Volkswagen Group and Enel X Way, the Enel Group’s company dedicated to electric mobility, have announced the launch of their equally-owned joint venture Ewiva.This aims to accelerate the uptake of electric vehicles (EVs) in Italy promoting the development of a reliable and capillary high-power charging (HPC) network across the country.
This announcement and opening of the first Ewiva’s premium recharging station in Rome mark the successful continuation of the close cooperation between the Enel Group and Volkswagen to provide a full emobility ecosystem in Italy.
Thomas Schmall, Volkswagen Group Board Member for Technology and CEO of Volkswagen Group Components, said: “The expansion of the charging infrastructure plays a key role in the success of electric cars.
“Enel and Volkswagen, two strong partners from different industries, have now joined forces to tackle this task in a targeted manner, thus advancing e-mobility in Italy.”
Ewiva is already deploying the largest ultra-fast charging network in Italy, with 750 points, some of which currently awaiting activation, in 233 locations, adding to the approximately 17,000 charging points operated by Enel X Way.
Elisabetta Ripa, Enel X Way head, said: “This joint venture represents a new milestone in Enel X Way and Enel Group’s ongoing push to spread electric mobility throughout Italy by accelerating the development of a state-of-the-art high-power charging network, which will help make electric vehicles the first choice for drivers.
“In the process, and in line with the strategy adopted by Enel X Way in the development of the public charging infrastructure, we are taking an open approach, making the network available for all Mobility Service Providers and drivers of any electric vehicle from all manufacturers.”
The joint venture expects to have charging points in a total of 500 locations by the end of 2023, with the aim of reaching 3,000 charging points, each with up to 350 kW and powered by 100 per cent renewable energy, by 2025.
Overall, Ewiva will operate more than 800 sites focused on city centres, suburban areas, and main roads used by commuters and tourists. Drivers of all types of electric vehicles from all manufacturers can benefit from the joint venture’s HPC network.
Ewiva has been launched in Rome at the grand opening of its first premium recharging station in Via Flaminia 871. This will offer a lounge open to all customers and 14 ultra-fast charging points each with up to 300 kW, all under a solar roof made of PV panels manufactured at the Enel’s 3Sun Gigafactory in Sicily.
This is good news for electric vehicle drivers in Italy. Hopefully, with 3,000 chargers available by 2025 this will help to speed up the transition to zero emissions motoring.
Back in November, Volkswagen Group announced that it aims to make data centres climate-neutral by 2027. To achieve this goal, the Group has expanded its computing capacities at Green Mountain, a Norwegian operator of CO₂-neutral data centres. With this expansion, one-quarter of Volkswagen’s global data centre operations will run carbon-neutrally. This corresponds to annual CO₂ savings of 10,000 tons.
