BEIJING, Jan 6 (Reuters) - China's Xpeng Motors

and Volkswagen have agreed to expand their

partnership to cooperate on ultra-fast electric vehicle charging

networks in China, the automakers said on Monday.

The companies have signed a memorandum of understanding to

open their respective fast-charging networks to each other's

customers, which comprise more than 20,000 charging piles across

420 cities in China, they said in a joint statement.

They will also explore the joint construction of

co-branded ultra-fast charging stations.

Xpeng ( XPEV ) and Volkswagen forged a partnership in 2023, when

Volkswagen bought 4.99% of Xpeng ( XPEV ) for around $700 million with

plans to jointly launch two Volkswagen-branded EV models by

2026.

Volkswagen later said it had developed a new architecture

for intelligent and electric cars with Xpeng ( XPEV ) which the German

automaker said would help it offer more affordable EVs in its

biggest market.