Here's How Much It Costs To Charge Your EV At Walmart
The world is steadily shifting to electric vehicles as a strategy to fight climate change. However, one of the things that needs to happen before gasoline vehicles are completely phased out is building enough electric charger networks across the country. At the moment, the U.S. government has committed to installing half a million EV chargers across the nation by 2030. The Biden administration is also proposing a uniform EV charging network that will be accessible to all EV brands. On the other hand, Tesla — the highest-selling EV automaker in the U.S. — opened up its charging network to other electric vehicle brands.
Gas stations could also be forced to install charging stations to survive after EVs take over. Beyond that, Walmart partnered with Electrify America in 2018 to offer charging stations at multiple storefronts. This is convenient if you own an electric car, especially since you can charge it at over 100 Walmart locations — and if you're shopping, you could have your EV ready to go on a long-distance trip after a few minutes. But how long does it take to charge your EV at Walmart? And how much does it cost? Let's find out.
It takes an average of 20-30 minutes to charge an EV at Walmart
According to Walmart, customers can access 150 kW and 350 kW level 3 EV chargers in 120 Walmart locations. Those are the same type of DC fast chargers that have been installed by Electrify America in other locations. If you use the 350-kW connector (also known as Hyper-Fast) to charge your EV, it's theoretically possible to gain a range of about 20 miles in a minute. But in practice, most electric vehicles don't have a charging limit that exceeds 300 kW. For instance, if you have a Tesla Model 3, its DC charging limit is 250 kW — this is similar to the Model X. Even so, Walmart's EV chargers have more than enough power to supercharge most EVs from 0% to 80% in about 20 to 30 minutes.
Alternatively, you could use the slower 150-kW charger (also known as Ultra-Fast) if your EV's battery is not designed to exceed 150 kW of rapid charging. For example, if you drive a Ford Mustang Mach E, it would make sense to use the Ultra-Fast charger since the battery's maximum DC charging limit is 150 kW.
The Charging Cost Depends on Your State
Since the chargers at Walmart are operated by Electrify America, the pricing and plans are consistent with its countrywide charging network. However, how much it will cost to charge at Walmart depends on your state and EV model.
In most states, Electrify America will charge you 43 cents per kWh if you're a guest — but if you subscribed to Electrify America Pass+, it will cost you 31 cents per kWh. To put into perspective, if you have a Tesla Model 3 with a 54-kWh battery, it will cost you $23.22 to charge from 0% to 100% — but if you've subscribed to Electrify America Pass+, it will cost you $16.74.
On the other hand, some Walmart charging stations are installed in states where customers are billed per minute. If that's the case, it will cost you 32 cents per minute for a 350-kW charger if you're a guest, and 24 cents per minute if you're a Pass+ member. This means that if you charge your Tesla Model 3 at maximum capacity for 30 minutes, it will cost $9.60 — but if you're a Pass+ member, it will cost $7.20. In addition to that, if the power drops to 90kW or less if you're charging your electric car, it will cost you 12 cents per minute if you're a Pass+ member, and 16 cents per minute if you're a guest.
In contrast with the per kWh charge, we can deduce that it's cheaper to charge your EV at Walmart if you're charged per minute. Nevertheless, you will be charged 40 cents per minute if you park your EV longer than 10 minutes at any Walmart charging station after your time is up.