Mercedes-Benz is handing over the operation of its European fast-charging hubs. According to Electra's announcement, all 47 Mercedes-Benz High Power Charging Hubs in Europe became part of the network of Electra, the Paris-based fast-charging operator, from 1 November 2026. That is 374 charge points in total, with 31 of the hubs in Germany and 6 in Austria. Electra announced the deal on 3 November. At the same time, Electra and MB.CHARGE Public, Mercedes' in-car charging and roaming service, launched a new premium partnership that gives Mercedes customers preferential rates, in-car access and charge-point reservation across Electra's network.
Neither company has disclosed the price. Mercedes' quarterly report does give some figures, though, according to ecomento, and Mercedes has not sold its sites in North America and China.
The deal in numbers
- Sites transferred: 47 hubs, 374 charge points, effective 1 November 2026 (Electra).
- Where they are: 31 in Germany and 6 in Austria. The announcement does not say which countries the other 10 hubs are in, heise autos notes.
- Electra's network: more than 800 stations and more than 5,000 charge points across ten countries, according to Electra's 3 November announcement. Its German network goes from 50 to 81 stations.
- Price: confidential. ecomento reports that the parties agreed to silence on the purchase price, citing Manager Magazin.
- Balance-sheet trace: according to ecomento, a Mercedes-Benz quarterly report reclassified EUR 99 million in assets in connection with the "sale of parts of the fast-charging network" (Veräußerung von Teilen des Schnellladenetzwerks). ecomento says that amount includes fixed assets of EUR 73 million and liabilities of EUR 21 million. These are accounting reclassifications, not a sale price.
How it happened
Electra's announcement is dated Paris, 3 November 2026, and states that the 47 hubs become part of the Electra network "from 1 November 2026". The handover therefore took effect two days before the public announcement. heise autos reports that, according to the announcement, the charging process will not change for customers, and that Mercedes has always promoted its charging parks as open to all vehicle brands.
ecomento describes the move as a strategic reversal. It says the sale ends the implementation of plans announced in early 2023 to build Mercedes' own global charging network, and that the carmaker is concentrating more on its core business of building cars.
Not everything was sold. According to ecomento, citing Manager Magazin, the charging parks Mercedes built in North America and China remain in Mercedes-Benz's ownership, although the company is continuously reviewing the direction of its charging network in those markets. The sources do not describe any agreement or timeline for those markets.
Why Electra wants it
Germany is the main focus. Electra said in its announcement that it plans to invest EUR 200 million in Germany alone next year. heise autos adds that Electra has not said how the money will be allocated. ecomento reports that Electra's goal is 200 German sites, up from 81 after the Mercedes hubs join (50 before the deal). ecomento also reports that Electra is aiming for 15,000 charging points by 2030. These are goals, not built capacity. The sources do not give a timeline for the 200-site figure beyond the investment year, and ecomento's 15,000 target is not described as a European or global figure in the sources.
On network quality, Electra reported network availability of more than 98.5% and says it offers charging power of up to 600 kW at selected locations. These are the company's own figures. heise autos notes that the GoingElectric community directory lists 273 active Electra locations, and that this is not an availability measurement. The sources do not include an independent check of the 98.5% figure.
What It Means for Drivers
If you drive any EV: the former Mercedes hubs are now part of Electra's network, as of 1 November 2026. The branding is changing: according to ecomento, the Mercedes logos have already been removed and the Mercedes pylons are to be replaced by the end of the year. So the sites may look partly rebranded for the next few weeks. heise autos reports that nothing changes for drivers of other brands, as Electra's chargers remain accessible through its own payment options and the card terminal.
If you use MB.CHARGE Public: under the new premium partnership, Electra says that, depending on their MB.CHARGE Public tariff, customers get preferential rates, access through the Mercedes-Benz charging ecosystem in the vehicle or app, and the option to reserve compatible charge points before arrival. Electra's announcement also notes that using MB.CHARGE Public requires a separate customer charging contract with a selected third-party provider. heise autos says the providers have not yet said what Mercedes customers will pay at Electra chargers.
Here are the German MB.CHARGE prices, as heise autos reported them on 3 November 2026:
- Plan M: EUR 4.90 per month. DC charging in the Preferred Partner Network costs EUR 0.55/kWh.
- Plan L: EUR 9.90 per month. DC charging in the Preferred Partner Network costs EUR 0.49/kWh.
- Idle fee: an additional EUR 0.05 per minute after 90 minutes, in both plans.
- Mercedes' own hubs (price list before the transfer): EUR 0.39/kWh on both Plan M and Plan L, with no idle fee.
Electra's own prices in Germany and Austria, also per heise autos on 3 November 2026, are EUR 0.54/kWh when using its app, Autocharge or charging card, and EUR 0.69/kWh when paying by credit card at the terminal.
The comparison that matters most to Mercedes drivers is the EUR 0.39/kWh rate listed for Mercedes' own hubs against the EUR 0.49 to 0.55/kWh Preferred Partner rates. heise autos says the announcement does not say whether the EUR 0.39/kWh price remains in effect after the switch, and that it is unclear whether Preferred Partner pricing applies at every Electra station. ecomento, for its part, reports that existing charging tariffs are supposed to remain usable on the known terms. Because the sources differ in emphasis, drivers should check the price shown in the Mercedes app or vehicle before each session, which heise autos says is the price that counts, and not assume the old hub price still applies.
Outside Europe: nothing is reported to change yet. The North American and Chinese charging parks remain in Mercedes-Benz's ownership while the company reviews their direction (ecomento, citing Manager Magazin).
The bigger picture
The transaction fits a pattern in which automakers that built branded charging networks hand physical operation to a specialist operator while keeping the customer relationship through roaming and in-car services. Mercedes keeps MB.CHARGE Public as its customer-facing layer. Nico Dettmer, Global Head of Mercedes-Benz Charging Solutions, said in the announcement that the partnership adds more than 800 locations to Mercedes' premium partnership network. That framing of the pattern is our reading of the announcements, not a statement from either company.
Mercedes and Electra have not published several figures that would show how the deal changes the economics: the price, the utilization of the 47 hubs, and whether the transferred sites keep any Mercedes-specific tariff. Until they do, the clearest public numbers are the EUR 99 million reclassification reported by ecomento from Mercedes' quarterly report and the price lists above.
