Mercedes-Benz is launching their own brand of EV charging stations, starting in North America but will expand globally. By 2027, there will be approximately 2,500 high powered EV charging stations available across the U.S. stationed at more than 400 hubs. The prospective charging stations will be available for all electric vehicles to use but Mercedes-Benz drivers will get special perks such as being able to pre-book a spot for their vehicle to charge. Mercedes vehicles will have a navigation option to help them find charging stations when going long distance travel and use their Mercedes me Charge programs to pay for their charges.

It isn’t common yet for automakers to have their own brand of EV charging stations to this size. The other leading competitors that create their own charging station hubs are Tesla and General Motors. Tesla has been the top competition for electric vehicles and EV charging stations. GM has made a commitment to install EV charging stations across the U.S. through their Community Charging initiatives. Volvo has made a deal to help install EV charging stations from Seattle to Denver at Starbucks locations, however, it will not be a Volvo branded charging network. Those charging stations will be networked and managed by a third party.

Automakers have been amping up their efforts in order to get more electric vehicles out on the road. More factories and jobs are being created so they can keep up with the growing demand for parts to build electric vehicles, specifically semiconductor chips. The federal government has even been investing parts of their NEVI budget to go towards automotive companies to help start production in new factories.

Click here to read the full article, originally published January 9, 2023 by Energy Wire.