstate 10 was unable to do when we drove a Kia EV6 from Disneyland to Disney World earlier this year, provide reliable intervals of charging that don't stretch the vehicle's abilities and install chargers at well-illuminated and safe locations.

 

Really happy to see more Pilot/Flying J stations get chargers, they're usually well located near exits and way better than the standard "find a Walmart somewhere not too far off the road that happens to have EA". Hopefully they have enough chargers. On the way back from Fresno there's a Love's with EVConnect which is similarly situated and is a great place to charge (and usually pretty empty), but only has 1 350kW charger so if it's not empty it's a big pain.

 

I did. As others here are as well. His network is heavily built in ideal areas with spare capacity (see the details I posted above as an example area). Smart on them as opposed to people building a traditional fueling stations. BUT Tesla also, for the most part, has people who embrace new tech and are willing to try new stuff. Getting people who are stuck in their ways to "fuel up" somewhere besides their local BP, Shell, Wawa will take a new mindset. And if you want to target the traditional mindset, then you'll need to wait for the grid to catch up and pay dearly for it.

I also believe some key folks at Tesla didn't understand rate design. They made charging free for Tesla owners for a long time. They seemed to think the cost to fill up would be the conventional all in resi rate of 7-15c, but it is extremely different for this sort of need. It could have been a brilliant business plan (start free and roll that back over time) or it could have been a huge miscalculation as they took heavy losses. Tesla's network fueling costs are vastly different even within the same utility let alone the same regional power grid.

Heheh. So you're saying tech wonks cannot add? Naw, like any company burning speculative capital, they had an entire department of highly skilled and well-paid accountants. Like any company accustomed to burning other people's money, they probably paid no attention to their accountants, instead choosing to believe in their quants.

Shoot. Dammit. Sorry. I really don't care about Tesla and I've simply got to stop getting into this diversion from the original topic of this thread: the Starbucks/Volvo Denver-Seattle corridor. Can you folks knock it off and start another Tesla conspiracy thread?

Don’t you mean utility conspiracy? 😁

 

The company I worked at for forty years stopped their previously acceptable clandestine activities in the 1980s when it became clear to the accountants those old methods were starting to skew the cost/benefit/risk algorithm toward the possibility of jail time. Dammit. Did it again! I've got to stop getting dragged into this thread!