Latest News

The largest EV charging network in Europe is launched by a group of charging companies.

The largest EV charging network in Europe is launched by a group of charging companies.

Four of Europe's largest electric vehicle charging companies announced on Wednesday that they are teaming up to build the largest public charging networks on the continent.

Spark, a new alliance between Atlante in Italy, Ionity in Germany, Fastned from the Netherlands, and Electra of France, will be formed to share their networks.

There will be 11,000 charging points, and 1,700 charging stations in 25 European countries.

According to the alliance, that is more than its main rival Tesla. Quentin Wilson, founder of EV lobby FairCharge and a British journalist who writes about automobiles, said that the U.S. firm still has the advantage due to its "simple interface without nonsense".

Customers in Europe can now access ultra-fast charging of up to 400 kW through the Spark Alliance app.

The European Auto Lobby ACEA is pushing for a quicker roll-out of charging infrastructure in order to reassure consumers who are worried about driving distances and increase demand for EVs.

The announcement comes as demand for EVs is declining and the EU's emission regulations are being relaxed.

According to the European Commission 3.5 million charging stations will be needed by 2030, almost three times more than the last annual installation rate.

Aurelien de Meaux is the CEO of Electra and believes that quantity is not as important as quality.

The members of the alliance said that matching Tesla was not their top priority, but the new network could boost competition.

Tesla is interested in the fact that another large network is focused on providing quality infrastructure to EV drivers. Langezaal stated that the two networks are complementary.

According to de Meaux, Tesla could be considered as a partner in the alliance.

He said, "They might qualify because they provide a fast and reliable charge experience. But I think that is a question better left for tomorrow." (Additional reporting from Gilles Guillaume Editing done by Mark Potter).

(source: Reuters)