Major automakers team up to create new North American EV charging network

Seven major automakers have banded together to create a new charging network in North America, with an eventual target of 30,000 high-powered charge points near urban and highway locations. The companies involved with the venture include BMW, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes and Stellantis. The venture issued a statement on the move, saying they are trying to “accelerate the transition to electric vehicles” and “make zero-emission driving even more attractive.”

The goal of this venture is 30,000 new charging points, and the companies say they will “leverage public and private funds” to get there. After all, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) estimates that the country will need around 182,000 fast chargers to accommodate the massive influx of EVs hitting the roads by 2030. This venture represents a good portion of these needs.

These stations will use the Combined Charging System (CCS) standard and the North American Charging Standard (NACS). It’s worth mentioning that Tesla’s superchargers use the NACS charging type and the company recently opened up the technology to other EV manufacturers.

This new joint program will formally begin operations sometime this year, assuming it clears regulatory approval conditions, and it plans on opening up its first stations next summer. Each site will boast multiple chargers and plenty of amenities, like canopies, restaurants, restrooms and integrated brick-and-mortar retail stores.

EV sales are expected to contribute to more than 50 percent of total automobile sales by 2030, so the more charging stations available, the better. To that end, some of the companies involved in this venture are also striking out on their own to build more charging stations. GM, for instance, promises to build 40,000 charging stations at car dealerships throughout the US and Canada.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/1FRNl0g
via engadget.com