Volkswagen Takes On Tesla With Mainstream ‘Plug & Charge’ Networks, Electricity
Image via Volkswagen
Tesla isn’t only known for its EVs, although those have made quite a name for themselves. It has been developing its own energy products as well, with a notable expansion in the state of California.
But it isn’t the only company with its sights set on a rapidly growing clean energy market, as urgent solutions to the climate change crisis grow in demand. Volkswagen has plans to take on Tesla with exponential growth in its EV infrastructure, and it starts with charging networks.
One of the concerns new EV customers have when switching from conventional fuel vehicles is that they might run out of power miles out, far away from any charging point. Volkswagen is hoping to dispel this.
Reuters has reported that Volkswagen has recently gotten Elke Temme, a power industry veteran, on board. In an interview, she had stated her plans to double the staff at this division, hitting around 300 in 2022. This comes after tripling this number in the past year.
By 2025, Volkswagen is hoping to be able to overthrow Tesla as the global EV market leader. The news outlet has reported that the firm expects its network of fast-chargers to hit 45,000 by that year, which quadruples its current amount.
This will include 18,000 stations in Europe, 17,000 in China, and 10,000 in North America. And unlike Tesla, at least until as of very recently, the chargers will be available to all EV drivers, and not limited to the brand’s own.
“We are pursuing a different approach than Tesla when it comes to charging infrastructure rollout,” Temme said in the interview.
“We want an open, non-discriminatory charging network and will develop our services to make our offer more comfortable, simpler, more attractive.”
Part of this offer comes in the form of Plug & Charge technology, which will be rolled out in Europe early next year. This will see the car being able to store the owner’s payment details, and automatically make a contactless transaction as soon as the charging plug has been connected to the EV.
This comes as part of the ‘Way to Zero’ plan, the company’s roadmap to a climate-neutral future of sustainable mobility.
[via Reuters, cover image via Volkswagen]
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