Blink Charging Co., a leading owner, operator and provider of electric vehicle (EV) charging station products and networked EV charging services, and Hubject, a joint venture formed by leading companies in the automotive, energy and technology sectors that includes BMW Group, Daimler, Siemens, and the Volkswagen Group, have formed a strategic partnership to provide EV drivers in the United States with expanded charging coverage and communication capabilities.

As a result of this partnership, Blink’s nationwide network of chargers will become accessible to all EV drivers participating in Hubject’s charging platform using their provider’s membership card and app.

Further, Blink’s base of approximately 135,000 members will now be able to access charging stations on Hubject participating networks while driving in the US, without having to register with any other charging companies.

The partnership’s mission is to provide seamless charging interoperability for all EV drivers participating in Hubject’s international multi-network intercharge platform, expanding where EVs can charge as well as facilitate essential two-way telemetric communication between EVs, charging networks and car manufacturers.

The partnership between Blink and Hubject, which will become operational in early 2019, will provide new opportunities for Blink and auto dealers by providing enhanced access for Blink to car buyers at the point of sale. By reaching buyers at the time of their EV purchase, Blink can support a seamless and enhanced experience for drivers across the US, making EV ownership more convenient than ever before.

Working with OEM automobile-manufacturers in implementing the ISO 15118 communication protocol is envisioned to be the first step in implementing seamless communication between electric vehicles and charging networks without the need for any human interaction during the charging process. This telemetry between electric vehicles, charging networks and OEMs is also designed to allow the OEMs to incorporate critical EV data into future EV design as well as to layout the groundwork for enhanced EV ownership programs and develop transportation as a service business model.

Our partnership with Blink presents an incredible opportunity to set the standard for open collaboration in our e-mobility industry. We exist to enhance the EV customer experience by streamlining EV charging for drivers. Our shared philosophy will help to get more Americans to drive electric vehicles.

—Paul Glenney, North American CEO of Hubject

Hubject’s eRoaming platform, called intercharge, would allow Blink members to quickly and easily find, access and pay at all participating charging stations from various charging networks with one account, one card, one app and one bill.

Blink designs, owns, operates and sells EV charging equipment under the Blink brand, as well as a number of other charging station equipment manufacturers such as Chargepoint, General Electric (GE) and SemaConnect. Blink Charging also offers connectivity to the Blink Network, a cloud-based platform that operates, manages and tracks Blink EV charging stations and all associated data.

With more than 80,000 connected charging ports and more than 300 B2B partners in 26 countries, Hubject GmbH operates the world’s most open and widely adopted EV charging interoperability platform, “intercharge.” Created from a joint venture by leading companies in the automotive, energy and technology sectors in 2012, the shareholders include the BMW Group, Bosch, Daimler, EnBW, innogy, Siemens, and the Volkswagen Group.

Hubject does not operate any charging stations itself but enables the smooth exchange of data in the background. As an open and flexible platform, “intercharge” connects charging station operators and eMobility service providers in a neutral space with one contract and one API interface. These B2B connections provide EV drivers a seamless charging experience with the ability to easily find, access and pay for charging from any charging operator or network with one account, one app and one bill. The US subsidiary of Hubject, Inc. was established in 2017 with offices in Santa Monica, San Francisco and Detroit.