RENO, Nev. - Across the United States, retailers are offering electric vehicles a place to recharge while the drivers shop, USA Today reports. The outlets are catering to a growing fleet of electric scooters, bikes and cars. Some retailers give the service for free, while others charge for the charging.

"There weren't any retail charging stations in the Reno market so it was a chance to become a leader," said Steve Reimer, 53, owner of a recently opened Einstein Bros. in Reno with the city??s first charging station. "It just seems like the right thing to do from an environmental standpoint."

Last April, Whole Foods Market added two charging stations to stores in Austin, Texas, with other stations installed in locations in Denver, Connecticut and Dallas. "If the excitement is any indication, we??ll definitely see a big explosion in the use of these cars," said spokeswoman Rebecca Scofield.

The Market at Fairhaven installed the nation??s first charging station at a grocery store last January, said spokeswoman Sue Cole of the Bellingham, Wash., location. "People can pull in, plug in and during a shopping trip, they can get enough juice to go another 10 miles," she said.

Other retailers with electric vehicle (EV) stations include a dozen Best Buy locations, the Meijer chain at three stores in Michigan with plans to add 10 to 20 more stations across the Midwest in 2011, and Mall of America, which has three EV charging stations.