Ownership change at four charging parks: E.ON acquires Smatrics EnBW Italia
Smatrics EnBW is withdrawing from Italy after a two-year presence and selling its four charging parks opened in the northern part of the country to E.ON. These locations house a total of 64 fast charging stations. The purchase price remains unknown.
Image: Smatrics EnBW
E.ON Drive Infrastructure (EDRI) Italy announced in a corporate statement that it will acquire 100 percent of the share capital of Smatrics EnBW Italia. With this acquisition, the charging infrastructure specialist is adding four existing HPC locations in northern Italy to its portfolio. “This transaction represents an important milestone in E.ON Drive Infrastructure Italy’s growth strategy,” the management said. No details regarding the agreed purchase price were disclosed.
The charging parks acquired include the following locations:
- Brixen-Vahrn (South Tyrol) along the Brenner Corridor, with 20 ultra-fast charging stations
- Palmanova (Udine) along the Alpine-Adriatic Corridor, with 12 ultra-fast charging stations
- Gruaro (Venice), located between highways A28 and A4, with 16 ultra-fast charging stations
According to EDRI, these locations feature high connection capacity, which allows for rapid expansion of charging stations and potential technological upgrades in the future. Michele De Gaspari, Regional Director for Southern Europe at E.ON Drive Infrastructure, commented: “By integrating these hubs into our network, we strengthen our presence along Europe’s key transportation corridors and expand a network designed to make high-speed charging more accessible and reliable across the continent.”
EDRI claims to be present in eleven European countries now, employing over 200 staff and operating a network of around 10,000 public charging stations. In Italy, the company won a bid from Autostrade per l’Italia (ASPI), Italy’s largest highway operator, at the beginning of this year to build 104 HPC charging stations at 18 highway service areas. These stations will be located along Italy’s busiest east-west and north-south corridors, including the A4 highway (Turin–Triest) and A14 highway (Bologna–Taranto). According to previous statements, all locations are set to be operational by the end of 2026.
Smatrics EnBW has once again ended its operations in Italy after about two years. At the end of 2024, the joint venture, which had previously operated solely in Austria, opened its first fast-charging park in Italy. This was the location mentioned earlier on the Brenner motorway, featuring 20 HPC charging stations. A charging park followed in Palmanova in 2025, before Smatrics EnBW expanded the network with two more locations in February 2026.
In response to a request for comment, a spokesperson from Smatrics EnBW also provided an explanation for withdrawing from Italy. Smatrics EnBW is described as a driving force behind the mobility transition in Austria, aiming to establish a comprehensive fast-charging network. “Sustaining and further developing its strong position in Austria requires unwavering focus and the full concentration of SMATRICS EnBW GmbH’s resources on its core market,” the spokesperson said in response to an electrive inquiry. For this reason, Smatrics EnBW decided to sell 100% of its shares in its fast-charging network in Italy — “and to focus entirely on the Austrian market from now on.”