BMW, Daimler, Ford and Volkswagen formed joint venture called IONITY; will set up 400 charging stations across Europe by 2020
Four major automobile brands have formed a joint venture to build a wide electric vehicle charging station network across Europe by 2020. BMW, Ford, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen have formed the alliance called IONITY and under this joint venture, the automakers will set up 400 EV charging stations across the continent. The joint venture will be based in Munich.
These EV charging stations will be located on major roads in counties like Austria, Germany and Norway. The electric vehicle charging stations will be located at a distance of 120 km from each other and they will have ca capacity of up to 350 kW per charging points. Such a wide EV charging network is expected to strengthen the drive towards zero emission mobility in Europe.
Also read: Upcoming Electric Cars in India in Coming Years
Also, this will help the automakers to thrive towards adopting green mobility solutions thanks to a strong and dedicated infrastructure. All these EV charging stations will use European Combined Charging System (ECCS) standard. Also, the joint venture company claims, these charging stations will offer significantly reduced charging time compared to the current charging systems. This system will allow different manufacturer vehicles to be charged.
By the end of next year 100 stations will be set up and the rest will be finished by 2020. All the four auto majors will have equal share in this joint venture company. Not only that, other global automobile brands too have been invited to join the venture and expand the EV charging station network further.
Also read: Volkswagen ID Crozz II Concept Previews Upcoming Electric Compact SUV
Thanks to such a wide EV charging station network, electric vehicle users will benefitted largely. Also, the shared investment will help the different companies with reduced pressure. Interestingly, all these four automakers have been working towards launching electric vehicles that will play significant role in future mobility and now under this joint venture, the drive is expected to see a major boost.