The Weekly 1.21⚡(EVI News #10): Walmart Energy Unveiled. L2 for Lampposts. Nova Scotia Powers Up.

Good day, fellow fine-tuner of regen ♻️🔋

The midpoint of March puts us within sight of an end to a tumultuous quarter for EVs and charging infrastructure. While much of the focus will be on federal programs and how Q1 Tesla sales are tracking, it’s worth remembering that private investment dwarfs federal EVI funding and other automakers have many options available for prospective EV buyers.

By those measures, the industry is in fine fettle as it navigates the headline-grabbing turbulence.

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All set? Okay, here’s some of the fun from North American EV infrastructure this week ⤵️

📢 Walmart Energy Plan Presented to Employees in Orlando

News - Walmart’s Year Beginning Meeting (“YBM”) took place in Orlando, FL, with energy firmly on the agenda. The first branding of EV charging under the Walmart Energy umbrella was shared, along with the intriguing appearance of (more) new hardware.

Numbers - We’re still short on station or stall count targets for a project first shared two years ago, but 90 and 10 are important numbers. Why? Because there’s a Walmart/Sam’s Club location within 10 miles for 90% of US residents. With more than 4,600 stores spread across every state, Walmart Energy could reach potential EV drivers everywhere in the US.

Nuance - Coverage from attendees showed ABB’s 600A A400 unit in Walmart colors for the first time, which would make it the third hardware vendor we’ve seen brought into the project. ChargePoint debuted at Walmart’s early test sites, while more recent stations in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area deployed Alpitronic HYC400 units.

Next Up - Reports show Supercenter #206 in McKinney, TX as a likely location for the first fully-fledged Walmart Energy station, which could be available as soon as this week. The location would be a fitting debut site, as it started life as an experiment in sustainable store design 20 years ago. At the time, McKinney was the first of retailer’s big box store formats to combine solar PV and wind turbines, which subsequently informed the Walmart’s wider sustainability program. Could it do the same for the brand’s EV charging?

🔍 Charging Vendor Spotlight: Electrify America

News - Electrify America released 2024 network figures shortly after EVgo in early March. Utilization and stations continue to grow, though the current (and final) phase of investment as part of VW’s Dieselgate settlement will focus on upgrading existing stations. That phase, known as Cycle 4, runs through December 2026.

Numbers - 1,017 stations with 4,711 stalls, covering 47 states at the start of March. The three states where EA has no presence as yet are Alaska, Vermont, and West Virginia. More than 600 gigawatt hours dispensed in 2024, an increase of 65% over 2023.

Nuance - Despite increased utilization, the continued existence of unlimited free charging plans raises questions about artificial demand in 2024. How much of that 65% increase in energy delivered will return to home charging or a competing charging vendor when drivers have to pay for it?

Next Up - Stated network growth of 30% in 2025 would put Electrify America at around 1,300 stations by the end of the year, or closer to 1,200 stations if the 30% figure is based on port/stall count. Given that EA has not achieved this level of new public station openings in a calendar year since 2021, it seems likely this projection includes wider programs under Electrify Commercial, such as fleet charging hubs.

🔌 AC/DC: Connecticut Brings L2 to Lampposts

News: Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) confirmed selection of NY/CA-based startup Voltpost to convert CT lampposts for L2 EV charging.

Numbers: The 18-month pilot program will deploy 100 new level 2 charge ports across 50 lampposts in Connecticut by the end of 2026, testing viability to scale across the state.

Nuance: Voltpost’s service contract is paid for by PURA, while the electricity delivered to EV drivers is a pass-through cost, according to Voltpost CEO Jeff Prosserman. A test program with Newlab in New York City demonstrated install times of just 1.5 hours, with a separate service to the streetlight and a utility-approved meter to monitor usage.

Next Up: The PURA program is part of a wider Energy Innovation initiative to select and test solutions that contribute to a more reliable, affordable, and decarbonized grid in Connecticut. If Voltpost’s approach provides the anticipated benefits, the company could be selected to scale its solution statewide.

🛣️ On the Road: This Week in DCFC

News - The Alternative Fuels Data Center (AFDC) listings continued to populate, albeit at a slower pace than previously seen. Plenty of action in Canada, however, where BC Hydro continues its expansion and a new DCFC program from Nova Scotia Power gets underway.

Numbers - 142 fast charging ports across 56 charging stations added across the United States and Canada, according to AFDC listings this week.

Notable Locations Added to AFDC:

⚡ In Membertou, NS, the first of 15 new EV fast charging locations from Nova Scotia Power was energized with partner ChargeLab. The next stations slated for opening this month are in Masstown and Windsor, NS, with another six sites coming in Q2 2025.

🟦 EVgo had a busy start to March, first releasing results for 2024 and continued activations across California adding to the network. A new 10-stall site in Hollister, CA brings 350kW to a retail location that also serves travelers on Highway 25.

🛣️ Also under the EVgo banner, this time its eXtend program, is a new NEVI-funded site owned by Pilot-Flying J. After recent additions in Skippers, VA and New Milford, PA, the travel center operator opened its 19th NEVI site with four stalls in Mill Hall, PA. That represents 29.2% of the 65 sites currently energized under the federal program.

📍 FLO added several new pins across the US and Canada, with two locations in British Columbia, as well as activations in Winnipeg, MB, Spokane, WA, and Thomasville, AL. The latter continues FLO’s expansion with Alabama Power, bringing the company’s new 160kW Ultra stations to less travel-focused sites around the state.

🔵 Another new EVgo station in Baldwin, CA marks the first installed in collaboration with Toyota. The automaker partnered with EVgo as part of Toyota’s “Empact” program, which aims to support underserved communities in the transition to electric mobility.

🗽 After a few quiet weeks, New York Power Authority got back on the activation trail with a new EVolve NY station in White Plains, NY. The station adds six 350 kW stalls to a busy suburban area to the north of New York City.

⚡ Staying in New York state, new charging vendor HondoGO recently opened two new stations in Highland and Garnerville, NY. Both sites bring Signet 200kW hardware to community sites in the Hudson Valley.

🔷BC Hydro continued its opening streak with two new 180 kW stations in British Columbia. Agassiz gets four stalls at the Chehalis Band Store, while Courtenay ICBC on Vancouver Island energized eight new stalls this week.

To see how and where the leading charging vendors are expanding, check out The Network Architect Channel on YouTube for DCFC updates like this one.

💲Pricing for DC Fast Charging

News: Prices at Francis Energy DCFC sites outside of Oklahoma continue to creep up, while most other vendors remain stable. Low price experiments such as Welcome Pricing of $0.40/kWh from Mercedes-Benz HPC and iONNA’s $0.34/kWh in Houston continue to hold as well.

Numbers: Francis sites in New Mexico reach as high as $0.77 per kWh, while NEVI sites in the Midwest are increasing to the low $0.60s per kWh. Nationwide averages remain the same across our index of more than 300 US fast charging stations, with the West most expensive at $0.55/kWh and the Southeast most affordable, at $0.49/kWh.

Nuance: Throughout 2024, Francis Energy’s NEVI sites in the Midwest were priced at $0.49 per kWh in Ohio. In 2025, new stations in Pennsylvania debuted with $0.62/kWh and Ohio sites have started to creep up towards that total over the past few weeks.

Next Up: Francis and Rivian remain outliers in hiking prices recently, while newer vendors including ROVE, iONNA, and MB-HPC make an effort to put downward pressure on DC charging rates in the US. For the established networks, it’s now been almost six months since we’ve seen any major shifts, so expect at least one of Tesla, Electrify America, or EVgo to shake things up before summer. What pricing trends are you seeing in your area?

✒️ Policy: Tesla Warns Tariffs Could Jeapordize Growth

News - Tesla sent a public letter to United States trade representative Jamieson Greer, highlighting the industry’s exposure to retaliatory trade actions in response to recent tariffs announced by the US on items critical to the automotive sector.

Numbers - S&P Global Mobility forecast the potential for North American automotive production to drop by up to 20,000 vehicles per day within a week of tariffs coming into effect.

Nuance - With sales of Tesla models posting steep declines in other markets, the company’s dominance of North American EV sales is also under threat. Trade disputes with on-off tariffs further complicate that position, despite Tesla’s support for strengthening domestic supply chains. "Trade actions should not conflict with objectives to further increase and support domestic manufacturing," concludes the letter.

Next Up - All eyes will be on Q1 sales in the United States and Canada once March wraps up. Anti-Tesla protests have provoked a palpable backlash against the brand, while others point to the company attracting new buyers and an updated version of the best-selling Model Y as reasons for optimism around the EV leader.

🚛 Fleet Focus: Greenlane Charging Hub to Open in April

News - Commercial EV charging infrasturcture provider Greenlane confirmed an April 2025 opening for its flagship electric truck charging facility in Colton, California. It represents an important milestone in developing West Coast HDEV Charging Corridors.

Numbers - 12 x 400kW pull-through charge stalls and 29 x 180kW pull-in stalls under overhead solar canopies will serve the 24/7 facility, with on-site support teams and overnight parking.

Nuance - The site in Colton, which broke ground in September 2024, lies to the east of Los Angeles, near the intersection of I-10 and I-215. High power pull-through stalls will be served by Alpitronic’s 400 kW dual-port Hyperchargers, while “bobtail charging” spots will use 180kW eFill charging hardware.

Next Up - After its opening in April, Colton charging hub will enter a second phase to round out its full set of energy management systems. Solar arrays and battery storage will be deployed to open up load management options and elevate grid stability.

🎧 For Your Listening Pleasure

In every edition, we recommend one of the best listens on electrification, energy, or something similarly EV-related.

🎧 Grid Connections: John Voelcker on Tariffs Impacting Auto + EV Adoption 🚘

This week, we return to the excellent Grid Connections podcast with host Chase Drum, for a take on EV trade and tariffs from veteran reporter John Voelcker:

💻 WoW - Webinar of the Week

Excellent info sessions happen every week across the North American EV space, but it can be tough to keep up with what’s happening. This short new section adds a weekly recommendation on webinars and other digital events to stay up to date.

This week, a look at the prospects for the North American EV Charging Outlook in 2025 brings together experts from Alpitronic, AMPECO, CharIN, Hubject, EV+ and Green on Ramp. Covering everything from hardware and interoperability to policy changes and Plug&Charge, register to get your questions answered by a wide range of experts.

🪫That’s us all charged up on EVI developments for another week.🔋

If you found this digest valuable, pass it on to a friend, prospective EV owner, or a colleague in the industry.

And remember, it’s not range anxiety if you’ve spent the past four months in a cold climate…spring is about to send your range estimates in the right direction! 👆🛣️

Cheers,

Steve / Plug & Play EV

🔔 Essential EV Follow - Jeff Allen / FORTH