Volkswagen acquired a minority stake in has·to·be, a leading provider of holistic solutions for e-mobility. Together, has·to·be and Volkswagen will forge ahead with the expansion of the pan-European charging network and participate in the rapidly growing market for charging solutions. Financial terms were not disclosed. "Simple and convenient charging is essential for the rapid breakthrough of e-mobility. We not only need more charging stations; they must also be networked and function in an intelligent way. Charging an electric car must be just as commonplace as charging a smart phone,” says Thomas Ulbrich, Member of the Board of Management of the Volkswagen brand responsible for E-Mobility. “Together with has·to·be, we want to open up and develop the rapidly growing business area of charging infrastructure. We will also be using has·to·be software ourselves. Throughout the Group, we will be installing about 36,000 charging points throughout Europe up to 2025. In future, charging will therefore be quicker and more convenient.”