US Grocer Giant Kroger Makes Big Commitment To EV Charging Stations

July 13, 2022 by Dave Haynes

America’s largest grocery retailer, Kroger, is making a big commitment to electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, working with several companies to add new infrastructure in store parking lots across the U.S. This is interesting in the context of digital signage and Digital Out Of Home advertising because at least some of the companies with charging units – Volta, most notably – incorporate big display screens into the outdoor-rated charging totems.

The grocer has tested and phased in charger installations by collaborating with Blink, Electrify America, EVgo, Tesla and Volta. “Increasing our customers’ access to EV charging stations at convenient Kroger locations supports our collective transition to a lower-carbon economy,” says Yael Cosset, Kroger’s CIO. “We are leveraging technology and innovation to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and are offering customers easy ways to live a more sustainable lifestyle.”

Kroger says more than 350 chargers have been implemented in areas of Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Nevada, Oregon, Texas, Utah and Wyoming, with several more chargers expected to be installed by the end of the year. Future locations include Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Tennessee and Virginia.

Several companies that have been active in outdoor displays for drive-thrus, directories and advertising have now added EV charging totems to their product lines. Peerless-AV makes units for Volta, which has a deal to roll out units at Walgreens lots and is doing 16 locations with Kroger.

There are different reasons and business models for screens to be incorporated into designs. They can attract and instruct. They can promote what’s inside that location venue. Or in the case of Volta, it is very much a digital, place-based advertising medium, with some 4,600 screens now live.

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