IKEA Starts EV Charging Program in U.S.

The eco-awareness of the car manufacturers seems to catch up to mass retailers recently. Still one question pops up in our heads. How could car manufacturers and retailers like IKEA be related in the common cause ofsaving the world by manufacturing environmental friendly cars?

The answer is quite obvious, as more car manufacturers are changing direction towards electric power vehicles, meaning that in the near future there will be a growing number of EVs. But EVs need to be recharged as gas cars need refueling, and what better place to recharge your EV than while you do your home shoppings.

Thus, IKEA has announced that they plan to install charging stations at 10 stores in Arizona, California, Oregon and Washington. The home-furnishings retailer’s plan comes just as the nationwide launch of the plug-in Chevy Volt is underway. IKEA will install Blink EV charging stations as a result of its partnership with ECOtality, which is the managing entity behind the EV Project which is part founded by the U.S. Department of Energy.

"Situated in highly visible and accessible areas, IKEA locations are ideal charging station hosts for EV drivers,"Jonathan Read, CEO of ECOtality was quoted by insidelane.com.

IKEA will have to limit itself only at the sites preparation for installing the charging stations. The retailer will also be asked to frequently report charging informations to ECOtality. We’d also like mention that this is the second project started in this direction. Another similar concept was adopted by Walgreens. The company plans to install electric-vehicle charging stations in the proximity of its stores more exactly 800 stations will be installed.