Electric cars: Mercedes to set up ultra-fast charging stations in Germany, France

Admin l Friday, March 10, 2023

 

FRANKFURT – German car maker has fleshed out plans for its own EV charging network, with the first ultra-fast charging stations set to be built in Germany and France this year, according to the chief executive of Mercedes-Benz Mobility, Franz Reiner.

Construction is going well, the head of the finance arm of the luxury carmaker told dpa, without giving exact details or figures.

Mercedes is hoping to set up the charging stations in Germany and France by the fourth quarter. Similarly, in the United States the company plans to build 20 charging parks with several charging stations this year, Reiner said.

The carmaker has previously announced plans to set up 10,000 charging stations for electric cars worldwide by the end of the decade.

Mercedes customers are to be given priority access to the stations with up to 350 kilowatts of charging power, for example through a reservation feature. The company is investing billions of euros in the scheme, Reiner said.

Some 2,000 charging stations are to be built across the US and Europe respectively, with the remainder to be distributed across China and other important markets, Reiner said.

“The charging infrastructure still has some potential,” the Mercedes-Benz Mobility chief said. “We will definitely not be able to cover everything with our fast-charging stations.” These are a supplement to the overall infrastructure, he said.

In the world of e-charging, Mercedes is somewhat of an underdog, with US rival Tesla already operating some 45,000 charging stations globally, according to the electric carmaker.

Even in its domestic market, the company is a rather minor player, considering the German government’s plans to set up 1 million public stations by 2030.