Volkswagen & Enel launch HPC joint venture Ewiva in Italy
The Volkswagen Group and Enel X Way, Enel Group’s e-mobility arm, launched their equally-owned joint venture Ewiva today. Ewiva shall build a truly high-power charging network comprising 3,000 charge points in Italy.
Plans for the joint venture first came to light as part of Volkswagen’s ‘New Auto’ strategy announced in July 2021 then still under Herbert Diess.
It is therefore not surpising that Ewiva can already bank on some network even though it became official only today with the opening of the first Ewiva hub in Rome. Situated in Via Flaminia 871 it offers 14 ultra-rapid charge points each with up to 300 kW, all under a solar roof made of PV panels manufactured at Enel’s 3Sun Gigafactory in Sicily.
The partners further state, that they already have the largest ultra-fast charging network in Italy, with 750 points in 233 locations. These will now run under Ewiva with Enel adding about 17,000 charge points operated by Enel X Way.
As for the future, the joint venture aims running 500 locations by the end of 2023. The ultimately targeted 3,000 charge points, each with up to 350 kW and powered by 100% renewable energy, are envisioned by 2025, then at over 800 sites. That is an average of up to four charge points per location, however, with some bigger hubs such as the one in Rome.
The selected sites will include city centers, suburban areas, and main roads used by commuters and tourists, so Ewiva. Their HPC network will be open to drivers of any kind of EV.
Thomas Schmall, CEO of Volkswagen Group Components, said expansion of the charging infrastructure played “a key role in the success of e-cars”.
Indeed, for Volkswagen Group, the Italian plans are part of an accumulated effort to build 45,000 ultra-rapid charge points worldwide; that’s 18,000 HPC points in Europe, 17,000 in China and 10,000 in the USA and Canada together with partners.
In Italy, the joint venture is not alone in pushing electric vehicle infrastructure. Energy group Eni also wants to build 31,000 charging points by 2030. Through the startup Free to X, the Autostrade per l’Italia Group also intends to work on HPC infrastructure along Italian motorways; and there is the new player FastWay. In addition, Stellantis also wants to focus on Italy with its DC charging network Atlante.
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