Car manufacturers invest in their own EV charging networks

Car manufacturers invest in their own EV charging networks

Car manufacturers are stepping up their efforts to expand the charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Volkswagen are investing in their own charging infrastructure, while Tesla continues to expand its existing Supercharger network.

2024/03/25 - In mid-2023, Porsche opened a premium charging station in Bingen/Rhine, capable of charging up to 300 kW and offering a lounge for customers. This Charging Lounge – with six DC fast charging stations up to 300 kW each and four AC charging points of 22 kW each – serves as the prototype for a planned Europe-wide expansion. Over the next few years, Porsche plans to build similar stations at intervals of 200 to 250 kilometers along major traffic routes in Europe.

Mercedes-Benz is following suit with its own plans, having opened its first proprietary fast charging parks in Atlanta (USA), Chengdu (China), and Mannheim (Germany) in fall 2023. The goal by the end of 2024 is to expand the global fast-charging network to over 2000 charging points and to establish more than 2000 Charging Hubs with over 10,000 charging points worldwide by the end of the decade. These charging stations will support charging capacities of up to 400 kW and are intended to be accessible to vehicles of all brands, with Mercedes customers receiving special benefits such as reservation functionality through the Mercedes me Charge service.

Besides Porsche and Mercedes-Benz, other automakers are also increasingly engaged in the expansion of charging infrastructure. BMW has already launched a comprehensive fast-charging initiative and plans to expand its charging network worldwide. Tesla, a pioneer in electromobility, has continuously expanded its Supercharger network, offering high-performance charging stations for its own vehicles. Volkswagen is also investing in the expansion of charging stations and plans to deploy electric vehicles on a wide scale. The activities of these manufacturers highlight the industry-wide trend towards promoting electromobility and expanding the corresponding charging infrastructure.

Between January 2022 and June 2023, the number of public charging stations in Germany grew from 31,241 to 49,238 – an increase of almost 58 percent. However, the stock of electric vehicles rose from 618,460 to 1,170,630 during the same period – an increase of about 90 percent. While in early 2022, approximately 20 electric vehicles shared a public charging station, now it's 24 vehicles per station. Further expansion is thus urgently needed.

Kai-Uwe Wollenhaupt, President SVOLT Europe & Senior Vice President SVOLT Energy Technology: "Along with the expansion of the charging infrastructure, battery technology and battery management systems are becoming increasingly more important. Drivers of electric vehicles do not care about getting as far as possible on a single charge. They primarily want the charging process to be not only as smooth as possible, but more and more the expectation is to find charging points within a nice and safe environment with appropriate service offerings."