Walgreens plugs into Orlando market with on-site electric charging stations

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens on Wednesday will unveil its first electric vehicle charging station in Orlando, Fla., at its International Drive and Sand Lake Road location with a ribbon cutting at 10 a.m., as City of Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer makes the inaugural charge.

“These charging stations in neighborhoods and along major commuter routes will offer quick accessibility for EV drivers who may be worried about where to charge up next,” stated Walgreens market VP Marlin Hutchens. “These charging stations will continue to set us apart as a retailer as more people choose greener lifestyles.”

In July, Walgreens announced plans to offer EV charging stations at approximately 800 locations across the country by the end of the year. Walgreens has installations under way across Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. Other host sites will incorporate stores in Boston and Denver. Select locations in Florida, New Jersey, Oregon, Tennessee and Washington also will receive EV charging stations.

Walgreens is working with Car Charging Group, an owner and provider of EV charging stations, to offer charging sites at eight locations throughout the area by the end of October. The charging stations will feature two level-2 chargers that are compatible with every EV produced in North America. Walgreens is helping to build Orlando’s EV charging infrastructure by becoming the area’s largest retail host of charging stations.

Car Charging Group will install, manage and maintain EV charging stations on Walgreens properties. The company will provide flexible payment options, the ability to make reservations and tracking of customer usage patterns, energy use, costs and revenues, all via the ChargePoint Network’s cloud-based software service plans for managing EV charging operations. Car Charging Group’s EV services installation also will provide Walgreens customers with access to ChargePoint Network’s 24/7 driver support and mobile phone applications, which include station location and real-time availability, turn-by-turn navigation and charging status.