Volkswagen and Enel Form Joint Venture to Build 3.000 EV Charging Points in Italy

Volkswagen and Enel work together to build EV stations in Italy. (photo: twitter @enelxway)

JAKARTA – German automakers Volkswagen and Italy's Enel on Tuesday 13 December, have formed a joint venture to build 3.000 high-speed charging points across Italy for electric vehicles (EV). The two companies have each invested 100 million euros (IDR 1.6 trillion) for the project.

These charging points will be accessible to drivers of cars built by all manufacturers in 500 locations by the end of 2023, and will have a capacity of up to 350 kW.

By the end of 2022, VW and partners will install 4.300 of a planned 18.000 fast charging points in Europe, 3.700 of a planned 10.000 in the United States, and 8.000 of a planned 17.000 in China.

That reaches 16.000 fast charging stations globally, about a third of the target of 45.000 by 2025.

📣 Today #Ewiva was born, the joint venture between Enel X Way and @VWGroup aiming to the spread of #emobility and creating the largest network of ultrafast charging stations in Italy.

➡ Find out more: https://t.co/4UDL1Z7BPj@EnelGroup #followtheway #Ewiva #goelectric pic.twitter.com/3f9kMJZUKN

— Enel X Way (@enelxway) December 13, 2022

Volkswagen operates partnerships in Europe with Spain's BP and Iberdrola and is a shareholder in Ionity's fast charging ventures with rival automakers BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Ford and Hyundai.

By ensuring enough charging points – and enough power – for EVs, Europe's largest automaker hopes to reassure drivers concerned about battery ranges and that they can ditch fossil-fuel cars for good.

According to a McKinsey study for the European Association of Automobile Manufacturers, the blue continent needs at least 3.4 million charging points by 2030, up from an estimated 375.000 available by the end of 2021.

According to the study, renewable electricity must also be distributed across the charging network in a timely manner, at a cumulative cost of around 240 billion euros.

"The main challenge is to make energy available when needed," Volkswagen board member Thomas Schmall said at a press conference last Tuesday. "Energy storage will play a key role."

“Volkswagen will also be rolling out two-way charging, where cars can send energy from their batteries back to the grid, in most of its cars by the middle of next year, Schmall added.