Macquarie Capital and IP, an Italian private fuels and mobility player, have signed a binding agreement to set up IPLANET, a 50-50 joint venture for electrification of service areas on urban and suburban roads.
In October, IP was awarded €29.3 million ($30.8 million) in funding as part of the E.U. Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) project specifically for the installation of electric rechargers. The new company initially will consist of 510 IP service areas throughout Italy, where traditional fuel pumps will begin being transitioned into electric-charging stations.
The charging infrastructure will be set up in service stations located on urban and extra-urban roads, near commercial or densely trafficked areas. The goal is to enable travelers to recharge in about 15 minutes. The recharging experience will be supported by new traveler services in the catering, shopping and car-care fields. Electricity will be supplied by solar panels installed on site and managed by bat