ROME – After having created a network of over 2,000 charging points for electric cars in the United States, Volta Charging lands in Europe with a new business model that is financed thanks to advertising on the large screens of the column. A model that allows electric vehicle drivers to recharge with a discount of at least 50% compared to the normal cost of energy up to total free, depending on the advertising collected by the column.
The San Francisco company that declares its mission to “create an EV charging network that capitalizes and catalyzes the transition from combustion-fueled kilometers to electric ones” aims to place charging stations in public places that “allow media partners that advertise on the digital displays of charging stations to reach consumers at their point of entry into stores and other places ”. For this purpose. has devised a particular clever column, equipped with two large digital screens and a single socket, in order to make the most of the visibility of its spots and contain the refills to offer. Then, depending on how much advertising is sold, the column is able to offer completely free or super-discounted recharging.
Having landed in the Old Continent at the end of last year with two offices open in Berlin and Paris, last month Volta Charging inaugurated its first European charging station in France. The charging station is located in a high-density commercial area, on the western outskirts of Annecy, in Haute-Savoie, in front of and in partnership with the Key West restaurant. Grégory Sabatier, owner of Key West is very pleased to host the Volta Charging column and says that “my customers have adopted the unique charging stations of Volta very quickly and with enthusiasm. As soon as they turned on, they showed satisfaction with the charging experience, while the advertising model aroused real interest in terms of local communication “.
Meanwhile, the company, listed on Wall Street, has already announced new contracts and installations also in Switzerland and Germany, where DC Fast and AC level 2 charging stations will soon be installed. The first large commercial chain that has chosen to host the Volta Charging columns is that of the European leader in the sale of sports goods and equipment Decathlon, whose Swiss branch has signed an agreement that will start in the coming weeks from its store in St. Gallen to expand to the rest of the network. The columns will then land in Germany where the first agreement for free or almost free charging stations was signed with the Cineplex Group cinema chain. First agreements of a landing that is expected in a big way for the next few months given that as Chris Wendel, co-founder and president of Volta stated, “Europe continues to be a top priority in our expansion strategy, and it has been encouraging to see such a positive response from the market ”.