Mercedes-Benz aims to build more than 2,500 charging stations in North America by 2027.
Virtually every major automaker is charging full steam ahead toward developing electric vehicles — but that’s only part of a comprehensive industry transformation. Another key element is charging station infrastructure, and Mercedes homed in on its ambitions at this year’s CES event in Las Vegas. Partnering with ChargePoint in North America, it will ultimately build out 10,000 stations across the globe, including the European and Chinese markets.
According to Mercedes’ official statement Thursday: “The charging network will focus first and foremost on Mercedes-Benz customers, who will enjoy preferential access via a reservation function and other benefits. However, it will also be open to drivers of all other brands with compatible technology.”
Over the next 6 to 7 years, the automaker plans to invest 1 billion Euros ($1.05 billion) into the North American network, which will comprise 400 hubs across the U.S. and Canada. Each charging hub will have anywhere between 4 and 30 stations, providing up to 350 kW of DC fast-charging power.
In an effort to provide sustainable and renewable energy to these stations, Mercedes-Benz is also partnering with solar energy and battery storage operators MN8 Energy.
Mercedes EQ customers will have access to a bespoke charging experience through the “Mercedes me Charge” app.
In essence, this investment will provide Mercedes customers with a consistent, identifiable network to charge their vehicles. If you don’t own a Mercedes-Benz, then the stations will allow manual card payment or access through the Chargepoint app.
At time of writing, there’s not yet a comprehensive list as to where each of the 400 hubs will be located. However, you can more or less expect one to be available in each major American city, as well as several plotted along Interstate routes. We’ll provide an update on that information if and when it becomes available.
We’ll have to wait and see how well the network performs in practice, but more investment will (hopefully) mean a more pleasant charging experience than some of the offerings right now. We dive into that topic below:
