MILAN (Reuters) - Carmaker Fiat Chrysler (FCA) has signed an agreement with European utilities Enel and Engie to help offer its customers charging points for electric vehicles (EV) it is planning to roll out.
FCA, which is lagging rivals in developing electrified vehicles, said last June it would invest 9 billion euros (£8 billion) over the next five years to introduce hybrid and electric cars across all regions.
Last month, the Italian-American carmaker proposed a merger with French rival Renault in part to share the costs of developing a new series of electric cars. Merger talks collapsed earlier this month.
In a statement, FCA said the main aim of its partnerships with Enel and Engie was to be able to offer private and public charging stations to support the sales of its soon-to-be-launched fully electric Fiat 500 BEV and plug-in hybrid Jeep Renegade PHEV.
"We are assembling an eco-system of partners, products and services across multiple markets to meet and exceed the rapidly evolving expectations of our customers for electrified vehicles," FCA Chief Executive Mike Manley said.
The deal also includes developing services such as apps to allow clients to locate public charging points.
Enel, through its Enel X unit, will work with FCA in Italy, Spain and Portugal, while Engie will work with the carmaker in 14 other European markets.
(Reporting by Stephen Jewkes; Editing by Mark Potter)
