WinCo adds more EV charging stations

WinCo Foods has installed a new electric-vehicle charging station at one of its grocery stores in the suburban Seattle city of Edmonds, Washington. 

The installation marks the 10th EV-charging station for the employee-owned, Boise-based grocer through its partnership with EVgo. 

WinCo set up its first EVgo charging station at one of its supermarkets in Las Vegas in September and now has stations at stores in Texas, Arizona, Washington, Utah and California. The grocery chain has a total of 35 fast chargers at 44 stalls, counting its newest charging station at 21900 Highway 99 in Edmonds, Washington, according to a spokesperson. 

WinCo operates 139 grocery stores, largely in the Western U.S. 

The newest charging station includes four stalls, according to the company, and includes a 350kW charger that can charge two vehicles simultaneously, as well as two 100kW chargers.  

In September, WinCo Foods spokesperson Noah Fleisher said WinCo wants to help reduce carbon emissions, but the company is also betting that the installation will help attract shoppers who drive electric vehicles. “We hope the charging station at our Las Vegas store becomes a destination for EV users and can help encourage others to make the change,” Fleisher said in a statement. 

WinCo Foods isn’t the only grocer aiming to bring more electric-car drivers to their stores. In April, Vishal Kapadia, senior vice president of energy transformation at Walmart, wrote in an online post that the company plans to install thousands of EV charging stations Walmart and Sam’s Club locations through the end of the decade. The company currently has about 1,300 stations at more than 280 sites. 

“Our goal is to meet the needs of customers and members where they live and open the road to those driving across the country,” Kapadia wrote in April. “Easy access to on-the-go charging is a game-changer for drivers who have been hesitant to purchase an EV for concerns they won’t be able to find a charger in a clean, bright and safe location when needed.” 

Kroger announced in 2021 that it planned to install 350 charging stations, and Meijer began installing EV stations at its locations in Pennsylvania and Ohio in 2022.