EVgo Expands Fast Charging to Suburban Grocery Plazas
EVgo is installing over 400 new fast chargers at shopping centers anchored by major supermarkets, aiming to make charging as routine as grocery shopping.
EV drivers in the United States will soon find fast-charging stations tucked into the parking lots of familiar suburban shopping centers. EVgo, a major charging network operator, announced plans to add more than 400 new high-power stalls at properties owned by Regency Centers. This expansion targets locations anchored by well-known grocery chains like Publix, Kroger, and Whole Foods, rather than remote highway rest stops.
The strategy relies on a simple behavioral insight: people already go to these stores. According to Electrek, EVgo notes that roughly half of drivers who stop to charge use the time to visit a nearby shop or restaurant. By placing chargers where daily errands happen, the company aims to eliminate the perception of charging as a separate, time-consuming task. The new locations are spread across states including Colorado, Florida, Texas, and New York, though no specific construction timeline was provided.
Charging integrated with daily errands
The partnership leverages the fact that more than 80% of Regency Centers' portfolio is built around a primary grocery store. This means the chargers will be situated in areas where residents already spend their time, rather than requiring a special trip. The goal is to make public fast charging as accessible as picking up milk or bread. For many drivers, the wait time for a charge becomes a productive part of their shopping trip rather than dead time.
Each site is planned to host up to 24 high-power chargers. EVgo claims these units can deliver a full charge in as little as 15 minutes, depending on the specific electric vehicle model. This speed is crucial for the convenience model to work; if charging took significantly longer, the incentive to shop nearby would diminish. The added capacity represents a more than 20% increase in the EV charging footprint at these specific properties, building on a partnership that began in 2020.
Balancing convenience with infrastructure limits
While the location choice solves the convenience problem, it introduces potential trade-offs. High-power chargers draw significant electricity, which may strain the electrical grids of older suburban plazas not originally designed for such loads. Additionally, the limited number of stalls per site—capped at 24—could lead to congestion during peak shopping hours. Drivers might find their charging sessions interrupted or delayed if too many vehicles arrive simultaneously, particularly on weekends when grocery traffic is highest.
The lack of a specific construction timeline also leaves drivers in the dark about when these benefits will materialize. Until the infrastructure is live, the promise of 15-minute charges in these popular locations remains theoretical. The expansion is a significant step toward normalizing EV charging, but the real test will be how well the system handles actual demand in busy community hubs.
