In a bid to speed up the technology switch to electromobility, BMW, Daimler, Volkswagen and Ford, are planning to install a network of 400 charging stations "along Europe's major thoroughfares." At the heart of the initiative is the joint venture Ionity (Munich / Germany; www.ionity.eu), in which each founding member has an identical stake. Ionity is managed by CEO Michael Hajesch and COO Marcus Groll.

The first 20 "brand-independent" charging stations are to be installed during 2017, at intervals of around 120 km on motorways and thoroughfares in Germany, Norway and Austria, among other locations. To this end, Ionity is working with motorway service station partners, including Tank & Rast, Circle K and OMV. Another 80 or so fast-charging stations will be following in 2018. The current plan is for a total of 400 fast-charging stations, each having several charging outlets.

According to Ionity, with a capacity up to 350 kW per charging point, using the "Combined Charging System" (CCS) will enable current and next-generation vehicles to benefit from "significantly [reduced] charging times compared to existing systems." The company did not disclose any further details of the project to Plasteurope.com, such as the sum earmarked for investment, the selection of locations and plans for other countries.