Volkswagen AG and its charging and energy brand Elli have doubled its electric vehicle (EV) charging network to 400,000 charging points across Europe over the last 18 months, VW said on 9 December 2022.
According to the company, the milestone makes VW’s Elli offer the largest EV charging network in Europe. The charging network is set up with more than 800 service providers across 27 countries in the continent.
“Over the past 18 months, the network has doubled in size by adding about 200,000 new charging points,” the company said in its official statement, adding that it has forged multiple alliances to expand the EV charging network.
While Elli has most recently expanded its network in western and northern Europe by adding the Swedish energy company Vattenfall and the Dutch fast-charging specialist Fastned, the company has signed several other partnerships, including with the regional energy suppliers such as Enel and Iberdrola, the petroleum group BP and the EV charging joint venture Ionity.
“The key to everyday electric mobility is easy charging without any range anxiety,” said Elke Temme, the CEO of Elli and SVP of Charging & Energy at Volkswagen AG. “We have taken a huge step closer to our vision by offering 400,000 charging points in Europe. In line with our NEW AUTO strategy, we now offer the largest ecosystem for drivers of electric vehicles in Europe and are continuing to press full speed ahead in our work to expand the charging network.”
Significance: VW aims to provide EV drivers with a tightly knit, easily accessible international charging network. With about 800 providers onboard, Elli has lately added about 24,000 Vattenfall stations in Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden along with 1,000 high-power charging points (HPC) operated by Fastned in the Netherlands, Germany, Great Britain, Belgium, France, and Switzerland.
Moreover, Elli’s network saw a significant expansion in Great Britain with the addition of 6,800 EV charging stations managed by BP Pulse a few months ago.
Besides offering EV charging services to the drivers of all EVs, regardless of its make, Elli also offers additional services to the VW-owned brands such as Seat, Cupra, ŠKODA Auto, and Volkswagen. That said, the exclusive charging services offered by Audi (Charging with Audi) will also be integrated in Elli’s EV charging service portfolio next year.
