Car rental company Sixt is looking to set up its own charging station network for electric cars. “We decided four weeks ago that we would invest more than 50 million euros in the expansion of the charging infrastructure,” said Alexander Sixt, co-owner of the daily newspaper. World on Monday. Some charging stations must be publicly accessible.

The son of the company’s founder, Erich Sixt, said the pillars should be available to third parties as well. This is not possible at the airport as the pillars have to be installed in areas reserved for rental cars. “We already have twelve virtual stations,” Sixt said. “Vehicles are simply parked at charging stations on the road. We will make these poles accessible to others as well.”

charging instead of refueling

In doing so, the company is also responding to changes in business due to changes in dynamics. “Until now, most customers have refueled the vehicle shortly before handing over, which is no longer conceivable in the era of electromobility”, Six told the newspaper. “You can’t wait an hour and a half at the charging station at the airport and only then hand over the car.”

Sixt has expanded its traditional car rental business in recent years to include car sharing. The company had given up its stake in BMW’s car-sharing DriveNow in favor of its offer. Six Share was launched in Berlin in 2019 and is now also available in Munich, Hamburg and Greifeling. Sixth Car Sharing is available at fixed stations in other cities. Along with the six rides, the landlord also arranges for carpooling and taxi rides.

(VBR)