Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Coming to Kohl’s

Image courtesy of ECOtality, Inc.

Kohl’s Department Stores (NYSE: KSS) recently announced it will install electric vehicle (EV) charging stations across America.    33 stores in Arizona, California, Florida, Maryland, Michigan, New York, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Washington will take part in the pilot program.

Kohl’s customers will be able to charge their EVs for free while they shop.   Charging stations can be activated with radio frequency identification cards (RFID) or by using telephone numbers located on the charging stations.   Each participating store will have one to four parking spaces reserved for EV drivers.

According to Kohl's Chief Administrative Officer John Worthington, "Not only are these stations an added shopper convenience, they also encourage environmental responsibility among our shoppers. We will continue to explore additional locations to pilot charging stations at our stores nationwide."

The retailer is partnering with Phoenix-based ECOtality Inc. (NASDAQ: ECTY) and Coulomb Technologies on the project.  14 locations will receive ECOtality’s Blink EV charging stations while 19 locations will be part of Coulomb Technologies ChargePoint stations.  ECOtality is the project manager for The EV Project, an effort that will install thousands of charging stations in 18 cities across several states in America.    Last month, Walmart also announced it is also partnering with ECOtality to install Blink EV charging stations at select stores in various states as part of The EV Project.

The Wisconsin-based company is committed to its sustainable efforts.   With 116 activated solar locations in the U.S., Kohl’s is touted as North America’s largest retail host of solar power.    Kohl’s recycling program recycled over 151,000 tons of waste in 2010.   And with over 670 ENERGY STAR and 200 LEED-certified stores, the company was named the ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year in both 2010 and 2011and the EPA Green Power Partner of the Year for 2009 and 2010.  Kohl’s will determine whether or not to continue with the free service at the end of the trial period.