This new venture aims to expand EV adoption by building 30,000 new NACS and CCS chargers.
BMW, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz and Stellantis jointly announced Wednesday that they would combine resources to build a large-scale, high-speed charging option on the same level as Tesla’s Supercharger network. The seven automakers noted it would leverage both public and private investment funds to build more at least 30,000 vehicle charging stations from the summer of 2024 onward, both in the United States and Canada and featuring both NACS and CCS-type connectors.
Beyond strictly building out the stations, today’s announcement emphasized each of the seven companies’ in-app and in-vehicle systems will integrate seamlessly to the network. That way, EV buyers won’t have to rely on third-party apps or payment systems to effectively use their vehicles, as they would with some currently available public charging options.
In addition, the joint statement says, “the network will leverage Plug & Charge technology to further enhance the customer experience.” The joint venture also aims to build charging stalls potent enough to quick-charge vehicles using 800-volt architectures — as Hyundai, Kia, Volkswagen and Porsche do — and far less painful to regularly use.
The automakers involved will build these stations near major metro areas and transit hubs, before expanding out along commuter routes. A select number of “flagship stations” will have additional amenities to deliver a “premier” experience, though it’s unclear exactly what that entails at the moment.
We’ll have more answers on how this charging station joint venture will work by next summer. The partners in this effort say the energy feeding these chargers will be 100% renewable.
We haven’t had the best experience public charging…so here’s hoping this effort will indeed improve the EV ownership experience.
