ChargePoint is in a new era of partnerships, creating one partnership after another.
ChargePoint + Tesla
ChargePoint is one of the largest EV charging station networks in the USA. Most of its stations are “Level 2” charging stations, not EV fast chargers like Tesla’s Superchargers. Nonetheless, following Ford and GM partnering with Tesla to provide their EV drivers with access to Tesla Superchargers, ChargePoint is jumping in as well. And, technically, the charging company says this was in the works before those other recent announcements. But what does that mean?
First of all, ChargePoint highlights that this is what it’s always been about (sort of). “As a technology company enabling hosts to offer charging to their customers, employees, and fleets, our charging solutions have always been available for multiple connectors including CCS1, CHAdeMO and J1772 in North America; as well as Type 2 and CCS2 in Europe. While a world with multiple connectors has been topical in the news, it has long been the norm at ChargePoint.” That’s the company’s take. It’s perhaps noteworthy that Tesla has had Superchargers in the field for more than a decade and ChargePoint hadn’t partnered with the company before. It has done so just after the industry-shifting announcement from Ford, and then GM. However, Tesla Superchargers being the “North American Charging Standard” is a fairly new thing, and the partnership may have been more initiated by Tesla than ChargePoint. Who knows?
What ChargePoint is doing now is offering EV fast chargers that include the Tesla (NACS) plug — if that’s what a customer wants. “ChargePoint’s Express 250 (DC), Express Plus (DC), CPF50 (AC) CP6000 (AC), and the award-winning Home Flex (AC) all offer modular connectors for both customer preference and serviceability. ChargePoint will soon be offering a NACS connector option for all of these products, with cost-effective field upgrades available for chargers that are already in service. Thanks to this approach, existing customers can be confident their investment is protected.”
It’s noteworthy that ChargePoint does not control and operate its network of charging stations like companies such as Electrify America, EVgo, or Tesla do. Customers buy ChargePoint stations and then are responsible for maintenance and service. The hosts decide on the cost to charge at these stations (free is the most common fee in my area), and they collect the money (if there is any money coming in) and pay for repairs. ChargePoint makes money on the sale of charging stations and also from operating them.
ChargePoint + Arval
Before that partnership mentioned above, ChargePoint teamed up with Arval. Arval claims to be “a leader in full-service vehicle leasing and new mobility solutions and a company of the BNP Paribas Group.”
“This agreement allows fleet, financial and environmental managers, as well as other stakeholders, to take full control of the management of their electric vehicles, integrate with advanced fleet management systems, and enables them to achieve a high degree of automation in the provision and payment of electric fueling as they move towards full electrification,” ChargePoint states. This will be an international partnership.
“ChargePoint will bring its expertise and comprehensive portfolio of charging solutions and service to Arval clients in several countries and progressing across Arval’s geographies over time. This portfolio can be made directly available to all customers of Arval and the electrified vehicles Arval leases, offering a wide range of services and support,” ChargePoint writes. “The comprehensive electric vehicle charging solution will include a seamless digital on-boarding experience, billing solution, installation and maintenance, 24/7 customer support and smart chargers, providing a scalable and reliable solution that can be implemented across multiple sites and countries.”
ChargePoint + ALD Automotive
Earlier in the year, in April 2023, ChargePoint announced an expanded partnership with ALD Automotive that’s focused on growing their partnership internationally. They’ve been working together since 2019, but this is a new avenue they are going down.
“Powered by ChargePoint’s best-in-class technology, the new charging business will provide drivers of corporate fleets with one simple charging solution for easy access, payments and reimbursement reports. Drivers will access a charging network of over 485,000 charging ports across Europe, with a single dedicated app and charging card offering charging at home, in the office or on the road.”
“To control and monitor charging expenses, fleet managers will benefit from a unique, consolidated reporting and invoicing solution that provides an overview of all charging costs. Public, workplace, depot and home charging costs will be provided in one single dashboard to enable further control over the full eco-system in a unique and holistic manner. This is particularly relevant for fleet managers who manage their EV fleets through multi-leasing companies and charging wall box providers.”
“With this agreement, we are expanding our relationship with ALD Automotive, and enabling more businesses to electrify their fleets,” said Pasquale Romano, CEO of ChargePoint. “Together, ChargePoint and ALD Automotive will enable more businesses and drivers frictionless access to simple and reliable charging, opening up the millions of lease company controlled vehicles in Europe to the EV revolution.”
“With ChargePoint, our goal is to simplify and facilitate access to EV charging services for corporate fleets. This new venture allows ALD Automotive to take an additional stake in the EV ecosystem value chain while further advancing Green Tech for mobility,” confirms Tim Albertsen, CEO of ALD. “We believe that this unique charging value-proposition for fleets will be a game changer in accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles. With one of the largest multi-make fleets of electric vehicles worldwide, we take our responsibility of facilitating the energy transition seriously and are set on making sustainable mobility a reality.”
That’s the story. What partnership will ChargePoint announce next?
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