Paving the way for sustainable mobility: bp, BMW Group and Daimler Mobility announce successful closing of transaction that makes bp third shareholder of Digital Charging Solutions GmbH (DCS)

  • DCS offers industry leading solutions to provide EV drivers with
    seamless access to more than 300,000 charging points in 30
    countries.
  • bp will provide DCS customers access to an additional 9,000
    charging points across Europe including ultra-fast charging and
    together with DCS, will develop new integrated offers for fleets –
    including fuel and charge services
  • Globally, bp aims to grow its network of public EV charging
    points by 2030 to over 70,000 worldwide

 

London/Munich/Stuttgart. bp has become the third
shareholder of Digital Charging Solutions GmbH (DCS) following the
successful closing of the MA transaction. bp gained a 33.3% stake
as part of a capital increase. BMW Group and Daimler Mobility AG
remain shareholders owning a 33.3% stake each.

Electrification is at the heart of bp’s approach to mobility. All
three shareholders of DCS share an ambition to drive electrification
forward and pave the way for sustainable mobility.  bp is rapidly
growing its charging businesses around the world and aims to have over
70,000 public charge points by 2030.

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”.

DCS already provides unrivaled access to charging infrastructure with
a coverage of more than 85% in 29 European countries.

Following the successful transaction, EV drivers can look forward to
enhanced coverage and charging convenience as they gain access to an
additional 9,000 rapid and ultra-fast charging points (more than
150kw) through bp’s European charging network – Aral Pulse in Germany
and bp pulse in the UK. Both bp and DCS will provide access to
advanced charging services such as Plug Charge which enables a
seamless charging experience reducing the need for apps or charging
cards – initially available on Aral Pulse ultra-fast chargers in
Germany from Q1 2022.  

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.

Richard Bartlett, bp senior vice president, future mobility
solutions said: “Our aim is to make charging as convenient as
refuelling at the pump – fast, reliable and highly integrated with the
vehicle operating system to provide a great customer experience. We’re
excited to have completed this transaction and look forward to working
with our partners to continue to provide EV drivers with access to
convenient charging where they need it.”

„We are pleased to welcome bp as a strong partner who shares our
vision to push electrification. By forming this strategic
collaboration with one of the biggest energy companies in the world,
we will provide drivers with increasing access to a convenient and
seamless charging ecosystem wherever and whenever they need it,
contributing to the electric transformation of our society”,”
said Gero Götzenberger, Director for Strategy and Digital Mobility
Solutions, Daimler Mobility AG.

“This collaboration brings our leading charging network a huge step
forward. Especially the electrification of fleets and fleet management
will see a comprehensive boost – we will jointly drive innovation,
increase our customer focus and accelerate CO2 reduction.
We welcome bp as a strong and progressive partner”, adds Rainer
Feurer, Senior Vice President of Investments at the BMW Group. 

Jörg Reimann, CEO Digital Charging Solutions GmbH: “We are really
excited to have bp as strategic partner and shareholder at the same
time. Our business models are highly complementary. We provide access
to the largest network of charging points in Europe – now we are
designing and delivering superior services for our current and future customers.”

 

 

 

 

Contacts

Daimler Mobility AG:
Michael Kuhn, +49 160 861 4768, michael.m.kuhn@daimler.com

BMW Group:
Dr. Britta Ullrich, +49 151 601 18 364, britta.ullrich@bmw.de

bp:

bp press office London, bppress@bp.com Switchboard: +44 (0)
207-496-4000; Tel: +44 (0) 207-496-4076 or +44 7919 217511

 

Digital Charging Solutions GmbH:
Meret Ginten, +49 160 967 488
79, meret.ginten@digitalchargingsolutions.com

 

 

Further information from Daimler is available at:

www.media.daimler.com and www.daimler.com

 

This document contains forward-looking statements that reflect our
current views about future events. The words “anticipate,” “assume,”
“believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” ”can,” “could,”
“plan,” “project,” “should” and similar expressions are used to
identify forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to
many risks and uncertainties, including an adverse development of
global economic conditions, in particular a decline of demand in our
most important markets; a deterioration of our refinancing
possibilities on the credit and financial markets; events of force
majeure including natural disasters, pandemics, acts of terrorism,
political unrest, armed conflicts, industrial accidents and their
effects on our sales, purchasing, production or financial services
activities; changes in currency exchange rates and tariff regulations;
a shift in consumer preferences towards smaller, lower-margin
vehicles; a possible lack of acceptance of our products or services
which limits our ability to achieve prices and adequately utilize our
production capacities; price increases for fuel or raw materials;
disruption of production due to shortages of materials, labor strikes
or supplier insolvencies; a decline in resale prices of used vehicles;
the effective implementation of cost-reduction and
efficiency-optimization measures; the business outlook for companies
in which we hold a significant equity interest; the successful
implementation of strategic cooperations and joint ventures; changes
in laws, regulations and government policies, particularly those
relating to vehicle emissions, fuel economy and safety; the resolution
of pending government investigations or of investigations requested by
governments and the conclusion of pending or threatened future legal
proceedings; and other risks and uncertainties, some of which we
describe under the heading “Risk and Opportunity Report” in the
current Annual Report or the current Interim Report. If any of these
risks and uncertainties materializes or if the assumptions underlying
any of our forward-looking statements prove to be incorrect, the
actual results may be materially different from those we express or
imply by such statements. We do not intend or assume any obligation to
update these forward-looking statements since they are based solely on
the circumstances at the date of publication.

Daimler Mobility at a Glance
In addition to
Mercedes-Benz AG and Daimler Truck AG, Daimler Mobility AG is one of
the three business divisions of Daimler AG. It has about 11,650
employees and specializes in financial and mobility solutions. Its
products range from leasing, financing, and insurance products to
innovative fleet management systems and app-based mobility services.
As a financial services provider, the business division supports the
sales of the Daimler Group’s automotive brands worldwide. In Germany,
Mercedes-Benz Bank AG, part of the Daimler Mobility division, is one
of the country’s leading automotive banks. It provides around one
million customers with financial leeway as well as call-money and
fixed-interest-rate accounts in the direct banking business. The
product range is supplemented by flexible mobility services such as
Mercedes-Benz Rent and EQ subscriptions, which enable an uncomplicated
and flexible entry into electro mobility. Through its subsidiary
Athlon, Daimler Mobility is represented in the commercial fleet
management segment as well as in vehicle leasing in Europe. The
company manages more than 400,000 vehicles in total. As a strategic
investor, Daimler Mobility also participates in the business potential
of digital mobility solutions through its holdings. The focus is on
its involvement in the YOUR NOW joint ventures, which are grouped into
three pillars: FREE NOW REACH NOW, SHARE NOW, and PARK NOW
CHARGE NOW. These pillars combine ride-hailing, carsharing, and
parking services with multimodal platforms and the charging of
electric vehicles. Daimler Mobility’s portfolio also contains holdings
in the limousine ride-hailing service StarRides in China and the
chauffeur and concierge service provider Blacklane. In 2020, Daimler
Mobility financed or leased around 50 percent of the vehicles sold by
Daimler worldwide. This corresponds to a contract volume of €150.6
billion. In 2020, the business division generated revenue of €27.7
billion and achieved EBIT of €1.4 billion. Daimler Mobility operates
in 39 countries.
www.daimler-mobility.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/daimler-mobility/mycompany/

twitter: https://twitter.com/MobilityDaimler

 

BMW Group
With its four brands BMW, MINI,
Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad, the BMW Group is the world’s leading
premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles and also provides
premium financial and mobility services. The BMW Group production
network comprises 31 production and assembly facilities in 15
countries; the company has a global sales network in more than 140
countries.
In 2020, the BMW Group sold over 2.3 million
passenger vehicles and more than 169,000 motorcycles worldwide. The
profit before tax in the financial year 2020 was € 5.222 billion on
revenues amounting to € 98.990 billion. As of 31 December 2020, the
BMW Group had a workforce of 120,726 employees.
The success of
the BMW Group has always been based on long-term thinking and
responsible action. The company set the course for the future at an
early stage and consistently makes sustainability and efficient
resource management central to its strategic direction, from the
supply chain through production to the end of the use phase of all
products.
www.bmwgroup.com
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/BMWGroup
Twitter:
http://twitter.com/BMWGroup
YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/BMWGroupView
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/bmwgroup
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bmw-group/

bp

bp’s purpose is to reimagine energy for people and our planet. It has
set out an ambition ‎to be a net zero company by 2050, or sooner and
help the world get to net zero, and a ‎strategy for delivering on that
ambition. Electrification is at the heart of bp’s convenience and
mobility strategy and the company aims to grow its network of public
EV charging points by 2030 to over 70,000 worldwide. They currently
have around 9,000 charging points in Europe and its UK network bp
pulse is already the most used EV charging network in the UK. The
company is also rapidly growing its network of ultra-fast chargers and
plans to have around 250 ultra-fast chargers operating at bp retail
sites in the UK and 500 ultra-fast charging points across its Aral
retail sites in Germany by year end.. Its customer and products
division has over 20,000 branded retail sites in 21 countries and more
than 11.5 million customer touchpoints per day. For more information
visit bp.com.‎

About Digital Charging Solutions GmbH

Digital Charging Solutions GmbH (DCS) develops charging solutions for
automobile manufacturers and fleet operators, making it one of the
world’s most important drivers of the transition to electromobility.
The full-service white label solutions of DCS allow OEMs and fleet
operators to realize their electromobility strategies, because with
integrated digital solutions, the company makes charging at charging
stations easy, safe and comfortable. With  more than 300,000 charging
points in 30 markets and cross-border charging, Digital Charging
Solutions GmbH offers access to the largest charging network in
Europe. Since the beginning of 2019, Digital Charging Solutions GmbH
has been part of the mobility joint venture between the BMW Group and
Daimler AG. CHARGE NOW is a brand of DCS and part of this joint
venture, which aims to strengthen sustainable mobility worldwide
together with the other verticals FREE NOW, SHARE NOW and REACH NOW.