BMW i Ventures invests as lead investor in the Munich startup Heycharge, which provides access for the Charging electric cars With its patent-pending "SecureCharge" technology, Heycharge enables the charging of electric cars in underground garages and parking garages, independent of an internet connection. The startup raised a total of €4.1 million ($4.7 million) for its seed funding. Chris Cardé, founder and CEO of Heycharge, says about the current investment:
"Heycharge's solution makes electric vehicle charging not only scalable but also more cost-effective, enabling easy EV charging wherever you live or work. We are excited to partner with BMW i Ventures in this round and look forward to leveraging this investment to position and scale our product globally and provide consumers with cost-effective charging options."
Bluetooth instead of internet connection
Smart EV charging stations often require an internet connection as well as an app or RFID card to activate. Many underground garages and parking garages currently lack a good internet connection. Heycharge's goal is to close this gap and offer consumers and businesses a cost-effective, everyday, and scalable solution that works even without an internet connection. The patent-pending technology behind "SecureCharge" is designed to enable communication between chargers and the Heycharge app or software development kit (SDK) via Bluetooth.
Location-independent charging stations
Kasper Sage, Managing Partner at BMW i Ventures, says about the potential of the Munich startup:
"The electric vehicle market will grow rapidly in the coming years and will require a greater expansion of charging infrastructure worldwide. Heycharge is the first company to enable intelligent charging of electric vehicles without an internet connection. This is the key to making charging stations commercially viable regardless of location. We therefore see Heycharge as a crucial technology for the widespread expansion of charging infrastructure."
