MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis. -- Kohl's Department Stores said it will expand its electric vehicle (EV) charging station initiative with 36 new stations across 18 additional Kohl's locations by the end of fall 2012. The expansion spans three new states, including Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin and adds additional locations to the company's Texas EV program. With the expansion, Kohl's shoppers will be able to take advantage of a total of 101 charging stations at 52 Kohl's locations across 14 states. Each of the participating Kohl's locations will have two or three parking spaces reserved for EV drivers to charge at no cost while they shop.
"Since Kohl's EV charging station initiative began in December 2011, it has received extremely positive feedback from our customers who are excited about the added convenience," said John Worthington, Kohl's chief administrative officer. "From our solar program to our green building efforts, Kohl's has been pleased to be able to grow sustainability programs that make sense for our business, customers and communities--and our EV program is one more great example."
To maximize the number of participating Kohl's locations, the company partnered with Duke Energy, ChargePoint and ECOtality Inc. on its EV charging station program.
Kohl's, through a two-year partnership with Duke Energy, as a part of Indiana's Project Plug-IN, installed six charging stations across three central Indiana Kohl's stores in spring 2012. Additionally, Kohl's has expanded its partnership with ECOtality to install 30 EV charging stations at 15 Kohl's locations across Illinois, Texas and Wisconsin. These charging stations will be available at select Kohl's stores through Dec. 31, 2013, after which Kohl's will assess opportunities to expand upon the effort.
Charging stations can be activated by EV drivers in various ways including radio frequency identification (RFID) cards available at Kohl's customer service desk and via phone numbers provided on the charging stations. Kohl's charging station screens will display facts about the company's sustainability efforts, including number of Energy Star-labeled, Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED)-certified and solar-powered store locations.
Kohl's EV charging station initiative supports Kohl's commitment to being a leading environmentally responsible retailer through strategies including waste reduction and recycling, environmentally responsible building design and operation, use and support of renewable energy, energy efficiency initiatives, supply chain sustainability efforts and stakeholder engagement. To date, Kohl's has more than 120 solar locations, more than 700 Energy Star-labeled locations and nearly 300 LEED-certified locations nationwide.
Kohl's also ranks first in retail and second overall on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) list of top green power partners, purchasing enough green power to offset 100% of its purchased electricity use.
Based in Menomonee Falls, Wis., Kohl's is a family-focused, value-oriented specialty department store. It operates 1,134 stores in 49 states.
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