Charge4Europe signs cooperation agreement with Total

Charge4Europe, the joint venture between DKV and innogy (now part of energy company E.ON), has signed a cooperation agreement with energy company Total. The deal grants DKV customers access to high-performance charging stations (up to 350 kW), which are mainly located at Total motorway service stations in France, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. DKV customers can find their locations using the ′eCharge +’ app. ′We are proud to cooperate with Total. We are thus taking an important step in the further expansion of our charging network,’ said Sven Mehringer, managing director, energy and vehicle services, at DKV Mobility. Felix Mertz, supplier country manager for e-mobility, added: ′The high-performance charging system from Total enables drivers to travel internationally with their electric vehicles, as the charging time is significantly reduced. That is the future way of charging.’ ′Lead in Green’ Over the past two years, DKV has developed into an established provider of charging services for electrically-chargeable vehicles (EVs), offering home and work-based solutions, as well as access to public-charging stations. In April, the company announced that it offers customers access to more than 160,000 public-charging points across Europe. As a result of the cooperation with Total, DKV is expanding its network to include strategic locations such as motorway service stations. In order to operate this comprehensive supply network, the Charge4Europe joint venture works with numerous charging-point operators and roaming partners across the region. With the DKV ′CARD + CHARGE’, commercial customers benefit from transparent, automated billing from a single source when charging. ′Achieving this milestone of more than 160,000 charging points in our supply network is something very special for us,’ commented Mehringer. ′It underlines our claim to ‘Lead in Green’ and to develop into the leading provider of sustainable products in our industry.’ The expansion of the network is also ′an important lever’ for DKV to support its 250,000-plus contractual partners to switch to more climate-friendly mobility, as well as achieving its own ambitious climate goals. DKV aims to be climate-positive by 2023 and to reduce the CO2 intensity of its customers by 30% by 2030. Total transition In January 2020, Metropolitan Region Amsterdam Electric (MRA-Electric) awarded Europe’s largest concession contract for charging EVs to Total. Under this agreement, Total is installing and operating up to 20,000 new public-charging points in the Netherlands, in the three provinces of North Holland, Flevoland and some municipalities around Utrecht. In another initiative, Total acquired charging-infrastructure provider Blue Point London from the Bolloré Group later in 2020. Blue Point London operated more than 1,600 charging points in the UK capital, making it the largest charging network citywide. Total has taken over management of the infrastructure, and has committed to powering the network with electricity 100% guaranteed from renewable sources, supplied by its subsidiary, Total Gas & Power. Furthermore, Total’s transition from an oil company to an energy provider goes beyond charging points. The company signed an agreement with PSA Group in September 2020 to create the Automotive Cells Company (ACC). The joint venture with Saft, a subsidiary of the energy company, is dedicated to manufacturing batteries for EVs in Europe and has carried over to Stellantis, following the merger of PSA and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA). ACC benefits from the support of both the French and German authorities, as well as European institutions. The French government recently expanded its €8 billion support plan for the automotive industry, first announced by President Emmanuel Macron in May 2020. This plan included a €680 million grant for the establishment of a new battery plant in Douvrin, operated by ACC.