Mercedes-Benz opens 47 charging parks in Europe with 374 HPC stations
Mercedes-Benz sold its entire European fast-charging network to the French company Electra, including 47 locations with 374 HPC stations. The deal was signed on August 3, but it became public only in Mercedes’ report for the third quarter of 2026. A year ago, the company announced plans to expand its own network to additional countries. Now, its customers will receive discounts at the new owner’s charging stations.
Of the acquired sites, 31 are located in Germany, and 6 are in Austria. The remaining 10 are in other European markets that were not specified. Electra has been operating in Germany since May 2025, and according to the company, its network there has grown from 50 to 81 sites, an increase of over 60%. The package also includes the first Alpitronic HYC1000 chargers, which Mercedes installed in Hamburg-Wandsbek and at the 24-Autohof in Wörrstadt. These chargers were meant to set a new standard for power output in its network and will be painted in Electra’s colors.
What’s Changing for Mercedes Drivers
MB.CHARGE Public Electra joins as the second “Premium Partner.” The first is Ionity, in which Mercedes holds shares. For drivers, this means lower roaming rates at over 800 Electra locations (more than 5,000 charging points in ten countries) and the ability to reserve charging spots, which was previously available only in Mercedes parks. Electra stations will appear in the car’s navigation and the Mercedes app. The partnership takes effect immediately, but Electra could not specify how long the premium partnership will last.
The technical transition took one weekend. Electra rerouted the stations to its backend (the system that manages chargers and billing), a message about the operator change appeared on the screens, and the old Mercedes parks are now shown in the apps as Electra stations. In the coming days, the ad hoc payment terminals will be replaced, and then the Mercedes stars will disappear from the enclosures. Employees are not covered by this change, as it only relates to customer locations and access.
From a plan for 10,000 stations to actual sales
The Mercedes-Benz Charging Network was launched in 2023 with the goal of having over 10,000 fast-charging stations worldwide by the end of the decade, yet as of September 2025, there were 80 parks operating globally. The Mercedes-Benz Group’s management decided to sell the European portion as early as July 2026. The company did not disclose the price, but according to a quarterly report, the network was recently valued at 99 million euros, of which 73 million euros was for fixed assets, with 21 million euros in liabilities.
Mercedes’ own charging stations in China and the U.S. will remain for now.
Electra is moving in the opposite direction. It plans to invest 200 million euros in Germany next year and aim to have 15,000 fast-charging stations across Europe by 2030. It is also expanding through acquisitions, having recently bought the HomE of Mobility park in Wertheim, with its German chief stating that the market will increasingly focus on large operators. Paul Tonini, Electra’s CEO in Germany, told electrive about operators without sufficient scale: “The costs would simply be too high compared to the revenue generated.”
From the editorial team: Mercedes drivers are likely to benefit from this change, as instead of 47 own charging parks, they now get discounts and access to over 800 locations. Mercedes is leaving charging infrastructure in Europe to Ionity, in which it holds shares, and its partners, no longer maintaining its own equipment.
Source: Electrive
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