Milestone reached in the mobility transition: EnBW EV fast-charging stations now in operation at REWE store

Partnership between EnBW and the REWE Group to bring hundreds of fast-charging stations to Germany // Timo Sillober, EnBW Chief Sales & Operations Officer: “Our multi-sector cooperation is growing the fast-charging network in Germany”// Telerik Schischmanow, CFO of the REWE Group: “Retail has a key role to play in bringing e-mobility to a wider public.”

Karlsruhe/Meerbusch-Büderich. Energy company EnBW and retail and tourism specialist the REWE Group today opened the first location resulting from their major e-mobility partnership. At the REWE store in Meerbusch-Büderich near Düsseldorf, the first four fast-charge points are now ready for operation. The opening ceremony of the new location was attended by, amongst others, Telerik Schischmanow, CFO of the REWE Group, and Timo Sillober, Chief Sales & Operations Officer at EnBW, who is also responsible for e-mobility. It is the first of several hundred locations that are to be opened in the coming months and years because of the partnership.

Fast-charge points charge electric vehicles with green electricity while their owners shop

EnBW has installed high-performance 300 kW fast EV charge points at the REWE store at Hessenweg 14 in Meerbusch-Büderich. “At this power, electric vehicles can be charged for a 100-km range within just five minutes,” explains Sillober: “Customers can now conveniently combine their weekly shopping with a full recharge of their electric car. While the vehicle is charging out in the car park, they can shop at REWE or PENNY, seamlessly fitting vehicle charging into their everyday lives. This is of particular benefit to customers without a home charging point. It also offers customers an incentive to start shopping at their local stores again, which represents a major locational advantage for REWE.” Like all EnBW charging stations, the electricity at Meerbusch-Büderich is completely green. The REWE store is also powered by sustainable electricity. The REWE Group has used green energy to power its stores, travel agencies, logistics centres and administrative offices since 2008.

Hundreds of fast-charging stations coming to EnBW, REWE & PENNY sites across Germany

The fast-charge points in Meerbusch-Büderich represent the start of the Germany-wide rollout of EV charging points. Timo Sillober: “Hundreds more locations are on the cards, many of which are already under construction or about to go into operation. Our multi-sector cooperation is successfully growing Germany’s nationwide fast-charging network.” In Austria, too, the partners are driving forward the mobility transition. The SMATRICS EnBW joint venture is installing fast-charge points at REWE Group locations in the vicinity of BILLA, BILLA PLUS, PENNY and BIPA stores across the country.

Telerik Schischmanow, CFO of the REWE Group, adds: “Retail has a key role to play in bringing e-mobility to a wider public. The REWE Group is working with strong partners to bring more charging points to our store locations. With EnBW’s fast-charging stations, we are expanding our e-infrastructure. This additional service will help make the daily lives of our customers and employees much easier. What’s more, fast-charge points are another strong incentive to shop locally, which we are happy to offer our customers. One of our climate goals is to install a total of 6,000 charge points at existing leased properties and new buildings throughout Germany by 2025. Our partnership with EnBW is helping us to deliver on this.”

Fast-charge points charge electric vehicles with green electricity while their owners shop

Energy company EnBW is the operator of the largest nationwide EV fast-charging network in Germany and has some ambitious goals: By 2025, it aims to be operating 2,500 fast-charging stations in Germany with 15,000 charge points. The project is being funded jointly with strong partners such as the REWE Group and through own investments in excess of 100 million euros per year up to 2025. Says Sillober: “Today, the latest generation of fast-charge points can deliver many times the power of the AC charge points previously in use. Not only does this speed up the charging time, it also increases the number of electric vehicles that can be charged per charge point. By 2030, we expect 15 million electric cars to be registered in Germany with a need for between 130,000 and 150,000 fast-charge points. We will provide around 30,000 fast-charge points.”