Four Automakers Team Up To Create an Electric Car Charging Network Across Europe (theverge.com)

An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Verge: A group of automakers has created a new company to build a network of 400 fast chargers across Europe ahead of the wave of new electric cars they've promised in the next few years, as countries push EVs as a way to meet emissions goals. Ionity, announced Friday by BMW Group, Daimler AG, Ford Motor Company and the Volkswagen Group, will install a network of 400 high-power EV chargers across Europe by 2020. There are already 20 chargers under the Ionity network that are being installed this year in Germany, Austria, and Norway at 75-mile intervals, the companies said. Those chargers would also be maintained through partnerships with stores such as Tank & Rast, Circle K, and OMV. Such a network is also necessary to compete with the efforts from Tesla's Supercharger network, which is now 7,000 strong worldwide. It uses the company's own connector and started a major European expansion three years ago. To that, Ionity has invited other companies to join the venture in which the four initial automakers have an equal share.

Comments

Charging networks are crucial for EV in Europe

[PolygamousRanchKid]

Lots of folks in Europe live, like I do, in an inner city. I am now privileged, and have an apartment with a garage, but for most folks, they just park their cars on the street, and have no method of charging there.

As an ideal . . . I would like to see EV charging stations to be like gas stations are now: You can stop anywhere and tank up, and just pick a station that has a reasonable price. No proprietary connectors.

When we have that . . . we're there :-)

I walk or take public transportation most of the time, so it is sort of a moot point for me.

Re:Charging networks are crucial for EV in Europe

[LostMyBeaver]

I may seem naive, but where do you live?

I actually have driven an electric car for over a year now and still don't have a charger in my parking space at home. I drive into the city and while I'm at work or meetings or coffee shops, I charge on the street because there are charger spaces pretty much all over the place. Of course, there are days where the free charging spaces (free for slow charge, $40 a year for 16amp) are taken, so I might either choose to park in a garage where I can use a 22amp charger for about 0.08 USD per minute, or I may stop at the gas station and fast charge (50 amp DC charger) for about 0.20 USD a minute.

When driving on the highway, I stop at gas stations along the way where in some locations there are only two or three fast chargers, but often there are 4-10 fast chargers available from multiple different power companies (which is good because I hate one of them).

I could drive all through Norway, Sweden and Denmark (at least on the highways) without ever fearing running out of battery and I'm driving a car with a 100km highway range.

Are there still 3rd world countries out there which haven't adapted to the 21st century?