BMW and Volkswagen have teamed up with ChargePoint to open 100 new EV charging stations in the U.S. by the end of 2015.
ChargePoint, an American company that operates nearly 20,000 charging stations in the U.S., will install and operate the new stations. On the eastern coast of the U.S., stations will be placed along Interstate 95 between Boston and Washington, D.C., while west coast stations will be located in Portland, Ore., along with San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego, Calif.
It’s an initiative similar to Tesla’s Supercharger network, but with one key difference: the joint-BMW/Volkswagen/ChargePoint network won’t have one type of charging connector, meaning these stations can charge a variety of electric vehicles.
With the new stations, along with the BMW i3 and Volkswagen e-Golf already on the market, all three companies aim to reduce range anxiety, one of the major limitations in wider acceptance of electric cars and a sticking point among current and potential EV owners.
“With strategically-placed stations where drivers need them, these express charging corridors will give EV drivers the freedom to go farther and have an EV as their only car without limitation,” Pasquale Romano, ChargePoint CEO, said in a statement.
The exact details of the charging stations are still being worked out, but they’re expected to crop up near shopping malls, rest stops and restaurants no more than 50 miles apart. Each station will include 24 and 50 kWh quick chargers paired to the SAE Combo connector, found on many EVs including the BMW i3 and Volkswagen e-Golf. The 50 kWh charger can replenish a battery up to 80 per cent in 20 minutes, while the 24 kWh one can do it in 30 minutes.
The stations will also include standard Level 2 chargers — a.k.a. the most common type of EV charger — along with BMW’s compact quick-charger at select locations.
