Giovanni Palazzo has been in command of the Volkswagen Group’s world charging infrastructure and power enterprise since 1 July. Along with the charging companies underneath the Elli and Electrify America manufacturers, he’ll more and more give attention to options for load distribution, power market optimisation and power buying and selling.
Giovanni’s predecessor Elke Temme resigned from her place in February with rapid impact. Giovanni Palazzo, the previous President and CEO of the North American fast-charging community Electrify America, has now taken over the reins. Palazzo held the place since 2018 and labored for the Volkswagen Group for seven years earlier than becoming a member of Electrify America, most lately as head of electrical mobility technique. Earlier in his profession, he held positions at Mercedes-Benz and Daimler AG. Palazzo was succeeded at Electrify America on 1 June by Rob Barrosa as the brand new President and CEO.
In line with a Volkswagen assertion, Palazzo will give attention to increasing the quick charging community and the event of the corporate’s personal good power platform. Elli and Electrify America also needs to cooperate extra intently and roll out new enterprise fashions internationally. As well as, the division will strengthen cooperation with the Group’s manufacturers and intensify proximity to personal and fleet prospects.
Volkswagen created the Charging and Vitality enterprise area on the flip of 2020/2021 and positioned it underneath Volkswagen Group Parts. The intention was, and nonetheless is, to bundle the Group’s world actions in charging infrastructure and power companies. The Group printed an interim report on its charging infrastructure growth firstly of the 12 months.
“Volkswagen Group can construct on the experience of its manufacturers within the area of charging and power, specifically Electrify America – the most important open charging community within the US – and Elli, which is already the most important mobility service supplier in Europe,” says Palazzo. “We wish to additional increase this experience alongside all the worth chain and verticalise the power administration enterprise, which will likely be an vital income driver sooner or later. That is based mostly on a brand new strategic orientation, new enterprise fashions and nearer cooperation inside the division in addition to with Volkswagen Group’s manufacturers.”
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Giovanni desires to increase the strategic course in direction of modern options round load distribution, power market optimisation and power buying and selling. For instance, the Volkswagen Group plans to launch the primary good charging administration companies for fleet prospects from 2024. In North America, Electrify America already provides charging and power companies reminiscent of public charging, inexperienced power, and power administration. The corporate desires to anchor the EVs as an clever client and energy financial institution within the energy grid, thus contributing to the longer term’s power system. In different phrases, VW desires to push additional into the V2G sector.
“We recognised early on that charging and power is among the most vital future fields for the ramp-up of electrical mobility and the power transition. It’s due to this fact essential to develop our personal services and products alongside all the worth chain and to conclude strategic partnerships within the power sector,” says Thomas Schmall, Member of the Volkswagen Group Board of Administration chargeable for Expertise and CEO of Volkswagen Group Expertise. “With Giovanni Palazzo, we now have a wonderful trade skilled and a contemporary chief in our staff who will strengthen the Group’s competencies within the power transition. As an internationally skilled supervisor, he has the abilities to drive world cooperations and innovation partnerships.”
With its companions, Volkswagen intends to ascertain greater than 43,000 quick charging factors in Europe, China and North America by 2025. In North America alone, the fast-charging community underneath the course of Electrify America is to double to eight,000 charging factors by then. In China, the three way partnership CAMS is focusing on 17,000 quick charging factors by 2025. Volkswagen doesn’t specify a concrete goal for Europe in its communication. Nonetheless, the order of magnitude may be calculated: Round 18,000 fast-charging factors stay for Europe, in line with the data simply supplied.
volkswagen-newsroom.com