Volkwagen’s We Share to use Lidl & Kaufland carparks
Shortly before the launch of its purely electric car sharing service We Share in Berlin at the end of June, Volkswagen entered into a strategic partnership with the Lidl and Kaufland retail chains. This gives the We Share fleet 140 additional charging points.
The German supermarket chains Lidl and Kaufland belonging to the Schwarz Group will set up a total of 140 public charging points for their customers’ electric vehicles at 60 Lidl and 10 Kaufland branches in the German capital Berlin. Volkswagen is therefore allowed the exclusive right to use the new infrastructure to charge its We Share fleet overnight outside opening hours.
This is intended to increase the utilisation of the charging points since the car sharing cars always charge when the stores are closed, causing no inconvenience to supermarket customers. Besides, supermarket customers have the advantage of being able to charge their EVs while they do their shopping. “Supermarkets are the filling stations of the future,” says Christian Senger, Member of the Board of Management of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand with responsibility for Digital Car and Services.
Volkswagen We Share is now conducting its final test phase and will officially enter the market at the end of the month as a fully-electric car-sharing service. Initially, the fleet will consist of 1,500 e-Golf vehicles, and 500 e-up! vehicles will join at the beginning of 2020. In the middle of next year, ID.3 will also enter the fleet. WeShare is to start in Berlin. Volkswagen is also planning the roll-out to other cities in Germany.
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