IKEA U.S. TO INSTALL EV CHARGERS AT 25 SITES

18/08/22; NACS Online

There will be more than 200 individual ultra-fast chargers at IKEA retail locations in 18 states.

CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa.—IKEA U.S. announced a collaboration with Electrify America and Electrify Commercial to bring ultra-fast public charging stations and delivery fleet electric vehicle (EV) charging to over 25 IKEA retail locations throughout the U.S. The partnership will quadruple IKEA U.S.’s total number of EV chargers, which supports its goal of achieving zero-emission home deliveries by 2025 and halving relative emissions from customer and coworker travel by 2030.

“At IKEA, we believe that we must work together with our partners to tackle climate change and create solutions for a greener future. This collaboration with Electrify America will not only bring ultra-fast public chargers to our stores for the first time but it will also help us take a big leap as we work towards our targets to become circular and climate positive,” said Javier Quiñones, CEO and chief sustainability officer, IKEA U.S. “We look forward to continuing to innovate around new ways we can make our everyday lives more sustainable.”

In total, there will be more than 200 individual ultra-fast chargers at IKEA retail locations in 18 states, including Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Washington. The first locations are expected to open in late 2022 and be completed by the end of 2023.

For its EV delivery fleet, IKEA selected Electrify Commercial, Electrify America’s business unit. This is the first time Electrify America and Electrify Commercial are installing both public and fleet chargers at the same time for a project.

“We are excited to establish both public and commercial fleet charging stations with IKEA—a brand that shares our goal of a more sustainable future,” said Giovanni Palazzo, president and CEO of Electrify America. “Through this collaboration, Electrify America, Electrify Commercial and IKEA U.S. are leading a path forward for customers and businesses toward zero-emission transportation.”

An increasing number of retailers, banks and restaurants are installing EV chargers at their locations to gain customer traffic and loyalty.

In May, Bank of America and Electrify America announced plans to more than double the number of banks equipped with EV charging stations by the end of 2023. Chase will bring public fast EV charging stations to 50 of its U.S. branches this year.

Starbucks and Volvo Cars announced a partnership to establish a public EV charging network at 15 U.S. Starbucks locations this year.

Pilot Company recently announced it’s partnering with General Motors on a national DC fast charging network that will be installed, operated and maintained by EVgo through its eXtend offering. The network of 2,000 charging stalls will be co-branded “Pilot Flying J” and “Ultium Charge 360” and will be open to all EV brands at up to 500 Pilot and Flying J travel centers.

Vehicle manufacturers are moving their production lines to electric vehicles, and the Biden Administration wants half of new vehicle sales be electrical vehicles by 2030. Building out an EV charging network is important to the adoption of EVs, and according to Jay Smith, executive director of the Charge Ahead Partnership, the fastest, most efficient way to build a network is to utilize fuel retailers who already have the real estate in the right locations.

“They offer the amenities that drivers have come to expect, and they have the infrastructure to provide that service. They’re used to serving drivers, and they want to continue to serve drivers in the future,” he said on a recent NACS Convenience Matters podcast episode.

However, there are two reasons preventing convenience-store retailers from getting into the EV charging business. Find out these reasons in the episode “Is an Electric Vehicle Future Possible?”