Siemens & DCS launch ‘Enterprise Charging Network’

Siemens Smart Infrastructure and Digital Charging Solutions (DCS) have teamed up to better help business fleets make the switch to electric vehicles. Corporate customers can now sign onto the ‘Enterprise Charging Network’ for unified access to charging points across Europe.

“Charging corporate fleets must be as easy as charging a smartphone,” said Jean-Christoph Heyne, Head of Future Grid at Siemens Smart Infrastructure. For that pledge to come true, The new service enables drivers of company-owned electric vehicles to charge at work or public charging spaces using one company card. The Enterprise Charging Network also allows charging at home and billing through the same card and app. Regardless of where the charging takes place, the billing of all charging processes happens through an integrated monthly invoice via the fleet’s online portal.

Siemens says that this not only gives EV drivers access to the charging infrastructure at their own sites but also at over 190,000 other public charging points in 21 European countries. Access to the public charging sites across Europe comes through the cooperation with Digital Charging Solutions or DCS for short. DCS was founded in 2017 as a wholly-owned BMW subsidiary before Daimler took on half the shares with the merger of their mobility services. DCS was originally designed as a white-label solution, active beyond the customers of its shareholders and is behind charging services of clients such as Hyundai and Kia or Lexus.

DCS says it brings Europe’s largest charging network to the table that is also a network “with quality-assured POI data”. In an earlier interview with electrive, Markus Bartenschlager, Managing Director of DCS,  explained: “Some CPOs provide data quality that does not meet our standards at DCS. For example, we are interested in what charging capacity an installed column really offers and not what is stated in any datasheet.” He said only accurate data would enable intelligent route planning.

Siemens manager Jean-Christoph Heyne also stressed the importance of reliability, such as the kind of reliability DCS focusses on in the new partnership. The two companies aim to take the cooperation further. “We see potential in working with DCS and its original equipment manufacturer (OEM) partners on vehicle-integrated services as well.” This approach is indeed becoming more common – just last week, Chargepoint and Polestar teamed up so that the charging app can integrate with the in-car system in the US. Heyne believes that companies operating extensive fleets will only then play a greater role in the spread of electric mobility when they are offered a completely integrated experience.

Bartenschlager from DCS agrees, emphasizing that Siemens’ strength in the technology sector makes them a partner that could link different areas such as charging infrastructure, decentralized power generation and building technology. “The link between electric vehicles and smart infrastructure does not stop at the charging station,” Bartenschlager added. Plus, Siemens provides charging equipment.

Over the past year, Siemens has continuously expanded its range of electromobility solutions. Its charging infrastructure portfolio includes solutions for slower charging, such as the Versicharge AC wall box, the Sicharge UC family of depot chargers, while the Sicharge D fast-charging station provides dynamic and parallel charging for in between. Siemens says this enables them to provide corporate customers with a suitable solution for every area of application, while also offering customers service, access and billing management, as well as integrated load management. Siemens says that the new Enterprise Charging Network service makes this complete.

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