BMW Group, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz Group and Stellantis have announced plans to create a new, high-powered DC charging network with at least 30,000 chargers in North America.
The joint venture will leverage public and private funds to build stations with both Combined Charging System (CCS) and North American Charging Standard (NACS) outlets. NACS is the DC charging system pioneered by Tesla while CCS is the DC Fast charging standard currently used by most other EVs.
Related: GM Follows Ford In Adopting Tesla NACS Supercharger Standard
GM said Wednesday the joint venture is expected to be established this year, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.
“GM’s commitment to an all-electric future is focused not only on delivering EVs our customers love, but investing in charging and working across the industry to make it more accessible. The better experience people have, the faster EV adoption will grow,” said GM CEO Mary Barra.
The first stations are expected to open in the United States in the summer of 2024 and in Canada at a later stage. Each site will be equipped with multiple high-powered DC chargers. The joint venture intends to power the charging network solely by renewable energy.
The automakers didn’t specify how fast the chargers would be but generally speaking, “high-powered” DC chargers are normally expected to support 150kW or faster charging speeds. It’s a good guess the chargers will be at least that fast and likely faster since many of the EV models the automakers build support faster charge rates.
The automakers claim the new network will provide a seamless, vehicle integrated, best-in-class charging experience, based on renewable energy. They stressed the network will be supported by the quality, reliability, and resources of the automakers involved.
Canopies, Amenities Will Be Included
The stations will have canopies wherever possible and amenities such as restrooms, food service and retail operations either nearby or within the same complex. Flagship stations will be equipped with additional amenities, designed to showcase the future of charging.
Initial plans call for the deployment of charging stations in metropolitan areas and along major highways, including connecting corridors and vacation routes, aiming to offer a charging station wherever people may choose to live, work and travel.
The automakers say the network will seamlessly integrate with their in-vehicle and in-app experiences, including reservations, intelligent route planning and navigation, payment applications, transparent energy management and more.
The stations will include Plug & Charge technology which allows cars with the feature to be plugged in and charged without using a smartphone or swiping a credit card.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, as of July 2023, there are 32,000 publicly available DC fast chargers in the United States for use by 2.3 million electric vehicles, a ratio of 72 vehicles per charger. The NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory) estimates that 182,000 DC fast chargers will be needed to support 30-42 million plug-in vehicles expected on the road by 2030.
“We intend to exceed customer expectations by creating more opportunities for a seamless charging experience given the significant growth expected in the market. We believe that a charging network at scale is vital to protecting freedom of mobility for all, especially as we work to achieve our ambitious carbon neutrality plan,” said Mercedes-Benz Group CEO Ola Källenius.
With U.S. electric vehicle sales expected to exceed 50% of total U.S. sales by 2030, the automakers said the expansion of a reliable charging infrastructure is critical to widespread EV adoption.