On March 4th, Beijing Ion Qi New Energy Technology Co., Ltd., a joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and BMW, officially settled in Beijing Chaoyang, China. The company aims to operate a “Supercharging Network” in the Chinese market. This partnership marks the beginning of the further expansion of their supercharging network layout in China.
By the end of 2026, the joint venture plans to construct at least 1,000 advanced technology-equipped supercharging stations and approximately 7,000 supercharging stations in China. The first batch of charging stations is scheduled to begin operations in key new energy vehicle cities in China in 2024, with subsequent station construction covering towns and other regions nationwide.
The collaboration between these two German automotive giants in establishing charging infrastructure signals a long-term commitment to the Chinese new energy vehicle market. In 2023, BMW delivered over 40,000 units of its pure electric vehicle models in China, becoming a significant pillar for BMW’s overall sales growth, with a year-on-year increase of over 138%.
As of 2023, BMW has introduced six on-sale pure electric vehicle models in China, with the BMW i3 and BMW iX3 being the top-selling electric products. The latest product, BMW i5, was officially launched in January.
The BMW Supercharging Station project was officially launched in August 2023. Its high-power charging piles support a maximum charging power of 600 kilowatts. As of the end of January 2024, 54 stations have been built, covering 17 major cities in China and open to electric vehicles of all brands.
In 2024, Mercedes-Benz will continue its “dual focus on fuel and electric vehicles” product strategy in China, introducing over 15 new and next-generation products while simultaneously promoting the electrification of its entire product lineup and upgrading its fuel-powered products.
As of 2023, Mercedes-Benz’s supercharging stations have been operational in cities such as Chengdu, Foshan, Qingdao, Chongqing, Kunming, Wuhan, Suzhou, and Changzhou. Mercedes-Benz’s public charging services have access to over 590,000 public charging piles in over 340 cities nationwide.
Source: Autorednet
