Car manufacturers BMW, Hyundai, Daimler, Ford and Volkswagen want to significantly expand their European network of fast chargers for electric cars. After all, the many electric cars they expect to sell in the coming years will also have to be recharged somewhere. The groups have already set up the IONITY partnership for this purpose. In recent years, car manufacturers have already built around 400 charging stations along European motorways, from Portugal to Finland. But they’re afraid this isn’t enough. Long queues at the existing charging points are likely to arise, and this could deter motorists who want to buy an electric car. IONITY is now talking about a growth plan for the future. The shareholders have already invested some 200 million euros in the company. According to IONITY CEO Michael Hajesch, additional investment opportunities are being considered. More parties are active in the fast charging station market in Europe. For example, car manufacturer Tesla has its own Supercharger network. The Dutch Fastned is also a big player. The company already has more than 130 fast charging stations in the Netherlands, Germany, the United Kingdom, Belgium and Switzerland. Recently, the company also won a tender to operate fast charging stations along French motorways.
