Written by Cláudio Afonso | info@claudio-afonso.com | LinkedIn | Twitter
The charging giant Plugsurfing announced on Thursday that will complement NIO’s existing emobility offerings, including fast chargers and battery swap technology for NIO drivers. The company said that NIO’s vehicle central control and NIO App will be connected to Plugsurfing’s Norwegian charging network API. The integration was available to NIO drivers in Norway beginning Tuesday May 10 and is expected to expand to other European countries as NIO expansion continues.
Plugsurfing currently has more than 1 million users in Europe, and the platform has access to more than 250,000 charging piles in Europe. “Plugsurfing adds a large amount of charge points to our growing network of Battery Swap Stations and NIO chargers”, NIO Europe Vice President said. Founded in 2012 in Berlin, Plugsurfing was acquired by the Finnish charging infrastructure operator Fortum in early 2018.
NIO users will be able to access Plugsurfing’s network of chargers directly via the dashboard in their car or the NIO app. They will be able to search for, access, and pay flexibly at public charging points all from within this built-in interface, eliminating the need for alternative apps and access methods associated with public charging. In addition to that, the NIO car key can be used to activate chargers without the need of carrying additional cards, which is an innovative solution to further enhance the user experience and a clear step to eliminate the complexity of public charging services.
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This experience is enabled by Plugsurfing’s Developer Platform and Drive API, which directly integrates charging information into the car’s dashboard and app, creating a seamless driver experience tailored to NIO’s brand, Plugsurfing added.
Plugsurfing is excited to support partners with the integrations necessary to bring their customer experience vision to life. NIO has an innovative approach and we’re eager to see their community of users grow in Europe.”
Tatu Kulla, Plugsurfing CEO
Solutions like this underline the importance of designing easy to use software and decreasing fragmentation in the public charging ecosystem. Plugsurfing’s vision to bridge the gaps in emobility has brought together both charge point operators and electric vehicle manufacturers through its Plugsurfing Power Platform. By connecting these parties, the charging experience becomes as connected and hassle-free as possible for the over one million drivers who rely on the platform.
With the rollout in Norway, NIO will continue to bring forward the values that characterize our premium charging services. Plugsurfing adds a large amount of charge points to our growing network of Battery Swap Stations and NIO chargers. Ease of use, innovative technology, and an active community of users are core aspects of the NIO experience. This partnership marks an important next step to our common goal of a sustainable future.
Hui Zhang, VP NIO Europe
Plugsurfing looks forward to offering NIO users the most convenient charging experience available on the market. This is one step towards making public charging more accessible, affordable, and transparent. Plugsurfing is dedicated to collaboration that brings the transition to electric mobility further and builds the bridges that connect newcomers to the market, the company concluded.
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Onsemi ($ON) announced on Thursday that NIO have chosen its latest VE-Trac Direct SiC power modules for the next-generation electric vehicles. The silicon carbide (SiC)-based power modules enable the vehicles to have longer range, higher efficiency and faster acceleration. The collaboration of the two companies is expediting the commercialization of SiC technologies to bring EVs equipped with advanced semiconductor material to the market, Onsemi said.
The Bavarian business promotion agency “Invest in Bavaria” held recently an event counting with the presence of many companies developing its business in the region. NIO Europe Vice-President Hui Zhang was representing the EV maker saying: “Very soon, we’ll be rolling out our vehicles and game-changing Power Swap Stations and Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS) in Germany. It’s a hugely exciting time”.
Earlier this week, NIO announced that it expects its Class A ordinary shares to be listed and commence trading on the Main Board of the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited (the “SGX-ST”) on May 20, 2022.
Written by Cláudio Afonso | info@claudio-afonso.com | LinkedIn | Twitter