BMW and other four major automakers jointly build fast charging stations: will cover the European continent

According to technology blog The Verge, four major automakers including BMW, Daimler, Ford and Volkswagen have jointly established a new company. They have promised that in the next few years, this company will establish a charging network with 400 fast charging stations in Europe to provide convenient infrastructure for the rapidly growing electric vehicle industry.

On Friday local time, Ionity, a joint venture established by BMW Group, Daimler AG, Ford Motor Company and Volkswagen Group, announced that by 2020, Ionity will install 400 high-power electric vehicle charging stations on the European continent.

The company also said it has built 20 charging stations in Germany, Austria and Norway this year, spaced 75 miles apart, and that they will be maintained through partnerships with stores such as Tank & Rast, Circle K and OMV.

“The first pan-European HPC network plays a crucial role in establishing the electric vehicle market,” Ionity CEO Michael Hajesch, an electric vehicle expert from BMW, said in a press release. “Ionity will achieve our common goal of providing customers with fast charging and e-payment features to make long-distance travel with electric vehicles easier.”

The similar charging network jointly established by the four major automakers is bound to compete with Tesla's supercharging station network. At present, Tesla's supercharging network stations around the world have reached more than 7,000.

Three years ago, Tesla began a major expansion in Europe using its own connectors. In response, Ionity invited other companies to join the joint venture, in which four automakers now hold equal shares.

With electric vehicles becoming an important way to reduce emissions in major European urban areas, the establishment of Ionity represents a major step forward for charging infrastructure across the European electric vehicle market.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.