10,000 Mercedes fast chargers to come to Europe, North America and China by 2030
Mercedes has announced plans to take on Tesla’s Supercharger network with its own high-power EV chargers – and 10,000 are set to be installed by the end of the decade.
The first of 400 hubs with more than 2,500 electric chargers are set to arrive in North America this year with the US roll-out complete by 2027. This will then be expanded into Europe and China, taking the total number of Mercedes charging stations to 10,000 by the end of the decade. Depending on the location, each hub will offer between 4 and 30 fast chargers.
The charging stations will be able to accommodate 350kW rates with the potential to increase in the future. Mercedes also says it will focus on making sure customers using its hubs will have a “premium, sustainable and reliable charging experience.” Mercedes drivers will be able to use the MercedesMe service to pay for their charge and will even be able to reserve a slot at a charging station. Unlike many current charging stations, Mercedes says its hubs will have a roof, food outlet, toilets, security cameras and lights to aid charging convenience and safety.
Speaking to Auto Express, Chief Technology Officer of Mercedes-Benz, Markus Schäfer said, “Every Mercedes charging hub will be powered by green energy. The first of these hubs will be in North America as we aim to roll out the infrastructure to Europe this year.”
Owners of other car brands won’t be left out either. “Non-Mercedes owners will have availability of the chargers, but we will work on separate pricing – Mercedes owners should get benefits”, says Schäfer. This should mean a preferential rate will be offered to Mercedes drivers to use the firm’s charging stations.
Speaking at the announcement at CES in Las Vegas, Ola Källenius, CEO of Mercedes-Benz said, “To accelerate the electric transformation, we need to ensure that the charging experience keeps pace as well. That’s why we are launching a global high-end charging network.”
Mercedes says the investment in the North American network will exceed 1 billion euros (roughly £883m) over the next 6-7 years. Mercedes’ current partnership with charging provider Ionity will continue however. “We’re happy with being a shareholder of Ionity and we will continue to push Ionity-branded hubs in the future”, Markus Schäfer told us.
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Keyword: Mercedes to launch its own EV charging network