BMW and Volkswagen Take on Tesla Motors With a New U.S. Fast-Charging Network In a joint statement on Tuesday, the three companies announced that they have installed a total of 95 new DC Fast charging stations that will support electric-vehicle travel between Portland, Oregon, and San Diego on the West Coast, and from Boston to Washington, D.C., on the East Coast. The new stations are a mix of 24 kilowatt and 50 kilowatt DC Fast chargers equipped with SAE Combo (also called CCS) connectors that will work with the BMW i3, the Volkswagen e-Golf, and many other electric vehicles with DC Fast charging capabilities. (DC Fast charging capability will reportedly be offered as an option on General Motors' new Chevrolet Bolt EV.) The SAE Combo connectors work with most current US and European electric cars, as well as some of the newest models from Asian manufacturers. These types of investments certainly herald the coming of a tipping point for EVs. One wonders where gasoline / ICU motor vehicles and filling stations will be in 5+ years time. It may take longer than Betamax and VHS took to die, but the writing is already on the wall. I won't be investing my retirement money in a filling station..... maybe rather a coffee shop about 200 miles away from a major city, with a charging station!
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