Seven automakers to build North American charging network

A total of seven auto manufacturers, including the BMW Group, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, the Mercedes-Benz Group, and Stellantis, have announced that they intend to enter into a joint venture to develop a new high-powered charging network across North America.

The network will utilise public and private funds comprise to build at least 30,000 chargers. These chargers will sport plugs of either the Combined Charging System (CCS), or the North American Charging Standard (NACS). The latter system, originally pioneered by Tesla, has since seen adoption by firms including Volvo and Polestar, as well as Ford and General Motors.

The charging network will utilise plugs of either the CCS or the NACS, the latter now utilised by firms including Mercedes in the U.S.A

The firms state that the first stations of this network are expected to open in the U.S.A by mid-2024, while Canada will see its first stations at a later stage. Each site of the network will be equipped with multiple high-powered direct current chargers to facilitate long distance journeys, and the charging network will additionally rely solely on renewable energy.

The joint venture also aims to provide a seamless charging experience, with planned integration with the participating automakers' in-vehicle and in-app experiences allowing charger reservations, intelligent route planning and navigation, alongside centralised payment. The sites are also set to offer amenities including restrooms, food service and retail operations wherever possible.

According to the U.S.A's Department of Energy, as of July 2023, there are 32,000 publicly available direct current fast chargers in the U.S.A for use by 2.3 million electric vehicles, a ratio of 72 vehicles per charger. The nation's National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimates that 182,000 direct current fast chargers will be needed to support 30 to 42 million plug-in vehicles expected on the road by 2030.