Wisconsin Rental Lots Open EV Chargers to Everyone

Finding a place to charge your electric vehicle in Wisconsin just got easier, and it's happening in an unexpected place.

ChargePoint is installing public EV charging stations at Midwestern Wheels rental car locations in Appleton and Madison. The best part? You don't need to be renting a car to use them.

This matters because Wisconsin has seen electric vehicle registrations jump by more than 50% every year since 2013. But public charging stations haven't kept up with demand, especially outside the big cities.

Midwestern Wheels, which operates under Avis Budget Group, is installing both Level 2 chargers and faster Level 3 DC chargers at their airport and neighborhood locations. Drivers can choose based on whether they need a quick top-up or have time for a longer charge.

The stations use ChargePoint's Omni Port technology, which works with different types of electric vehicles without needing adapters. That flexibility makes sense for rental locations where all kinds of cars come and go throughout the day.

Bill Wallschlaeger, president of Midwestern Wheels, calls it a win-win. "Our Appleton and Madison charging stations simplify charging for our rental EVs and also serve public EV drivers in each community," he said.

The Ripple Effect

Opening these chargers to everyone does more than just add pins to a charging map. It helps solve a common problem with fleet charging stations: they sit empty when the fleet vehicles don't need them.

By welcoming public drivers, these stations stay busy and useful throughout the day. That improves the return on investment and helps justify installing more chargers in underserved areas.

The new platform also lets operators monitor the chargers remotely and catch problems early. That means less downtime and more reliability for both rental customers and community members who depend on public charging.

Drivers can find the Midwestern Wheels locations through the ChargePoint mobile app. More communities turning unused spaces into public charging hubs means fewer range anxiety moments for everyone making the switch to electric.