BlackRock Inc. is joining automakers including BMW AG , Volkswagen AG and Ford Motor Co. as shareholders in electric-car charging consortium Ionity GmbH , contributing to a 700 million-euro ($787 million) investment in the venture. The joint outlay will more than quadruple Ionity’s high-power charging points in Europe to at least 7,000 by 2025, the group said in a statement Wednesday. The company didn’t specify the spending split between BlackRock and different carmakers. BlackRock’s Global Renewable Power platform will be the first non-automotive member of the consortium. Ionity, which also includes Hyundai Motor Co. and Mercedes-Benz AG , was set up in 2017 to help alleviate concerns over driving longer distances with electric vehicles. The company currently operates more than 1,500 fast-charging points with 350 kilowatt-hour capacity along European highways. The new investment will help extend the network to building stations near major cities and busy trunk roads, as […]