bp, BMW Group and Daimler Mobility announce bp as third shareholder of Digital Charging Solutions GmbH

Petroleum company bp has become the third shareholder of Digital Charging Solutions GmbH (DCS) following the successful closing of the M&A transaction with bp now having a 33.3 percent stake as part of a capital increase. Both BMW Group and Daimler Mobility AG remain shareholders also each owning a 33.3 percent stake.

Electrification is at the heart of bp’s approach to mobility with all three shareholders sharing an ambition to drive electrification forward and pave the way for sustainable mobility. bp has already grown 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, with the company working 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 currently operates the charging services “Mercedes me Charge”, “BMW Charging” and “MINI Charging”. DCS provides unrivalled access to charging infrastructure with coverage of more than 85 percent in 29 European countries.

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.”

Vehicles remain Britain’s most valuable trade good with export revenues of £27 billion

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders has called on the government to ensure that the automotive sector is at the heart of future trade negotiations, after publishing a new report last week confirming vehicles as the UK’s single most valuable goods trade export.

Vehicle export revenues reached £27 billion in 2020, making them more valuable to the UK than power-generating machinery and even gold, despite a year when the global pandemic disrupted trade flows and shut down markets all around the world.

As a whole, the UK automotive sector generated a total trade revenue of £74 billion, with more than 80 percent of British-built cars and more than 60 percent of light commercial vehicles being exported.

With the global car market expected to grow significantly in Asia and Eastern Europe, the SMMT is calling for future trade deals to include provisions to reduce tariffs and regulatory barriers as well as establishing Rules of Origin that will reflect the UK’s future supplier base as manufacturing moves away from the traditional combustion engine, as well as being able to recruit top talent from around the world.

While the industry looks ahead to post-Brexit trading opportunities, the EU will remain a central trade partner and with the UK being at the forefront of the global electric vehicle revolution, trade policy needs to ensure that Rules of Origin reflect appropriate sourcing of batteries for electric cars, so that UK-built zero emission vehicles can be exported freely around the world and play an essential role in reducing global emissions.

Volkswagen Group doubles deliveries of pure e-vehicles in third quarter

Despite a shortage of semiconductors, the Volkswagen Group continued its global electric offensive in the third quarter of 2021, delivering 122,100 BEVs to customers between July to September, which is an increase of 109 percent compared with the same quarter last year.

Sales in China increased significantly in Q3, with 28,900 BEVs delivered, compared with 18,300 in the first half of the year. The BEV share of total deliveries rose to more than 6 percent in Q3. A total of 293,100 BEVs were delivered worldwide by the end of September, which is more than double the year before (+138 percent).

Europe leads as regards BEV deliveries by region, with 209,800 vehicles (a 72 percent share), with VW being the market leader accounting for a BEV market share of around 26 percent. While over in the United States, the Group delivered 27,300 BEVs, which is 9 percent of its global BEV deliveries, giving the Group a market share of around 8 percent in the all-electric vehicle segment.