ENGIE Vianeo, the electric vehicle (EV) charging division of energy firm ENGIE Group, has joined forces with international communications provider BICS to integrate its charging stations into the Internet of Things (IoT). This collaboration will enable real-time data collection, facilitating remote maintenance and improved decision-making. Partnering with BICS ensures seamless connectivity, security, and regulatory compliance, supporting ENGIE’s swift expansion plans across Europe.
The popularity of electric vehicles is surging throughout Europe, with nearly 3.2 million new electric car registrations in 2023, marking a rise of almost 20% from 2022. This trend is increasing the demand for accessible charging infrastructure. Last year, the European Union approved new legislation to expand the number of charging stations across member states, setting specific targets for 2025 and 2030, particularly along major highways.
In response, ENGIE launched its EV charging business, ENGIE Vianeo, last year and has now partnered with BICS to enhance the technology supporting its growing network. Using BICS’ IoT connectivity portal ‘SIM for Things’, ENGIE is transforming its EV charging infrastructure into a network of IoT devices to boost efficiency, reliability, and user convenience.
The solution enables remote maintenance and troubleshooting, provides analytics on station activity, and allows for remote software and firmware updates. These are key criteria valued by users. Previous technology iterations relied on a ‘black box’ fitted to the stations, which required physical data collection and processing. In contrast, the new solution enables real-time, remote data collection from the highways to the head office.
The real-time data provided by this solution will also enhance the customer experience, which ENGIE Vianeo describes as a “key element of the transition to a lower-emission mobility model”. Users can view live information via a phone app on nearby charger availability or their vehicle’s charging status, meeting the need to ensure the best charging experience and significantly increasing station use.
“The appetite for electric and hybrid cars is growing across Western Europe,” said Clémence Fischer, Managing Director, ENGIE Vianeo. “We aim to meet this demand by rapidly expanding our number of charging stations. In France alone, we aim to have 12,000 charge points by the end of 2025. In Belgium, we expect to double the current number of charging stations to exceed 3000 charge points by the same date. Managing such a large, dispersed estate presents challenges, so alongside BICS, we’re investing in technology to give us complete visibility over our infrastructure. This will help us improve the prompt response of our services and keep stations maintained and running reliably, so they’re always ready and available when customers need them.”
Given the typical locations of charging stations, whether in busy urban areas or remote highways, mobile connectivity (rather than fixed fibre) is essential. BICS simplifies this for ENGIE Vianeo by providing internet connectivity, SIM cards for the charging stations, and the SIM for Things platform for easy setup and maintenance. While the initial rollout of these ‘connected chargers’ will focus on Belgium, they will later expand across Western Europe, including France, Italy, and Spain, with around 50,000 devices expected to be deployed as part of this collaboration.
“IoT technology augments businesses by enabling real-time visibility across their operations, from the management of moving parts within factories to devices distributed across the globe,” said Mikael Schachne, CRO Enterprise, BICS. “Enabling EV vehicles to access charging stations anywhere is essential as we look to achieve a more efficient and carbon-neutral mobility infrastructure. We are very pleased to partner with ENGIE Vianeo to accelerate their rollout, reducing the complexity with ‘plug-and-play’ SIM connectivity to rapidly and easily connect smart chargers across Europe.”
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