Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Engie EPS to create e-mobility JV
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) is looking to advance its work in e-mobility by teaming up with energy storage specialist Engie EPS on a joint venture.
The two firms said the tie-up would enable them to move ahead into the new era of more sustainable mobility, offering solutions and services and giving everyone easy and convenient access to electric mobility.
It’s the latest work by FCA to support its new plug-in and electric vehicles, including the imminent arrival of the electric Fiat 500 – it announced two years ago it was developing a suite of services and revealed in June 2019 that it was working with Engie subsidiaries Engie EPS and charging stations specialist EVBox to provide charging solutions to both customers and dealers.
The joint venture between Fiat Chrysler Automobiles subidiary FCA Italy S.p.A and Engie EPS will advance this with a full suite of products and solutions, such as charging infrastructure and green energy packages, to electric vehicle customers across Europe – including fleets.
It will be positioned as an Italian e-mobility technology company, with access to a portfolio of more than 100 patents, a strong team of electrical and system engineers, and an established automotive industrial footprint, drawing upon FCA’s financial resources and industrial footprint and on Engie EPS’s technological know-how and intellectual property portfolio.
The firms said the new JV would set a major step towards elimination of barriers to the e-mobility transition in Europe; their existing cooperation has already led to the introduction of the FCA easyWallbox charging unit and customer-orientated energy packages, as well as the recently launched V2G Pilot Project.
Mike Manley, chief executive officer of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, commented: “The envisioned joint venture would allow an even higher commitment from both parties to expand the scope of the existing cooperation and further develop innovative products and services to enable and support a smooth shift to electric mobility in Europe.”
The joint venture is subject to the usual approvals from competition authorities and institutions and is expected to be incorporated from the first quarter of 2021.