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European Automakers will Build a Network of Ultra-fast Charging Stations
According to a British Reuters report on January 11, several of Europe's largest car manufacturers are planning to use their industrial strength to build a network of ultra-fast electric vehicle charging stations in Europe. They look forward to stimulating market demand for electric vehicles and breaking Tesla's monopoly on the market.According to reports, BMW, Volkswagen, Ford and Daimler plan to build about 400 charging stations in Europe so that electric vehicles can be charged in minutes instead of the hours it currently takes. The new 350-kilowatt charger will be three times more powerful than Tesla's existing charging equipment.
One of the main disadvantages of electric cars is the longer time it takes to recharge their batteries, compared to conventional cars that can fill up their gas tanks in seconds, the report said. Currently, when driving an electric car between cities, drivers still have to spend several hours recharging the vehicle, making long-distance travel difficult.
Installing new fast chargers will not only stimulate the entire market, but also help traditional European automakers narrow the gap with Tesla, the Silicon Valley electronics car giant. Tesla's charging stations are among the fastest in the industry and are incompatible with existing electric vehicle systems made by competitors.
First, technicians must solve the problem of inconvenient charging. Sources familiar with the matter told Reuters that the carmaker is recruiting experts from Europe's power and engineering industries to work on the technology, including Germany's RWE Innogy unit, energy giants E.ON and Siemens and Portugal's Efacec.
A Ford spokesman said on behalf of the consortium that it has begun talks with possible partners. He added that he hoped several energy suppliers would join the plan to build a network of charging stations, without giving further elaboration.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said Tesla will not be eliminated and that the 350-kilowatt charger planned by the European automaker is just a "children's toy". A spokesman for its German company declined to comment on Musk's remarks.
European automakers believe they are in the early stages of a surge in demand for electric vehicles. Daimler CEO Zetsche expects electric vehicles to account for 15% to 25% of Mercedes sales by 2025.
