DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Walgreens, the nation's largest drugstore chain, is continuing its relationship with Car Charging Group Inc., a nationwide provider of electric vehicle (EV) charging services, to expand the availability of EV charging services to 11 Walgreens locations throughout Ohio in Akron, Canal Winchester, Columbus, Dayton, Franklin, North Canton and Reynoldsburg.
Last year, CarCharging rolled out EV charging services at eight Walgreens locations in Kissimmee and Orlando, Fla.
"As a company committed to helping people reduce their impact on the environment, we are proud to continue our work with Walgreens to expand EV charging opportunities in the Midwest," said Michael D. Farkas, CEO of CarCharging, Miami. "Being able to access convenient locations to charge your EV is imperative to the adoption of electric vehicles, and we are thankful to Walgreens for their support."
In 2011, Walgreens said that it plans to offer EV charging stations at approximately 800 locations across the country.
"Walgreens has a longstanding commitment to the environment and expanding its renewable energy and efficiency initiatives," Menno Enters, Walgreens director of energy and sustainability. "By offering up some of the country's best locations, our sites will help provide convenient locations for EV drivers to recharge during their visit to our stores."
CarCharging's services use EV charging stations known as Level II, which provide 240 volts with 32 amps of power to quickly recharge an EV's battery.
EV drivers can request CarCharging's evCharge card online, and attach the small card to their keychain to initiate use and payment at any CarCharging station within the network. CarCharging's evCharge card also allows drivers to use charging locations on the ChargePoint Network, the largest national online network connecting EV drivers to EV charging stations. CarCharging also accepts direct payment via credit card.
The ChargePoint mobile application for the iPhone, Android, and BlackBerry phones also provides real-time charging station location information with turn-by-turn directions. Drivers will soon be able to reserve a time slot, guaranteeing access to charging stations.
The nation's largest drugstore chain with fiscal 2012 sales of $72 billion, Deerfield, Ill.-based Walgreens operates 8,061 locations in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
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