Mercedes will Build Its Own Electric Vehicle Charging Network.

Mercedes-Benz has announced that it will create its own electric vehicle charging system beginning with North America in a bid to be competitive with electric vehicle sales the market leader Tesla.

The German luxury carmaker announced that at its CES gadget event held in Las Vegas Thursday that it will begin the construction of its North American network this year with a cost of just under one billion euros ($1.05 billion). If it is completed in the next six or seven years the network will include 400 charging stations, with more than 2,500 power plugs the company claimed.

There will be networks across Europe and China and other countries will follow, with the completion of the entire network by the end the decade, at which point Mercedes-Benz will be able to sell electric vehicles in all markets based on the market conditions. The entire network will comprise over 2,000 charging points and more than 10,000 plugs across the globe, Ola Kallenius, chairman of Mercedes-Benz’s board of management, informed reporters.

The company stated that its Mercedes-branded network will be accessible to all owners of electric vehicles. However, Mercedes owners can reserve charging ports, and receive preferred treatment over other brands.