The Volkswagen Group has set up a company to bundle energy offerings and charging solutions, the Wolfsburg-based German car manufacturer announced on Tuesday.
The new company is called Elli, short for "electric life." Headquartered in Berlin, it will develop energy delivery and charging products and services for the brands of the Volkswagen Group.
The designated CEO of Elli, Thorsten Nicklass, promised that the new company will play its part in accelerating electric mobility. "Our mission is to take e-mobility out of its niche and to place it firmly in the mainstream."
Although new registrations of electric cars in Germany have increased by 26 percent, the total market share of electric cars is still only at 2 percent, according to a recent study conducted by the Center of Automotive Management (CAM).
Thomas Ulbrich, member of the board responsible for e-mobility for the Volkswagen brand, commented that "as one of the world's largest automakers, Volkswagen is going to force the pace of the urgently needed transport and energy transition to emission-neutral e-mobility."
The new company will also be offering 100 percent CO2-neutral green power from renewable sources. In addition, Elli will gradually be building up a portfolio of intelligent power tariffs, wallboxes and charging stations, as well as an IT-based energy management system.
Volkswagen is not the first German car company to bundle energy services in a spin-off company. In 2015, BMW set up Digital Energy Solutions, which has recently bought software developer ATHION, which uses artificial intelligence to optimize complex energy systems.
Editor:Cherie
