Norwegian transport sector tapped for fast-charging EV stations

March 6 (UPI) -- A German utility company said it was launching a collaborative effort to develop ultra-fast charging stations for electric vehicles across Norway.

German company E.ON said it was working through partnership with Denmark based e-mobility service provider CLEVER to develop networks for electric vehicles on main European motorways. The partnership said it was now teaming up with the Norwegian and Danish retail gas station chain YX Energi to build dozens of charging stations across Norway.

"This network will also connect Norway with the rest of Scandinavia and Europe," the German company explained in a statement. "The ultra-fast chargers will be installed from 2018 to 2020."

Norway leads Europe with deployment of electric vehicles, with about 100,000 on the road already. In terms of market share, Norway and the Netherlands lead Europe with 23 percent and 10 percent respectively.

The announcement from E.ON comes less than a month after the German government unveiled plans to steer $320 million over four years to increase access to high-speed charging stations for electric vehicles.

Germany as a whole has one of the greener economies in Europe, however, and Austrian energy company OMV announced an initiative in the country last year that envisions 400 hydrogen filling stations for alternative vehicles by 2023.