Photo: Electrify America
Electrify America, Volkswagen’s company in charge with the creation of an electric vehicle charging infrastructure in the U.S., will be led starting this year by Giovanni Palazzo, who will be replacing Mark McNabb.
The company was launched in 2016, and one year later the job of steering it fell in the hands of McNabb. Less than a year after taking charge, the executive “decided to leave the organization,” for unspecified reasons. Before taking over Electrify America, McNabb led the group’s diesel settlement agreements and implementation in the United States.
Palazzo will be taking over sometime this year, after serving in various position in the Volkswagen Group ever since 2011. Most recently, he has been head of the group’s E-Mobility business.
“Electrify America has taken off with its mission to enable Americans to discover the benefits of electric driving and provide the nationwide charging infrastructure to do so,” said Volkswagen of America CEO Hinrich J. Woebcken.
“We are pleased to welcome Giovanni Palazzo, an expert in e-mobility in both vehicles and infrastructure, to lead the organization into its next phase of implementation.”
The task ahead for the new executive will not be an easy one. Electrify America committed itself invest $2 billion in infrastructure by 2027. Of that, $800 million is to be invested in the state of California alone, as the state is seen to be the most EV-friendly location in the world.
By the end of next year, the company plans to deploy 2,000 chargers across 484 sites in 17 metropolitan areas and on highways in 39 states.
Earlier in April, Electrify America announced a partnership with Walmart which would allow it to install chargers at Walmart locations across 34 states, making the retailer the biggest charging stations host in the United States.
Among the chargers to be deployed is ABB’s Terra High Power charger, a 350 kilowatts monster that is capable of providing electric cars with 125 miles (200 km) of power in just eight minutes.
Palazzo will be taking over sometime this year, after serving in various position in the Volkswagen Group ever since 2011. Most recently, he has been head of the group’s E-Mobility business.
“Electrify America has taken off with its mission to enable Americans to discover the benefits of electric driving and provide the nationwide charging infrastructure to do so,” said Volkswagen of America CEO Hinrich J. Woebcken.
“We are pleased to welcome Giovanni Palazzo, an expert in e-mobility in both vehicles and infrastructure, to lead the organization into its next phase of implementation.”
The task ahead for the new executive will not be an easy one. Electrify America committed itself invest $2 billion in infrastructure by 2027. Of that, $800 million is to be invested in the state of California alone, as the state is seen to be the most EV-friendly location in the world.
By the end of next year, the company plans to deploy 2,000 chargers across 484 sites in 17 metropolitan areas and on highways in 39 states.
Earlier in April, Electrify America announced a partnership with Walmart which would allow it to install chargers at Walmart locations across 34 states, making the retailer the biggest charging stations host in the United States.
Among the chargers to be deployed is ABB’s Terra High Power charger, a 350 kilowatts monster that is capable of providing electric cars with 125 miles (200 km) of power in just eight minutes.
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