The era of Mike Manley at the helm of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles continues on the path of innovation and electrification. The maneuvers of the company to keep up with the times and continue on the path of development inaugurated by Sergio Marchionne do not pass only through the merger – currently missing – with Renault, but also through a series of agreements with Italian and foreign companies aimed at “creating an ecosystem of partners, products and services in different markets in order to meet and exceed the rapidly evolving expectations of our customers in terms of electrified vehicles”, explains the CEO of FCA himself.
So after the agreements with Snam on methane distributors and with Tesla on emissions and following the launch – through Leasys, a subsidiary of FCA Bank – of a rental service on Amazon and Mobility Store, the Lingotto company turns its gaze towards electric mobility, signing two different agreements, one with Enel X and one with Engie, aimed at developing "new solutions dedicated to electric mobility to support the production and marketing of plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and battery-powered (BEV) models envisaged in the Group's business plan for 2018-2022", explains the Italian company American through a note. Thanks to these agreements, private and business customers of FCA dealers will be able to use charging stations and experience new services dedicated to clean energy.
“These partnerships – said Mike Manley – integrate the e-mobility strategy announced last year in the context of the Group's five-year plan”.
Going into details, Enel X will install charging stations in FCA factories and dealerships in Italy, Spain and Portugal and will offer the automotive company's customers customized charging solutions and services. Also envisaged is the establishment of an innovation committee which will be responsible for developing and testing e-mobility services.
“Collaborations like this, bringing together the electric utility sector and automakers, are of enormous importance in promoting electric mobility, a key enabler in the energy transition,” he commented. Francesco Venturini, head of Enel X.
Speaking in numbers, it will be approx 700 charging stations which Enel X will install over the next two years at the FCA offices in Italy.
The partnership with Engie, on the other hand, which will deal with the development of innovative services for private and business customers and will also involve the subsidiaries Engie Eps and EvBox, will develop in Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands , Poland, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
“The main objective of the two partnerships – explains FCA – is the offer of private and public charging solutions to support the sale of FCA's future range of electric vehicles, including the Fiat 500 BEV and the Jeep Renegade PHEV”.
Through agreements with Engie and Enel X, FCA will be able to provide its customers with the possibility of installing a specific customized point (the so-called wallbox) at home for the optimization and intelligent management of recharging based on actual needs. The partners will take care of the preliminary phase with FCA, aimed at feasibility and installation checks, as well as the management and maintenance phase of the wallbox. The customer will therefore be accompanied and assisted throughout the entire life cycle of the vehicle and its wallbox”. In addition, there are also charging solutions accessible in the public sphere.
As regards the "ancillary services", the agreements also provide for the development of applications necessary for locating charging points, booking and paying for charging.
