The newly renovated Brookdale ShopRite on Monday hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony to debut an EVgo Inc. electric vehicle fast-charging station at its 1409 Broad St. parking lot in Bloomfield.
This EVgo charging station features charging from 100 kilowatts up to 350kW and can serve four vehicles simultaneously.
The station was supported with funding through the PSE&G Electric Vehicle Charging Program, which is designed to support the deployment of EV chargers for a range of customers. This latest launch is part of a push to install and offer charging stations in communities where ShopRite stores operate. EVgo is one of the nation’s largest public fast-charging networks for EVs and is powered by 100% renewable energy.
“We are excited to work with EVgo to unveil this new charging station for our ShopRite customers and the people of Bloomfield,” Neil Greenstein, a third-generation grocer and owner and operator of Brookdale ShopRite, said in a statement. “We recently completed an extensive renovation of the Brookdale store, and the next step was providing a fast electric vehicle charging station in our parking lot. At ShopRite, we are always looking for ways to provide the best possible shopping experience for our customers, and making it easier for people to charge their electric vehicles is part of that commitment.”
A family-owned business, Brookdale ShopRite completed an extensive remodel earlier this year that included storewide upgrades, new departments and fresh food offerings, and the installation of new energy efficient LED lighting and refrigerated cases.
The new EVgo charging station outside the store complements all the great work inside the store and is available to both customers shopping in-store and people in the community.
Greenstein was joined at the ribbon-cutting by community leaders and guests, including U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-11th Dist.), Bloomfield Mayor Michael Venezia, Essex County Commissioner Carlos Pomares and Councilman Nicholas Joanow.
ShopRite has supported sustainability efforts — both in stores and communities — for more than four decades, and plans to add more electric vehicle charging stations to its stores, enabling additional drivers to go electric with convenient access to public charging. Wakefern Food Corp., the logistics, distribution and merchandising arm of ShopRite, is working with Wakefern members and stores to identify locations for new charging stations.
“Wakefern’s electric vehicle charging initiative is important to the cooperative and our supermarket banners. This is an ambitious effort to work with providers to bring this critical infrastructure to many of our stores and communities,” Andrew Pittel, manager of real estate at Wakefern, said.
The EVgo network has more than 850 public fast-charging locations and serves over 60 metropolitan areas across more than 30 states, including nearly 20 EVgo fast-charging locations across the Garden State. New Jersey is a leader in electric vehicle adoption on the East Coast, and public EV fast-charging stations are important to helping the state reach its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030.
