Mercedes abandons its rapid charging plan across Europe, after promising 2,000 points not long ago
The brand with the silver arrows had big ambitions that it announced at the beginning of 2023, but in less than four years it has decided to sell its entire network to a French operator.
If we go back to 2023, we will remember how Mercedes - still at that moment of excitement and optimism in the electric car boom, before the reality check that the following year turned out to be - announced its grand plan for the whole world. A gigantic network of ultra-fast chargers that by 2030 would exceed more than 10,000 chargers, gathered in 2,000 different points. Of those 10,000, about 2,000 would be in Europe.
A global investment that exceeded a billion euros, focusing especially on Germany and France as the main European powers. What has happened to that plan? The reality is that the 47 stations it operated until now across Europe have been sold to the French operator Electra, according to reports from the German newspaper Handelsblatt on November 3, a network primarily focused on central Europe and that has not even had time to reach Spain.
Mercedes sells its 47 charging stations in Europe to Electra
The original idea was to expand across Europe with chargers that were available for electric cars of all brands, but offering interesting advantages for Mercedes-Benz customers. Let's remember that at that time the EQS had already been presented as the electric flagship, the BEV alternative to the S-Class, and both the EQE sedan and the EQE SUV along with the rest of the range, the EQA, EQB, and EQC were arriving in the market.
However, even then, it could be sensed that this optimism had gotten ahead of the market reality - in fact, the EQC would cease to be manufactured that same year. Not to mention how much the world has changed since then in geopolitical terms, also affecting Mercedes-Benz regarding what is happening in Europe, especially in Germany and, of course, the evolution of the Chinese market - the case of tariffs from the United States not so much, since their high-end SUVs are manufactured at their plant in Alabama (in fact, their first major factory outside Germany).
A situation that requires focusing on the core business
The investment required for this gigantic network - acquiring the necessary land, infrastructure, the charging devices themselves... and maintaining them over time. All of this seems incompatible with a reality of cost control and the need to focus on the core business, something that even premium brands cannot escape - as even BMW has had to cut here and there throughout this year, despite the success of its new models in the Neue Klasse, particularly an iX3 nominated for Car of the Year in Europe.
Seen this way, it is not so different from what the Volkswagen group has had to do with several subsidiary companies or connected to Porsche. A decision that, on one hand, makes sense, but on the other hand raises doubts about whether it was worth developing its own network considering that they were already participating in the Ionity network, which is one of the most widespread in Spain. And, in the case of chargers, being the direct operator instead of relying on intermediaries presents a series of important advantages.
Electra already exceeds 800 stations in Europe
Electra, for its part, acquires 47 charging stations, of which 31 are in Germany (where before this acquisition it already had about 50). Another six are in Austria, while the remaining ten are spread across France and the rest of Europe (Denmark, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, and Romania). In total, Electra is already present in 10 European countries, with more than 800 stations and more than 5,000 charging points. In other words, they are not closing down by any means, just changing the operator's hands.
The intention of the French company is to continue growing with the goal of reaching 15,000 rapid charging points throughout the Old Continent by 2030 - for next year they will invest about 200 million euros with this goal. Germany and the whole central and northern Europe area make the most sense to invest in these moments considering the adoption of electric cars in these markets.
Electra in Spain
At the moment, within the scope of our country Electra focuses its charging points network in the two major cities, in Madrid and Barcelona, with 8 and 7 points respectively. In the rest of our geography, it currently has three active points: one north of Seville, another east of Cartagena (Murcia), and one more south of Valencia.
* This news is an AI translation of the original content. Motenic.com is part of Motor.es.
Fuente: Automobile Magazine