Walmart went from zero to 100 charging stations in under two years

Walmart has opened its 100th EV fast-charging station, at a Supercenter in Monument, Colorado, and now operates in 20 states after having none less than two years ago. The 400kW chargers come exclusively from ABB and the Italian manufacturer Alpitronic.

Walmart has become a serious charging company faster than anyone expected. The retailer opened its 100th fast-charging station last week at a Supercenter in Monument, Colorado, and now runs chargers in 20 states, up from 17 a month earlier.

Less than two years ago it had none of its own. The pace has been enough to put it second only to Tesla for new ports energised in the second quarter, on 612 stalls deployed in the first half of 2026.

The hardware is the part worth stopping on. Walmart uses 400kW chargers exclusively, supplied by ABB and by Alpitronic.

Alpitronic is not an American company. It was founded in 2009 in Bolzano, in South Tyrol, and holds roughly 30% of Europe’s DC fast-charging market.

It is also a substantial industrial business rather than a startup. Turnover has run at around €1bn, it employs about 1,100 people, and it counted 135,000 charge points in operation by 2025.

The American growth was planned for. Alpitronic put its North American headquarters in Charlotte with a $9.3mn investment and 300 jobs, most of them in engineering and service.

The Colorado site shows what the money buys. Four dispensers deliver up to 400kW to as many as eight vehicles at once, with NACS and CCS1 connectors in the same unit and no separate power cabinets.

European retail charging is further ahead than the comparison suggests. UK supermarkets had 3,917 charge points by mid-2025, a 34% rise in 18 months, with Tesco alone running 1,409 across 633 locations, in a continent still arguing over the EV or the charger.

What differs is the power. Fewer than six in ten UK supermarket locations offer higher-powered charging at all, while Walmart has standardised on 400kW everywhere it builds.

The shape of this is familiar to anyone watching European industry. The continent has put more than €200bn into electric vehicles and produces the equipment, while the fastest single deployment is happening in American car parks.

So the milestone belongs to Walmart, and the engineering does not. A retailer in Arkansas reached 100 stations on boxes designed in the Alps.