Big car-makers to install European network of vehicle charging ports

The car manufacturers have said they want to establish thousands of the stations along motorways throughout the continent by 2020, initially targeting 400 sites for construction.

The joint-venture will attempt to enable long-distance travel by placing the ports along commonly-used routes, something that up until this point has evaded makers of electric vehicles.

Daimler AG, the parent company of Mercedes Benz, has also decided to come on board the project, whose level of cooperation between the rivals is unprecedented.

"This high-power charging network provides motorists with another strong argument to move towards electric mobility," said Harald Krüger, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG.

Ford CEO Mark Fields also said that the cooperation between the manufacturers had the potential to "transform" the motor industry.

"A reliable, ultra-fast charging infrastructure is important for mass consumer adoption and has the potential to transform the possibilities for electric driving," said Fields.

Electric cars have failed to grab the attention of consumers until now due to a limited driving range and relative expensiveness of the technology, but with tighter environmental regulations the companies are now looking to electric as the best way forward.