Mercedes-Benz is emulating Tesla and wants to set up its own charging network for electric cars.

The automaker announced this at the CES digital trade fair in Las Vegas.

10,000 charging stations, spread over 2000 charging parks, are to be built around the world by the end of the decade.

In North America, the group wants to set up 400 charging parks with 2,500 charging stations by 2027, with construction scheduled to begin this year.

Gustave parts

Business correspondent in Stuttgart.

  • Follow I follow

The automaker is investing a “low single-digit billion amount” in the global charging network, said Mercedes boss Ola Källenius in a digital press conference.

The amount of 2 billion euros that a journalist calculated is "not far away".

One billion euros is to flow into the network in North America.

According to Källenius, half of this comes from Mercedes, and the other half from MN8, a US energy company with which Mercedes is establishing a joint venture.

The third partner is the charging station operator Chargepoint from California.

Also in Europe and China one is in contact with possible partners, said Källenius.

The managers are optimistic that the investment will pay off.

An MN8 representative named five to seven years as a conservative calculation.

One is not dependent on subsidies, said Källenius.

The same applies to Europe.

Much less than Tesla

The new charging stations supplement the existing network.

Like many other manufacturers, Mercedes is involved in the Ionity joint venture.

According to its website, it currently has a good 2,000 charging stations at 450 locations in Europe, and by 2025 there should be more than 1,000 locations.

According to the company, Mercedes drivers now have access to around one million charging points around the world via an Internet portal, almost half of them in Europe.

For comparison: According to Tesla, it operates the largest network of fast charging stations with more than 40,000 "superchargers".

According to reports, this is spread over about 4000 locations.

Last year about 10,000 columns were added.

Ionity locations can mainly be found on the most important traffic arteries, the new charging parks should be built in urban centers, said a Mercedes spokesman.

Typical locations might be near shopping malls.

Car dealerships are also considered.

In any case, gastronomic facilities and toilets should be nearby.

Mercedes wants to cover the stations, if possible, and equip them with surveillance cameras, said Mercedes Technical Director Markus Schäfer.

So far, charging stations have sometimes been in unsafe locations.

The charging stations should be open to customers of other brands.

Only Mercedes drivers have the option of reserving columns, said Schäfer.

The output should initially be 350 kilowatts, but can be increased as soon as the cars are able to do so.

Billing should be automatic.

German premium brands are increasingly relying on their own charging networks.

Audi is testing locations with concierge services, and Porsche is testing a similar approach.

With your own network, electromobility will be even more convenient, said Källenius.

It's about getting even more people to the other side.