Billing data is transmitted and stored offline via Bluetooth. Online again, the cloud data is synchronized.
(Photo: PR)
Munich The charging infrastructure is one of the major everyday challenges when expanding electromobility. BMW is now investing through its venture capital division in a new technology for charging stations in underground garages and multi-storey car parks, where customers can pay even without an active internet connection. This is important in such buildings, which often have poor network reception.
In addition, BMW i Ventures is now joining Heycharge. The independent offshoot of the car manufacturer is leading the new financing round at the Munich start-up as lead investor. “Charging must be as easy as possible for users,” Heycharge co-founder Robert Lasowski told Handelsblatt. Experts reckon that by 2030 there will be 100 million charging points inside buildings worldwide. These would also have to be networked, for example for correct billing of different users.
“It’s going to be a multibillion dollar market,” Lasowski is certain. Thanks in part to the participation of BMW i Ventures, Heycharge wants to roll out its Bluetooth connectivity-based technology worldwide.
“We see that more is happening in Germany and Europe than before and therefore want to expand our commitment,” said Kasper Sage, Managing Partner at BMW i Ventures, the Handelsblatt. With its holdings, the automotive group wants to get a taste of technologies early on that could become established in a few years’ time. To this end, BMW launched a $ 300 million fund at i Ventures last year, which is intended to invest primarily in sustainability and electromobility.
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Heycharge fits this pattern well. Lasowski used to be at BMW himself and worked very early on on solutions for connected driving. He later worked for NTT Data, Sixt and Ergo Mobility Solutions, among others.
Offline payment is no longer a problem
From there he joined Heycharge, first as a mentor and then as a co-founder, which was founded by the American Chris Cardé. He had worked for Google in Munich for several years – and recognized the pressure in the industry when he could not charge his electric car in his underground car park.
With Heycharge’s “Securecharge” technology, the founders enable secure billing via a cloud platform at charging stations without WiFi or cellular connections. Heycharge is the first company to enable intelligent charging of electric cars without an internet connection, Sage explained: “This is the key to making charging stations commercializable regardless of location.”
Robert Lasowski and Chris Carde expect a network and know-how from working with BMW.
(Photo: PR)
Intelligent e-charging stations usually still need an internet connection and an app or RFID card for activation. With “Securecharge”, the user’s app and the chargers communicate via Bluetooth. The connection to the cloud is encrypted when the customer is back on the cell phone.
Heycharge raised almost five million dollars in the new financing round led by BMW i Ventures. “We look forward to using this investment to position and scale our product in the global market,” said founder and CEO Cardé.
Today it is comparatively easy for innovative start-ups to find investors because there is a lot of money in the market. Investors like BMW must therefore offer the young companies more than capital.
Startups want more than just capital
“Money alone is no longer what brings you into the deal,” explains Marcus Behrendt, also a Managing Partner at BMW i Ventures. The automaker could open doors for start-ups, for example. Many companies are interested in the sales and purchasing channels as well as in the production and development expertise of the car manufacturer.
Heycharge founder Lasowski hopes that one will learn and benefit from BMW’s sales expertise and brand awareness. The fact that he used to work for the car manufacturer is a coincidence, but it helped: “We speak the same language.”
There is still a lot of movement in the market for charging infrastructure. It must first be found out which systems and providers will prevail.
BMW i Ventures invested in Chargepoint a few years ago – today one of the most successful investments made by the independent BMW offshoot. The US charging specialist succeeded in going public last year with a little effort, but valued at a billion euros.
Heycharge plans to install several thousand charging points this year. The company has also developed its own wall boxes and charging stations that incorporate the technology. “We want to show that we have the combination of hardware and software under control.” However, the aim is not to compete with wallbox providers, but to win them over as customers.
More: How BMW wants to find the most attractive start-ups from Silicon Valley