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Costco was one of the first retail chains to offer EV charging, but there are no plans to bring it back.
“That’s not going to happen in the next few years,” Costco CFO Richard Galanti said during a recent company earnings call, as quoted by The Street, after being asked if he was concerned that an EV mandate could render Costco’s profitable gas stations obsolete.
EV charging station at Costco
“I think it’s a question we can put off for five or 10 years, frankly,” said Galanti, noting that Costco was still increasing its share of the US gasoline market. The company currently operates gas stations in most of its warehouse stores, with most open 24 hours a day. Like shopping at the store itself, buying gas at Costco requires a membership.
Costco was one of the first retailers to embrace EV charging, but in 2011 it tore that apart. The chargers have been installed at select California locations, servicing Costco customers who drive some of the electric cars the automaker sold with the highest volumes under previous iterations of California’s zero emission vehicle program.
Tesla charging on the EVgo network
The first Costco EV chargers disappeared just as the Nissan Leaf, Chevy Volt and Tesla Model S arrived, all targeting sales far beyond California. And other retail chains are starting to take notice of this. Target installed the EV charger in early 2013, when we reported setup at its new Target store in Fremont, California, where Tesla’s original factory was.
Other retail chains are building their EV charging infrastructure. Walmart recently announced plans for its own charging network, with “thousands” of chargers by 2030. Meijer, another retail giant that sells gas in multiple locations, is also embracing charging with EVgo, with EV fast charging planned for up to 350 kw.
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