Mercedes Benz is following the plan of Tesla by building its own network of electric vehicle (EV) chargers.
Key Details
- Mercedes Benz is planning to build around 10,000 EV chargers worldwide starting in the U.S. and Canada.
- The changing network will be available for electric Mercedes as well as EVs with compatible technology.
- The U.S. network is expected to have 400 hubs totaling 2,500 chargers by 2027 and is expected to cost $1.05 billion.
Why it’s news
Mercedes Benz announced that it will be making a worldwide EV charging network to support Mercedes brand cars as well as vehicles with compatible technology.
Mercedes will begin the network in the U.S. and Canada before expanding to the rest of the globe. The network is expected to cost $1.05 billion which will be split between Mercedes and its partner MN8 Energy.
One big factor slowing many people down from switching to electric cars is the lack of charging in the U.S. Mercedes building this and providing chargers for drivers could motivate more consumers to opt for the brand.
“This is one of the building blocks that will perhaps persuade even more customers to jump into the EV side of the Mercedes-Benz,” says CEO Ola Källenius.
Mercedes plans to continue its move toward electric with plans of investing more than $42.1 billion between 2022 and 2030 in EVs and stopping production of gas-powered cars by the end of 2030.