Hubject and Star Charge China unveil plans for 'world's largest charging network'

The global race to dominate the fast-expanding market for electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure stepped up a gear this week, as two of the biggest players in the sector agreed plans for a major international expansion drive that would reach from Europe to China.

Germany-based Hubject and China-based Star Charge yesterday inked a strategic co-operation agreement that the two companies hailed as the foundations for the "world's largest charging network".

The partnership will see Star Charge integrate its network of 20,000 charge points with Hubject's charging software platform, making it the first Chinese firm to join the company's global network.

In turn, Berlin-based Hubject agreed to help Star Charge enter the European market.

The companies said the collaboration "will accelerate further market development in relation to eMobility and support the emergence of standardised market models worldwide".

They added that the goal was to build an international network of over 100,000 charge points open to any EV driver, tackling the charging interoperability issues that critics claim are hampering the roll out of charging networks.

"We are pleased about the collaboration with Hubject, as we can now offer convenient access to our network to even greater numbers of people, both in China and in Europe," said Shao Danwei, CEO of Star Charge, in a statement.

Christian Hahn, CEO of Hubject, struck a similar note, declaring that "in Star Charge, we have found the perfect partner in China who will help us to push on with our vision of customer-oriented charging in this very important market".