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HERE partners with Digital Charging Solutions

Location data company HERE Technologies and Digital Charging Solutions GmbH (DCS) have announced plans to work together on charging networks. DCS already boasts payment solutions that are used across nearly 300,000 units in Europe and Japan. In addition, it is already the provider of charging services for a number of OEMs, including BMW, MercedesBenz and Hyundai.

The collaboration aims to provide “an end-to-end, seamless, in-car experience for EV drivers” according to the duo, who will lean on each other’s expertise. For example, DCS brings charging station access, session authentication and payment and billing services. Meanwhile, HERE will use its automotive-grade mapping, points of interest and routing capabilities.

“Together with HERE, as leading mapping and navigation partner for car manufacturers, we see enormous potential to take the in-car charging experience to the next level,” said Jörg Reimann, CEO, Digital Charging Solutions GmbH. “We can help drivers find a reliable charging station along the route which can be used with their charging service. Drivers will be able to search for the most reliable, the nearest or the most affordable charging station on their way.”

Jørgen Behrens, chief product officer at HERE Technologies, added: “By bringing our technologies together, we intend to make finding, booking, using and paying for EV charging directly available from the vehicle navigation system or mobile companion application. It is another important step on our journey to make EV driving a seamless end-to-end experience.”

Battery-as-a-Service technology arrives in Norway

LeasePlan and NIO have announced that LeasePlan will become the preferred leasing partner for NIO electric cars in Norway. The deal will initially see LeasePlan offering NIO’s ES8 –which has a range of up to 500km (311 miles). The lease can be combined with a ‘Battery-as-aService’ subscription, enabling drivers to easily swap and upgrade the EV’s battery.

“I’m delighted to announce our exclusive partnership with NIO, which will empower every driver to dump the pump and fight the worst effects climate change,” beamed Tex Gunning, CEO of LeasePlan when announcing the deal. “NIO’s innovative battery swapping system will eliminate range anxiety, and encourage even more drivers to make the switch to electric. Together, LeasePlan and NIO will offer some of the cleanest, greenest and smartest EVs ever produced, and we’re excited to be bringing the next generation of electric vehicle technology to the European market.”

STATS

Light vehicle sales

December 2021 Region Sales +/– (% year on year) United States 1.2 million -26.4 Canada 100,000 -9.0 Western Europe 1.01 million -19.2 Eastern Europe 358,000 -18.8 Japan 334,000 -10.9 Korea 150,000 -6.9 China 2.79 million -0.6 Brazil/Argentina 210,000 -16.8

(Source: LMC Automotive)

Top 10 vehicles* in Europe

December 2021

Model Units

Tesla Model 3

Peugeot 208 Renault Clio

Dacia Sandero

27,358 20,186 18,397 18,020 Peugeot 2008 16,330 Volkswagen T-Roc 14,449 Dacia Duster 14,405 Mini Hatch 13,541 Fiat/Abarth 500 13,230 Renault Captur 12,855

Tesla Model 3 Best-selling EV reflecting the shift to electrification in Europe

OPINION

Tobias Kern

managing partner, Fleet Competence Group

OEM IN TURMOIL

TO BE CONTINUED IN 2022?

Many fleet professionals will still remember the challenging situation for businesses running fleets during the financial crisis of 2008/9. Back then, most of them might have thought there would never be a more turbulent time. However, the year 2021 proved them all wrong – things were a lot worse.

A combination of several factors turned out to have a massive impact both on the demand and supply side. Initially, the first wave of the pandemic the previous year caused a high degree of uncertainty regarding the economic impact and future vehicle demand. Consequently, the entire supply chain got disrupted, where specifically the shortage in semiconductors became a key issue. Meanwhile, raw material prices increased. Adding those factors to the ongoing shifts in alternative powertrains, connected and autonomous vehicles meant the reactions of OEMs were as unpredictable as never before.

Specifically, the second half of 2021 forced those responsible for fleets to adopt a ‘firefighting’ approach. Being engaged in developing workarounds on the main challenges for our international clients, we experienced tremendous impacts. For example, we had to deal with increased lead times up to the point of not getting any expected delivery dates. There was also a general focus from OEMs on the B2C market instead of B2B in terms of vehicle allocation. Then there was the frequent alterations of car specifications (including retrospective decisions for vehicles already ordered) and list price revisions (upwards, not down!). In some cases we were forced to only accept orders on drastically reduced rebate conditions and also had to deal with the termination of International Framework Agreements.

In a nutshell, the demand-driven vehicle market changed into a supplier market. One could get the impression that the previous focus from OEMs in the B2B-business on global production volumes, growth, scalability and profitability, narrowed down to a margin-orientated strategy only.

The most optimistic OEM representatives and other industry experts expect the situation to get back to normal during the second half 2022. However, during the last few months of 2021, getting back to normality ‘in 2023’ became more and more frequently mentioned.

Consequently, there’s a challenging year when it comes to budgeting and managing corporate fleets. In general, there is no ‘onesize-fits-all’ recipe to mitigate the impacts. However, accelerating orders and checking lease contract prolongations are crucial first steps. Additionally, not all OEMs or vehicle models are equally affected. Consequently, a re-evaluation of the OEM-strategy and/or car policy set-up might also be options to lower the impacts.

Times of turmoil might also give ground to accelerate changes, such as further enforcing the electrification of the fleet, where lead times for EVs are, in some cases, more favourable.

Finally, OEMs should not forget that the memories of fleet customers can be very long. There will be a point in time where we are back to a demand-driven market. Then, it will be vital for suppliers to be remembered as reliable and sustainable business partners – especially during times of turmoil.

CHANGE AT THE TOP AT ALPHABET INTERNATIONAL

There’s a new CEO at Alphabet International after Markus Deusing stepped up from his previous position of COO at the start of this year. Deusing takes over from Marco Lessacher, who moved to BMW Group Financial Services as the VP, customer, brand and sales.

Deusing is now responsible for the company’s B2B businesses as well as with international corporate customers. “I am really looking forward to my new role,” he commented. “The industry is currently in a major change process – and change is an essential part of Alphabet’s DNA – which makes it even more exciting. With a strong team and a clear strategy, we help our customers building a better future of mobility.”

In his previous role, Deusing was hailed as driving forward sustainability and digitisation within the company. He has also been responsible for strategic coordination and development of all Alphabet markets.