Mercedes and PowerX open first dedicated fast-charging site in Japan

Mercedes-Benz and PowerX have opened the first Mercedes-Benz Charging Hub in Japan as part of their partnership. The battery-buffered site in the city of Chiba has two fast-charging points. By the end of 2026, a total of 100 HPC units are to be installed at 25 locations across the country.

The first location was equipped with the ‘PowerX Hypercharger’ system. For the first time, specially developed Mercedes-Benz charging stations with a large touchscreen are being used instead of the company’s own. The system consists of two CHAdeMO charging stations, each of which has a charging point with an output of up to 120 kW. In boost mode, up to 150 kW should also be possible for ten minutes. There is also a battery storage unit. The energy content is not specified, but according to the website, PowerX offers a battery storage system with 358 kWh for this fast-charging system.

However, the fast-charging stations are not exclusively available to Mercedes customers. According to PowerX, they are open to the public. While customers of the German car manufacturer can use Mercedes’ own charging service, owners of electric vehicles from other brands must start the charging process via the PowerX app. Important to know, however: The charging time is limited to 30 minutes.

With just two charging points, the location in Chiba is one of the smaller hubs. In August, Mercedes-Benz High Power Charging Japan G.K. (MBHPCJ), a subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz, and PowerX in the city of Kashiwa, also in Chiba Prefecture, plan to put a larger fast-charging hub with four charging points into operation. Another location, also with four HPC charging points, is to follow in September in Setagaya in Tokyo Prefecture. As announced in October 2024, Mercedes-Benz and PowerX are aiming to set up a total of 100 HPC charging points at 25 locations within two years.

Mercedes has been expanding its charging networks internationally this year, also in the USA, where its the charging alliance Ionna, of which Mercedes is a member, officially opened its first charging park in February, followed by another announcement by Mercedes to install 500 ultra-fast charging stalls at U.S. retail stores just yesterday. In October last year, Mercedes and BMW received approval to build a fast-charging network in China, where the companies aim to set up a total of 1,000 fast-charging locations by the end of 2026, containing a total of 7,000 charging points, spread across 100 cities in China.

power-x.jp