Enel X has become a 12.5% shareholder in Hubject in a move designed to expand the interoperable charging platform’s reach.
Enel X joins BMW, Bosch, Daimler, EnBW, Innogy, Siemens and Volkswagen as a shareholder of the joint venture.
Hubject has a network of over 200,000 public chargepoints worldwide, including a presence in the UK. EV drivers can charge at any station without needing to sign any new contracts on top of the one already in place with their e-mobility provider.
Enel X customers will now be able to charge at any of the European charge points in Hubject’s network, with a possibility of access to the worldwide network.
Enel X has its own European charging networks in Italy, Spain and Romania, totaling around 8,000 public chargepoints.
Francesco Venturini, global head of Enel X, said the firm was “taking electric mobility to the next level” by joining Hubject.
“The overall aim is to offer electric vehicle drivers the possibility to fill up their batteries without having to worry about who their provider is, or about being abroad.
“The necessary precondition to the spread of electric mobility is simplifying the lives of those who want to join this revolution, and we are fully committed to the challenge.”
Enel X is not alone in its interoperability ambitions. Some of Europe’s leading charging providers, including Allego, EVBox and Newmotion, have this week pledged to open up their networks in a new roaming agreement.
Enel X has 60,000 public and private chargepoints worldwide, with an aim of expanding this to 455,000 by 2021.
Hubject was formed in 2012 with an aim of simplifying charging. In January, it penned a strategic partnership with Electrify America to spread the use of ‘Plug&Charge’ services to the US market, enabling automatic, contactless charging.
