NewMotion, a leading European smart EV charging solutions provider, announced its partnership with Europcar Mobility Group, the European N°1 vehicle rental company. NewMotion will provide Europcar Mobility Group with a complete ecosystem of charging solutions – from easy-to-use, smart charge points to access to the Business Hub platform that allows monitoring, management and control of the entire charging infrastructure. In addition, with NewMotion, customers renting an electric vehicle in one of the Europcar Mobility Group’s stations will receive a charge card providing them with access to Europe’s largest public roaming network for on-the-go charging.
Europcar Mobility Group was one of the first international vehicle rental companies to offer electric vehicles to its customers, starting in 2011. In 2019, Europcar Mobility Group launched its “One Sustainable Fleet” programme to reach more than a third of “green” vehicles (electric, plug-in hybrids and hybrids) in its fleet by the end of 2023. This programme is in line with the Group’s purpose to offer attractive alternative solutions to vehicle ownership, in a responsible and sustainable manner. It is also one of the key building blocks of the CONNECT transformation plan, which aims to make the Group a major player in sustainable mobility, while strengthening its position as Europe’s No. 1 vehicle rental company.
Complete ecosystem of charging solutions
Europcar Mobility Group will receive access to NewMotion’s complete ecosystem of charging solutions, ranging from smart charging infrastructure to back office functionalities. Europcar Mobility Group will also have access to NewMotion’s Business hub to manage, monitor and control its entire charging infrastructure from a single platform.
Additionally, with NewMotion, customers renting an electric vehicle in one of the Europcar Mobility Group’s stations will receive a charge card, allowing access to the largest public roaming network for on-the-go charging in Europe. The advantage for these customers is that they will only need the NewMotion charge card to easily access the charge points, and, with the EV Charging by NewMotion app, they will also be able to find the nearest available charge point as well as check charging speeds and prices.
Europcar Mobility Group chose NewMotion because of its complete offer, the Europe-wide coverage of its public roaming network (with more than 170,000 charge points across the continent, including 500 Shell Recharge rapid chargers) and the company’s 10-plus years of experience. Moreover, the mobility service company will benefit from NewMotion’s end-to-end services including consulting, charge point installation and customer support.
The partnership is to be rolled out gradually from January 2021
“More and more people choose to drive electric and now want to be able to do so when renting a vehicle. Companies and public authorities are moving towards ‘green vehicles’ either as a regulatory obligation or on a voluntary basis,” says Melanie Lane, CEO of NewMotion. “We are delighted to partner with Europcar Mobility Group, who are pioneering sustainable mobility and offer these services already in many cities. Together we’re enabling more people to drive powered by clean energy offering a seamless driving experience for the electric vehicles in their fleet.”
Olivier Baldassari, Group Chief Countries and Operations Officer, Europcar Mobility Group, comments: “We are pleased to sign this partnership with NewMotion today, as part of the implementation of our ‘One Sustainable Fleet’ programme. As a major mobility player, we are determined to contribute to the necessary transition to a ‘low carbon’ world, and committed to take steps forward despite the COVID-19 crisis: we even see this crisis as an opportunity to accelerate projects and plans that have already been started.”
“With a fleet of more than 300,000 vehicles on average, our ability to make an impact is significant. Our commitment to reducing the level of carbon emissions involves increasing the proportion of “green” vehicles in our fleet and supporting our customers in their usages. Vehicle rental is an excellent vector of promotion and development for the use of electric vehicles, particularly in urban environments!
With this comprehensive approach, we want our Group to be among the European champions of sustainable mobility in the years to come.”
Part of a growing network
NewMotion has been part of the Shell Group since 2017, which means that Europcar Mobility Group can benefit from additional EV charging services for its customers. Shell is committed to enabling the energy transition and providing customers with convenient and easy charging through its growing network and investments, including fast charging at Shell forecourts and other facilities in the future including charging hubs in city centres and at airports.
