China’s State Administration for Market Regulation said in a statement that the country’s market regulator approved a joint venture set up by Mercedes-Benz Investment Limited (China) and BMW Brilliance Automotive Ltd. The partnership last month also got the required approvals from The European Commission. The primary focus of the alliance is to develop public charging infrastructure for electric vehicles in the country.
Both the parties had signed a cooperative agreement last year on November 30 with an aim to establish a 50:50 joint venture in China, responsible for operating a supercharging network to meet the increasing demand for high-end charging services. The future goal of the joint venture is to construct at least 1,000 supercharging stations equipped with advanced technology and approximately 7,000 supercharging piles across the country by 2026.
The operations of the venture is expected to commence soon in key Chinese cities known for their new energy vehicle initiatives, with subsequent developments planned for other regions nationwide. Other highlights of this project are public accessibility of the charging network developed by the joint venture. Customers of both the BMW Group and Mercedes-Benz Group will be offered exclusive services such as immediate charging upon plugging in, online reservations, and a seamless digital charging experience.
Additionally, the alliance plans to source renewable energy for charging, depending on feasibility, in order to ensure a sustainable and luxurious charging experience for their customers.
The sole aim of the project is to elevate customer public charging experience for which, both the parties will apply the expertise gained from global and Chinese charging operations, as well as the in-depth understanding of the Chinese new energy vehicle (NEV) market. This will help them deliver a faster, more convenient, reliable, and tailor-made charging solutions for the Chinese market.