BP has officially joined BMW Group and Daimler Mobility as the third shareholder in the Digital Charging Solutions GmbH (DCS) joint venture that provides charging solutions for OEMs. Each of the companies hold an equal share of about 33.3%, as announced in August.
DCS’s platform provides access to more than 300,000 charging points in 30 countries. In Europe, the coverage is above 85% of the public charging infrastructure (mostly through roaming between all the individual charging networks).
Using DCS’s platform, manufacturers can offer their own services like “Mercedes me Charge”, “BMW Charging” and “MINI Charging” to their customers.
“DCS’s services are essential for the electrification strategies of the automotive industry. The company works with premium and high volume OEMs to integrate its charging solutions into the vehicles’ operating systems and the OEMs’ digital ecosystems. Digital Charging Solutions GmbH stands behind the CHARGE NOW brand in the YOUR NOW Joint Ventures of BMW Group and Daimler Mobility AG and operates charging services such as “Mercedes me Charge”, “BMW Charging” and “MINI Charging”.”
“And to support the transition of businesses and fleets to electric mobility, business customers can expect access to a 360° solution for electric and hybrid fleets that includes new and innovative charging services beyond fueling, tolling and washing offers.”
BP brings to the DCS capital an additional 9,000 charging points in Europe, including Aral Pulse in Germany and bp pulse in the UK. The company intends to have over 70,000 charging points globally by 2030.
In the near future, BP and DCS intend to launch the Plug & Charge feature, which will allow to charge the cars without the use of RFID cards or an app (identification, authorization and billing will be automatic).
In the case of BP, the Plug & Charge should be initially available on Aral Pulse ultra-fast chargers in Germany from Q1 2022.