After the currywurst, sausages with ketchup seasoned with curry, a specialty signed Volkswagen (true), the German automotive group has embarked on an equally spicy, even electrifying sector. These are charging stations. Following the old adage that you are never better served than by yourself, Volkswagen created – in 2018 – a division called Elli in charge of “management of all activities related to charging and energy“. At the start, Elli had around fifty employees. Today, there are 250, spread over three cities in Germany (Berlin, Wolfsburg and Munich).
Rather than targeting Germany, Elli is attacking all of Europe with a substantial and efficient network of charging stations, like a certain Tesla and its network of Superchargers.
To achieve its objectives, Elli has signed partnerships with more than 800 energy suppliers in 27 countries. Among the latter, let us mention the Dutch Fastned, winner in France of the first Watts d’Or, but also the Italian Enel, the Spanish Iberdrola, the oil group BP with BP Pulse, and of course the Ionity consortium to which the group belongs. German.
Recently, the Elli network was enriched with 24,000 Swedish Vattenfall charging stations and 1,000 Fastned ultra-fast terminals. Most of these recently acquired terminals are located in Germany, the Netherlands and France. To date, Elli lists some 400,000 charging stations accessible to owners of Volkswagen, Cupra, Seat, Skoda and soon Audi electric vehicles. It should be noted that Elli offers Plug & Charge technology for the group’s brands when the terminals are compatible. Concretely, the electric car that comes to charge is automatically recognized and no longer needs to take out any card to badge on the terminal.
Wallbox, green electricity and preferential rates
One of Elli’s activities also consists of offering, both to professionals and individuals, “mobile charging, energy and service solutions“. Thus, the division of Volkswagen is able to provide wall charging boxes as well as charging stations, slow or fast. Also added “charging services and smart tariffs for green electricity“.
Another service is a mobile application listing charging stations and offering rates (Drive Free, Drive City and Drive Highway) adapted to the charging needs of users, whether occasional, frequent or rapid. Please note that this offer currently concerns Germany only.
It will be understood, Volkswagen does not intend to rely only on the Ionity network. With Elli, the German manufacturer wants to develop its own charging network, hence an investment of 400 million euros out of the 35 billion planned by 2025, as part of the New Auto strategy. Far from being limited to Europe, Volkswagen intends to install its own charging stations in China, the United States and Canada.