What's the news?
Ionity - it might sound like some sort of musical supergroup, but in actual fact it's actually an automotive supergroup, teaming together to develop and implement a High-Power Charging (HPC) network for electric vehicles across Europe.
The heavyweight carmakers involved in this collaboration are BMW Group, Daimler AG, Ford Motor Company and the Volkswagen Group, including Audi and Porsche. Ionity will see around 400 HPC stations installed throughout Europe by 2020, making long-distance journeys across the continent much easier.
Before then, though, Ionity will open 20 HPC stations to the public this year, located on major roads in Germany, Norway and Austria, at intervals of 120km. These will be launched through partnerships with Tank & Rast, Circle K and OMV. Throughout 2018, the Ionity network will expand to encompass more than 100 stations, each one enabling multiple customers, driving different manufacturer cars, to charge their vehicles simultaneously.
This is a move designed to make owning electric vehicles more appealing to customers across the continent, as it employs up to 350kW per charging point and a standardised Combined Charging System (CCS) connection to reduce charging times and provide a 'brand-agnostic' approach.
Anything else?
Ionity will be based in Munich and run by CEO Michael Hajesch and COO Marcus Groll, the team growing to 50 employees by the start of 2018. Hajesch said: "The first pan-European HPC network plays an essential role in establishing a market for electric vehicles. Ionity will deliver our common goal of providing customers with fast charging and digital payment capability, to facilitate long-distance travel."
For more information on this new joint venture between the automotive big-hitters, visit the Ionity website.