Blink, which was recently acquired by the Car Charging Group after former owner Ecotality filed for bankruptcy last summer, has 13,750 charging locations spanning 35 states and three countries. Access to the points in Houston is provided via an RFID membership card.

Ikea Houston is located on the I-10 Katy Freeway, just outside the city centre, so the points also provide en-route charging for long-distance travellers. The company is planning to install chargers at 17 of its U.S. locations in the near future, and has similar schemes in place around the world, including a partnership with Ecotricity in the UK.

Houston store manager, Nabeela Ixtabalan, said: ‘IKEA has a never-ending job of asking what we can do today to contribute towards a better tomorrow,” said. “Hosting electric-vehicle charging stations is one way to help accomplish this goal – and we could not have done it without the support our partners Car Charging and Reliant Energy.’