German legacy automaker BMW has partnered with Shell Recharge Solutions to provide its North American customers with streamlined access to electric vehicle charging stations across multiple networks through the car itself or the My BMW app.
Partnership details
According to the press release, BMW of North America made Shell Recharge Solutions a second eMobility provider to enable seamless access to the following charging networks via the My BMW App: Shell Recharge, ChargePoint, EVgo, EVConnect, and Blink.
Under the agreement, BMW owners can now benefit from more than 100,000 electric vehicle chargers across North America. They can easily locate, access, and initiate charging sessions at the abovementioned charging stations through the My BMW app, which also supports automated payment transactions for the five providers.
“Charging is an important part of creating a positive customer experience for the owners of electric vehicles. As a premium automaker, BMW’s goal is to also create a premium ownership experience for our customers, which means making the charging process as simple and convenient as possible.”
Shaun Bugbee, Executive Vice President, Operations, BMW of North America
What’s special about Shell Recharge?
BMW emphasized that Shell Recharge is a “pay-as-you-go” program offering seamless customer registration. Users must only input a working credit card to their respective accounts.
It also provides key data about the specific charging station, such as ratings, reviews, and photos from Plug Share.
Shell Recharge Solutions also offers a virtual Mobility Service Provider (vMSP) model to further improve customers’ charging experience. It essentially eliminates the need to switch from multiple accounts and apps to support various charging needs. Instead, customers can simply use their My BMW app. It also comes with free charging sessions via Electrify America and the other charging networks of multiple providers in the region with Shell Recharge Solutions.
BMW EV charging push
BMW has been trying to expand its electric vehicle charging services for its North American owners. It was one of the seven major automakers that initiated the IONNA charging network to challenge Tesla’s Superchargers in the region.
It has also partnered with Ford and Honda to establish a new business unit to boost local electrical grids across the territory. In addition, it has also partnered with Tesla to adopt the North America Charging Standard (NACS) for its next-gen EVs.
Now, BMW has launched the Shell Recharge-powered BMW Charging network to provide its EV owners access to tens of thousands more chargers in North America. It would be interesting to see how these charging initiatives will aid the German automaker in competing with industry leader Tesla in the region in the coming years.
