MORE ON EV CHARGING STATIONS

"Charge it" may soon have new meaning at shopping malls and retail centers across the country.

As sales of electric cars begin to pick up, retailers are installing electric vehicle charging stations in their parking lots so customers can plug in and juice up their vehicles while browsing inside.

Leading the way is drugstore chain Walgreen Co., which is installing chargers at about 800 stores nationwide.

Macy's Inc. is installing chargers at a handful of department stores. Kohl's Corp. is undertaking a pilot program to equip 33 stores with charging stations, and Best Buy said it will test them at 12 locations.

Retailers view the chargers as a good investment for the future, a way to one-up competitors and burnish a green reputation. Although adoption of electric cars has been tepid so far — only about 17,000 sold in the U.S. last year — many retail chains are hoping to win goodwill with eco-conscious customers by offering an amenity that very few actually need yet. We all know the price to fuel our vehicles with gasoline or diesel will only continue to go up.

California leads the nation with about 89,000 registered electric cars on the road last year.

One roadblock for electric car sales has been the need for drivers to regularly recharge the batteries and the limited number of public places to do so, and the amount of time needed to reach 80% charge.

There's even a term for it: "range anxiety," or the fear of getting stranded on the road with no outlet in sight. Only 5,084 public chargers are scattered around the country, and more than a quarter of them are in California, but the number of charging stations is growing in other locations.

Retailers are moving quickly to fill that void. And, for now, most are providing electricity for free.

Other companies to join in on the EV charging stations are the likes of furniture giant Ikea, the Mall of America in Minneapolis, and grocery chain Whole Foods.


So next time you are out and about, doing your part to help out the economy,  Keep your eyes open for any new charging stations that may appear in your favorite retailers.