After having revealed plans to build six battery factories in Europe by 2030 (one of which could be set up in Portugal), the Volkswagen Group took advantage of its power day to announce the intention to increase the charging network of electric vehicles at European level, namely with regard to fast chargers.
The goal is to expand the European network to 18 thousand fast charging stations in 2025, and for this the group has already secured the support of partners as important as BP, in the United Kingdom, Iberdrola, in Spain, or Enel, in Italy.
It should be remembered that this number represents five times the number of charging stations existing in the European network and corresponds to around one third of the total needs foreseen in Europe in 2025.
BP is decisive partner
About 8000 of the quick chargers planned by 2025 by Volkswagen will be installed together with BP and will have a capacity of 150 kW. A total of 4000 BP and ARAL service stations will be set up in the UK — where the vast majority of these chargers will be installed — and in Germany.
The partnership signed with Iberdrola should cover the vast majority of Spanish roads, an intention similar to that planned for Italy, which will be made a reality with the help of Enel.
IONITY in Portugal
The strategic partnerships announced this Monday by the Volkswagen Group will take place in parallel with the efforts that several brands already have underway through IONITY, the network of ultra-fast chargers on the European continent.
The goal is to expand the IONITY network to 400 service stations and four new markets: Portugal, Poland, Estonia and Latvia.
global operation
In addition to the 400 million euros that the Volkswagen Group will invest in reinforcing the European charging station program until 2025, the German company wants to install 3,500 new fast charging stations in the United States of America and 17 thousand new stations in China by 2025.
The Volkswagen Group also announced its willingness to integrate electric vehicles into private, commercial and public energy systems, thus allowing electricity to be stored in the vehicle and reintroduced into the home network through bidirectional charging technology.