Electromobility
BMW is investing millions in the charging station startup Heycharge
Even if the network connection is weak, Heycharge enables charging of electric cars. Now they get millions for their new technology.
Sales of e-cars continue to increase strongly. This also means that the charging infrastructure must be further expanded. In multi-storey car parks or private underground car parks, the problem of having little or no network has often been a problem. The Munich startup Heycharge has developed its own technology so that the charging process and billing can also take place without a stable internet connection and without an RFID card. The company, which was founded in 2020, has now received the equivalent of 4.1 million euros (4.7 million US dollars) in a seed round from the California-based investment arm BMW i Ventures received.
The volume The total of the two previous BMW i Ventures funds is around 785 million euros (900 million US dollars). Founders Robert Lasowski and Chris Cardé expect their new shareholder to give them access to new sales and purchasing channels. They also want to benefit from the production expertise of the Munich car manufacturer. Heycharge plans to install thousands of charging points later this year. The startup has also developed its own wall boxes for this purpose. The patent-pending “Securecharge” technology is used in the charging points.
According to the company, this is a cloud platform that enables secure billing at charging stations without WLAN or mobile phone connection – via Bluetooth. The technology is to be used primarily in residential complexes, office buildings and hotels. “Heycharge’s solution not only makes charging electric vehicles scalable, but also more cost-effective,” says founder Cardé.