FRANKFURT, June 29 (Reuters) - Royal Dutch Shell
and Renault are among those interested in taking a
stake in electric vehicle (EV) charging group Ionity, two people
familiar with the matter said.
Ionity, whose owners include Volkswagen, Daimler
, BMW and Ford, in March said it was
examining ways to expand its network of fast-chargers across
Europe, adding additional shareholders were welcome.
Final bids for the 20%-25% stake, which is valued at 400
million euros to 500 million euros ($475-$594 million), are due
in July, one of the sources said. The sources asked not to be
named because they are not authorised to talk to the press on
the issue.
Ionity is being advised by BNP Paribas on the
deal, sources previously said.
Shell and Renault, which is scheduled to present its updated
EV strategy on June 30, declined to comment. Ionity was not
immediately available for comment.
For Shell, a stake in Ionity would further its plans to
establish itself as a major player in Europe's future electric
vehicle charging network as the Anglo-Dutch company seeks to
pivot from its century-old oil and gas business.
In 2017, Shell and Ionity signed an agreement to build
fast-charging points in 10 European countries. Shell also owns
NewMotion, one of Europe's largest charging providers.
EV charging infrastructure expansion has been central to the
debate around mass adoption of battery-powered cars in Germany,
where range anxiety, or the fear of being stranded without
access to a plug, persists.
Ionity, whose shareholders also include South Korea's
Hyundai Motor as well as Volkswagen units Porsche AG
and Audi, has 348 stations in operation across the continent,
with a further 45 under construction.
At a capacity of up to 350 kilowatt hours, Ionity's spots
are among the highest-performing and can deliver a meaningful
charge for electric vehicles within minutes.
($1 = 0.8415 euros)
(Reporting by Arno Schuetze, Christoph Steitz, Christina Amann,
Ron Bousso and Gilles Guillaume; editing by Barbara Lewis)
