Electric Car Charging Network Planned Across Europe

Several well-known motor companies are determined to make electric car use easier for consumers.

BMW, Ford Motor Company, Daimler AG, and Volkswagen Group with Audi and Porsche are among the manufacturers teaming up to provide more efficient charging stations throughout Europe. In a joint press release made earlier this week, the companies said they hope that this serves as a milestone in "facilitating mass-market battery electric vehicle adoption."

The network would begin with 400 stations throughout Europe, with the hope of having thousands in place by 2020.

"The experience is expected to evolve to be as convenient as refueling at conventional gas stations," they said. At this point, charging along highways and thoroughfares can be difficult due to a lack of availability.

The network will use Combined Charging System technology to expand the infrastructure of current AC and also DC charging stations. The program plans on bringing DC charging up to 350 kilowatt, making it significantly faster than current systems.

Mark Fields, the president and CEO of Ford Motor Company, said improvement to charging stations serves a key role in getting the public interested in electric vehicles.

"We intend to create a network that allows our customers on long-distance trips to use a coffee break for recharging," said Audi AG's chairman of the board of management Rupert Stadler.

Porsche's board chairman Oliver Blume placed charging speed and site location at the core of the plan: "Together, these two factors enable us to travel in an all-electrically powered car as in a conventional combustion engine vehicle. As an automobile manufacturer, we actively shape our future, not only by developing all-electrically powered vehicles, but by building up the necessary infrastructure as well."

The project is set to begin in early 2017.