Grocery Runs to Power EVs in Major EVgo and Kroger Deal

LOS ANGELES, CA – January 13, 2026 – Your weekly grocery run is about to get a high-voltage upgrade. EVgo Inc., one of the nation's largest public fast-charging providers, has announced a significant, decade-long expansion of its partnership with The Kroger Co., aiming to embed electric vehicle charging directly into the fabric of American life.

The ambitious plan involves installing at least 150 high-power fast charging stalls annually at Kroger Family of Stores locations across the United States, continuing through 2035. This move will add thousands of new chargers at brands familiar to millions, including Kroger, Fred Meyer, Harris Teeter, and King Soopers, transforming supermarket parking lots into critical hubs for the growing fleet of EVs on American roads.

The collaboration, which builds upon an initial partnership started in 2022, will see sites equipped with up to 16 high-power stalls capable of delivering a full charge in as little as 15 minutes—a timeframe that aligns perfectly with a typical shopping trip. The first new station under the expanded program is already active in Salt Lake City, with a strategic rollout planned for key EV markets such as Arizona, California, Florida, Texas, and Washington.

“EVgo’s expanded relationship with Kroger introduces more fast charging options into Americans’ everyday lives,” said Badar Khan, CEO of EVgo. “Adding fast charging to Kroger locations will provide the growing number of EV drivers an essential amenity – the convenience of charging where they shop while empowering drivers with the freedom to choose electric.”

Redefining Convenience for the EV Driver

For years, the primary hurdles to widespread EV adoption have been range anxiety and the inconvenience of public charging. While home charging is the standard for most owners, the public charging experience has often been fraught with challenges, including broken chargers, slow speeds, and inconvenient locations. This partnership directly confronts those issues by making charging a background task rather than a dedicated, time-consuming errand.

By integrating reliable, high-speed charging into a routine activity, the 'charge while you shop' model addresses the most significant pain points for consumers. EVgo has focused heavily on reliability, boasting a 96% “One and Done” success rate—a metric measuring the ability to successfully initiate a charge on the first try. This focus on a seamless user experience is critical to building driver confidence.

The technology being deployed is key. With 59% of its stalls now featuring 350-kilowatt (kW) chargers, EVgo is catering to the modern EV driver's demand for speed. This capability minimizes downtime and makes a quick top-up during a grocery run a practical reality, effectively eliminating what was once a major inconvenience.

The New Battleground for Retail Loyalty

This deal is as strategic for Kroger as it is for EVgo. In an increasingly competitive retail landscape, brick-and-mortar stores are seeking new ways to attract customers and enhance their shopping experience. EV charging is rapidly becoming a powerful modern amenity that drives both foot traffic and customer loyalty.

Research from Consumer Reports indicates that retailers offering EV charging can see an average increase of 4% in foot traffic and 5% in revenue, as 89% of EV drivers report making a purchase while their vehicle charges. By providing this service, Kroger not only attracts the growing demographic of EV owners but also encourages them to spend more time—and potentially more money—in its stores.

Kroger is not alone in recognizing this trend. Competitors like Walmart have partnered with Electrify America, and convenience stores such as 7-Eleven are building out their own networks. However, the scale and long-term nature of the EVgo-Kroger commitment, extending over a decade, signals a deep investment in future-proofing their physical locations. It repositions the grocery store as a multi-purpose community hub, a place for sustenance for both families and their vehicles.

EVgo's Power Play in a Crowded Market

For EVgo, this partnership is a cornerstone of an aggressive long-term strategy to secure a dominant position in the U.S. charging market. The company is on a steep growth trajectory, expanding its network from just under 3,000 stalls at the end of 2023 to nearly 4,600 today, with a goal of energizing over 15,000 stalls by the end of 2029.

This rapid expansion is backed by robust financial health and strategic funding. The company's revenue grew 195% in 2023 and it is on a clear path toward profitability, expecting to reach EBITDA break-even by the end of 2025. This financial stability, bolstered by a $1.25 billion loan from the Department of Energy and other credit facilities, provides the capital necessary for such a large-scale, long-term infrastructure project.

Network utilization, a key metric for profitability, has also seen dramatic improvement, climbing from just 9% in early 2023 to an average of around 22% recently. As more EVs hit the road and partnerships like the one with Kroger bring chargers to high-traffic locations, this figure is expected to rise, further strengthening EVgo's business model. This deal ensures a steady, predictable pipeline of new, high-quality sites for the next decade, giving EVgo a significant competitive advantage.

Building the Backbone of an Electric Nation

While the partnership provides clear benefits to both companies and their customers, its broader impact lies in its contribution to building a comprehensive national charging infrastructure. The transition to electric mobility cannot happen without a dense, reliable, and accessible network of public chargers. Large-scale deployments like this are essential for filling gaps and eliminating 'charging deserts,' particularly in suburban and urban areas where Kroger has a strong presence.

However, the road ahead is not without operational challenges. Executing a deployment of this magnitude requires navigating complex local permitting processes, coordinating significant utility upgrades to support banks of high-power chargers, and ensuring meticulous ongoing maintenance to maintain reliability. These hurdles have slowed down infrastructure projects across the country.

By securing a long-term partner in Kroger, EVgo can streamline site acquisition and planning, creating a more efficient model for network expansion. As these new chargers come online in states from Florida to California, they will do more than just serve existing EV drivers; they will make the prospect of owning an electric vehicle more viable for millions more Americans, paving the way for a cleaner transportation future.