VW hires energy-sector executive to lead EV charging unit

FRANKFURT — Volkswagen Group has hired Elke Temme, a long-time executive at Germany’s top utility RWE, to head the automaker’s newly created division for energy and EV charging.

Temme will oversee pooling and managing existing group activities in the fields of energy, charging services, charging equipment, and charging infrastructure across all brands, VW said in a statement.

Most recently, Temme was COO of Innogy eMobility solutions. Innogy was carved out from RWE in 2016 and later broken up in an asset swap with E.ON, which acquired the company’s emobility activities in the process.

“With Elke Temme, we have won a proven expert in the fields of energy and charging for our company,” VW board member Thomas Schmall said in the statement.

Temme’s move is the latest example of the growing convergence of the autos and energy sectors as EV sales gain momentum.