BMW, Hyundai, Daimler, Ford and Volkswagen want to significantly expand their European network of fast chargers for electric cars.
The aforementioned concerns have previously united in Ionity. In recent years, the car manufacturers have already built some 400 charging stations along European motorways, from Portugal to Finland. However, there will soon be many more, given their rapidly growing commitment to electric driving. Because, the manufacturers fear, there will soon be long queues at the existing charging points and that could deter motorists who want to buy an electric car.
Ionity is now talking about a growth plan for the future. Concrete goals are not yet mentioned, but enlargement would focus on more of the same; fast charging stations along major roads. Shareholders have each invested around € 200 million in the company. According to Ionity CEO Michael Hajesch, additional investment opportunities are being considered.
More parties are active in the market for fast charging stations in Europe. For example, the Dutch Fastned is a major player and Tesla has its own Supercharger network. Fastned already has more than 130 fast charging stations in the Netherlands, Germany, the United Kingdom, Belgium and Switzerland. The company also recently won a tender to operate fast charging stations along French highways.