ChargePoint, Mercedes-Benz to jointly develop fast charging network in North America
A total of 400 hubs will be developed across the United States and Canada to include more than 2,500 fast charging ports.
The electric vehicle charging provider ChargePoint Holdings, Mercedes Benz and MN8 Energy, a U.S. solar stationary power and renewable energy provider, have announced plans to rapidly expand the availability of DC fast charging with the development of over 400 charging hubs across the U.S. and Canada.
Powered by the ChargePoint network, the Mercedes-Benz charging hubs will be in key cities and urban population centers, along major highway corridors and close to convenient retail and service destinations.
“With this partnership, we are expanding upon our existing relationships with Mercedes-Benz and MN8 to deliver a seamless charging experience for drivers, and turnkey charging solutions at no upfront cost to site hosts. We believe the expansion of charging hubs like these will enable the emergence of a new 30 minute retail economy, at the intersection of innovation and accessibility that combines charging and commerce, giving drivers a superior experience to charge quickly and easily,” said Pasquale Romano, CEO of ChargePoint.
The fast charging network developed by the three companies will be equipped with more than 2,500 ChargePoint DC fast charging ports for EV drivers. MN8 and Mercedes-Benz will jointly finance and operate the charging hubs, powered by ChargePoint’s charging hardware and software solutions.
Available to all EV drivers, the Mercedes-Benz charging hubs will offer Mercedes-Benz drivers additional benefits including preferential access via reservation, as well as the convenience of automatic authentication functionality like “Plug & Charge”. While authentication via card, app or head unit will be possible, it’s not required for Mercedes-Benz customers using the Mercedes me Charge service.
These hubs will primarily be powered by ChargePoint Express Plus, which can deliver up to 500kW per port, depending on the configuration. The equipment is designed for easy scale to meet future demand as EV adoption and vehicle capability grows.
