BMW, Daimler, Ford, and the Volkswagen Group have teamed up to form a new joint venture called IONITY.
Created to develop and implement a high-power charging network across Europe, IONITY aims to make long distance travel in electric vehicles easier and less frustrating. The joint venture will be based in Munich and has plans open approximately 400 charging stations in Europe by 2020.
20 stations are slated to be opened later this year and they will be located on major roads in Austria, Germany, and Norway. The stations will be located 120 km (74 miles) apart from each other and have a capacity of up to 350 kW per charging point.
Each station will use the European Combined Charging System standard and it promises to “significantly reduce charging times compared to existing systems.” The use of the standard will also allow multiple customers, driving different manufacturer cars, to charge their vehicles simultaneously.
The network will expand to more than 100 stations in 2018 and companies all have equal shares in the joint venture. Other automakers have been invited to help expand the network and IONITY’s goal is to help make electric vehicles more appealing to consumers.
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