Electric supercharging highway for Europe

An EV ’supercharging’ highway across Europe is expected to open shortly.

A joint venture dubbed Ionity, formed by BMW, Daimler, Volkswagen and Ford, plans to build 400 charging stations over the next three years.

The first 20 stations will open this year in Austria, Germany and Norway at 120km intervals along major roads, with plans for 100 stations operating across other countries by 2018, The Telegraph reports.

It’s expected to avoid the need to plan round about routes to use existing charging stations and remove some of the range anxiety, making EVs more practical for longer journeys.

A 350kW capacity Ionity charger will be available for all EVs and will reduce the charging time.

The system will “play an essential role in establishing a market for electric vehicles”, Ionity chief executive Michael Hajesch says.
“Ionity will deliver our common goal of providing customers with fast charging and digital payment capability, to facilitate long-distance travel,” The Telegraph quotes Hajesch.
Other companies will be invited to join Ionity to extend coverage.