BMW, Volkswagen and ChargePoint Announce Completion of Electric Vehicle Express Charging Corridors on the East and West Coasts.

• Nearly 100 DC (direct current) Fast charging stations provide more flexibility for EV drivers, supporting long distance and metropolitan electric vehicle travel along some of the nation’s most heavily-trafficked corridors.

• EV drivers can more easily travel from Portland, Ore., to San Diego on the West Coast, and from Boston to Washington, D.C., on the East Coast, utilizing a network of newly installed fast charging stations.

• Owners of the BMW i3, Volkswagen e-Golf and other electric cars can locate the publicly-available charging stations on the ChargePoint network.

Herndon, VA; Woodcliff Lake, NJ; Campbell, CA, September 13, 2016 – Electric vehicle (EV) drivers can now travel the most heavily-trafficked corridors on the East and West Coasts of the United States with the installation of 95 new DC Fast charging stations as part of the Express Charging Corridors Initiative – a collaboration of two of the world’s top automakers, BMW of North America and Volkswagen of America, Inc. and ChargePoint, the world’s largest EV charging network. The recently completed express charging corridors are designed to meet the increasing demand for convenient, publicly-available EV fast chargers and act as a catalyst for the growing adoption of electric vehicles in the United States.

Drivers can access the DC Fast chargers along the most heavily populated and highly-trafficked regions primarily along Interstate 95 on the East Coast, enabling EV travel from Boston, through the New York City and Philadelphia areas to Washington, D.C., and along Interstate 5 and Highway 101 on the West Coast, connecting metropolitan areas from Portland, Ore., through the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles to San Diego. Branches from the main Corridors extend to popular destinations such as Cape Cod, the Hamptons, the Jersey Shore, Lake Tahoe, Napa, and Sonoma. The chargers are strategically positioned both within and between relevant metropolitan areas, spaced approximately 50 miles apart, in convenient locations with access to restaurants, shopping centers, rest stops, and more. These DC Fast charging stations, connecting cities along the corridors, have been installed within a few miles of major highways, prioritizing both safety and convenience.

The corridors are designed to make longer distance EV travel easier, with faster charging time than standard Level 2 public charging. Drivers can locate stations through the ChargePoint mobile app or website; in BMW i3 vehicles via BMW ConnectedDrive, either in-vehicle or via the app; or in Volkswagen e-Golf vehicles by accessing the Volkswagen CarNet® app via smartphone or smartwatch or in-vehicle.

“BMW’s vision for an innovative, more convenient future of electric mobility encompasses the continued rollout of a robust public infrastructure throughout the U.S. to benefit our customers and all EV drivers,” noted Robert Healey, Head of EV Infrastructure for BMW of North America. “The partnership with VW and ChargePoint demonstrates the efficiencies of industry cooperation for building robust public DC Fast charging while encouraging consumer interest in electric vehicles such as the BMW i3.”

“Volkswagen’s investment in this expansive public EV charging project sets the blueprint for future EV charging infrastructure in the United States,” said Dr. Hendrik Muth, Senior Vice President, Product Marketing and Strategy, Volkswagen of America. “These charging corridors will add greater flexibility and convenience for current e-Golf and other EV drivers, and reduces one more barrier to increased EV ownership.”

Each charging location along the Express Charging Corridors offers either 50kW or 24kW DC Fast charging with the SAE Combo connectors used in the BMW i3 and Volkswagen e-Golf electric vehicles (and in many other EVs with DC Fast charging capability). Many locations also offer CHAdeMO connectors, for vehicles equipped with these ports. All stations are publicly available and can be easily accessed with the ChargePoint mobile app or a ChargePoint card, or for BMW drivers, a ChargeNow card.

“At ChargePoint, we make driving electric an easy choice for anyone,” said Pasquale Romano, CEO of ChargePoint. “The Express Charging Corridors extend the power of the existing ChargePoint network to simplify long-distance travel for EV drivers and enable more people to make an EV their primary vehicle.”

With the completion of the Express Charging Corridors, BMW, Volkswagen and ChargePoint are providing drivers with the ability and confidence to enjoy longer distance driving and recharge their electric vehicles quickly, ultimately leading to greater electric vehicle adoption.

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Corresponding Social Media

• Express charging corridors hashtag: #EVexpresscharge
• BMW of North America social media: @BMWUSANEWS
• Volkswagen of America social media: @VWnews
• ChargePoint social media: @ChargePointnet

BMW Group In America

BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003.  The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and the Rolls-Royce brand of Motor Cars; Designworks, a strategic design consultancy based in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country.  BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is part of BMW Group’s global manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all X5 and X3 Sports Activity Vehicles and X6 and X4 Sports Activity Coupes.  The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 341 BMW passenger car and BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 153 BMW motorcycle retailers, 126 MINI passenger car dealers, and 36 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers.  BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group’s sales headquarters for North America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.

Journalist note: Information about BMW Group and its products in the USA is available to journalists online at www.bmwusanews.com and www.press.bmwna.com.

About Volkswagen of America, Inc.

Founded in 1955, Volkswagen of America, Inc., an operating unit of Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (VWoA) is headquartered in Herndon, Virginia. It is a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, headquartered in Wolfsburg, Germany. VWoA’s operations in the United States include research and development, parts and vehicle processing, parts distribution centers, sales, marketing and service offices, financial service centers, and its state -of-the- art manufacturing facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The Volkswagen Group is one of the world's largest producers of passenger cars and Europe's largest automaker. VWoA sells the Beetle, Beetle Convertible, CC, Eos, e-Golf, Golf, Golf GTI, Golf R, Golf SportWagen, Jetta, Passat, Tiguan and Touareg vehicles through approximately 652 independent U.S. dealers. Visit Volkswagen of America online at www.vw.com or media.vw.com to learn more.

About ChargePoint

ChargePoint is the largest and most open electric vehicle (EV) charging network in the world, with more than 30,000 independently owned charging spots that are easy for EV drivers to find and use at home, at work, around town and out of town. Leading EV hardware makers and other partners rely on the ChargePoint network to make charging station details available in mobile apps, online and in navigation systems for popular EVs. ChargePoint drivers have completed more than 18 million charging sessions, saving upwards of 17.3 million gallons of gasoline and driving over 430 million gas-free miles.

For more information about ChargePoint, visit www.chargepoint.com.

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