Pod Point starts working on BESS; keeps partnership with Mercedes

British charging station provider Pod Point is moving further into the home charging market with two key cooperations. Mercedes-Benz will retain its exclusive relationship while Gotion High Tech is on board to develop a new business segment.

First, Mercedes-Benz UK, which has announced extending its partnership with Pod Point. The agreement will see the British company continue as a preferred home charger supplier for all Mercedes-Benz electric and plug-in hybrid models until June 2026.

Mercedes customers, therefore, get preferential rates on a 7kW charger by Pod Point – the partners did not disclose the precise discount.

Andy Palmer, CEO of Pod Point, said, “We’re excited about the broad range of electric vehicles that Mercedes-Benz have brought to market across a wide range of customer segments, and we look forward to supporting customers who buy these exciting new vehicles with home charging solutions.”

Mercedes drivers can also opt into an exclusive charging tariff offered together with EDF, which holds a majority of Pod Point.

Commenting on the deal, Jason Allbutt, Head of Product and Planning from Mercedes-Benz, pointed to the company’s “reliable and simple to use network and consistently high customer satisfaction ratings.”

On its website, Pod Point states that it has installed more than 102,000 charge points in Great Britain and Norway. Around 5,200 are publicly accessible, primarily at Tesco, Lidl and Center Parcs locations.

The British charging infrastructure firm reportedly constructed charging hubs at 600 branches of the British retail chain Tesco in collaboration with Volkswagen. Pod Point also has a cooperation with Kia and Lidl in the UK.

In other news, Pod Point also announced a strategic agreement concerning Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS). The company signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Chinese battery maker Gotion High-Tech, European EV battery startup InoBat, and Brill Power, the battery technology company from Oxford University. The firms will join forces to share expertise and ultimately develop a home battery solution for customers.

Commenting on the MOU, Andy Palmer said it represented a step forward and would help advance the take-up of home energy solutions.

Steven Cai, SVP & CTO of Gotion High-tech, added that they looked forward to “lending our technology expertise in the battery field and collaborating with the group to develop competitive and quality home battery solutions for residential customers while also helping to advance carbon-neutral efforts in Europe.”

pod-point.com (Mercedes-Benz), pod-point.com (BESS)