Porsche Croatia: Enabling e-mobility in Croatia with help from ChargePoint
We’re living in turbulent economic times. Among the many challenges businesses face are a rapidly changing technological landscape, ever-evolving consumer behaviour and growing concerns about climate change. In other words, these are times when standing still is not an option. Particularly not if you have a strong market presence, an established brand and a reputation for innovation.
MOON Croatia, the Porsche Croatia department responsible for complete solutions in the field of e-mobility, certainly ticks those boxes. Though advanced German supercars will likely come to mind first when you hear the name, Porsche Croatia also imports and distributes Volkswagen, SEAT, CUPRA and Skoda vehicles, as well as MOON chargers, in Croatia. Along with its partners, Porsche Croatia is the nation’s largest importer. In the spirit of not standing still, Porsche Croatia also wanted to add electric mobility solutions to its offerings.
Taking the next step beyond merely selling electric vehicles (EVs) parts and offering traditional service was a natural move. Not only because MOON Croatia’s EV sales are growing but also because that trend is clearly here to stay. The European Union’s ban on new petrol and diesel vehicles hits Croatia in 2035, so the internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle’s days there are numbered.
EV charging: all part of the service
Some automotive retailers might have been happy to hand over the keys for a new EV and do no more than the usual aftersales work, but Porsche Croatia saw offering charging solutions as a key element in its service mandate. It understood that charging is essential as the e-mobility age gathers steam — not just to ease the EV sales process and enable viable ownership — but to live up to its own environmental responsibilities.
It also saw EV charging as an opportunity to change with the times and make the most of the latest technological trends. Why not set their own customers up to provide a reliable charging service that could cover everything from hardware to a convenient payment process? Why not make it easy for them to connect solar energy with charging points?
After all, customers looking for their own opportunities in the EV charging value chain would be more likely to turn to an established automotive company known for innovation and reliability. Especially one that sees where the industry is headed and has the resources to implement those ideas.
The broad target group for MOON Croatia would be those wanting to establish themselves as Charge Point Operators (CPOs), e-mobility service providers (eMSPs) or existing providers seeking better all-around solutions. Private motorists who wanted to find ways to make cheaper, greener transport a reality in their own lives would not be forgotten either. So, there was plenty to do!
Getting the MOON EV charging project up and running
Deciding to become a one-stop-shop for everything related to e-mobility is one thing but making it a reality is another. For a company that’s core business was still car sales and aftersales, they needed to partner with an experienced industry specialist.
That’s where ChargePoint came in. With its years of experience and its be.ENERGISED software, ChargePoint helped MOON set up to reflect the company’s vision.
"We had a few important requirements for our charging solution,” explains Bojan Tkalec, Head of the MOON Croatia. “We wanted to be in a position to offer a simple yet comprehensive solution for our customers. One that could cover everything from their initial idea to installation and beyond."
"Given that we would be taking care of a large and varied portfolio of charging infrastructures, we also wanted a sophisticated, hardware-agnostic backend tool to manage it smoothly."
"Thirdly, we wanted our sub-CPOs to be able to set up simple, trackable reimbursement. As for the e-mobility service providers, we wanted to offer them access to a MOON-branded app and charging card for their users."
MOON Croatia succeeded in all of this by harnessing be.ENERGISED. And the investment was more affordable than might be expected for a project as ambitious as adding EV charging services to your portfolio from the ground up.
"We’ve been able to cover most challenges through out-of-the-box solutions," says Tkalec. "This is reflected in the low operational costs we’ve had."
"Now we can proudly say that we can offer all products and services related to charging and sustainability. We started with consulting, which means understanding customer needs and tailoring the project to them. Then there are the chargers themselves and services for their commercial use. We’re also handling the integration of EV solutions."
Tkalec regards the MOON-branded app as a highlight. The white label app works through integration with MOON’s IT systems. The plan now is to take that further, to include country-specific requirements, recurring and non-recurring fees, full credit card terminal integration and simpler billing. Taking these options will mean a more powerful business tool and an even smoother experience for the end user.
In some regards, there’s not so much difference between those end users and the ones ultimately providing them a service — both want a smooth charging experience! That’s particularly true when trying something new in uncertain times. According to Tkalec, that’s been entirely the case for Porsche Croatia as it continues to grow its EV charging portfolio via the MOON brand.
"What’s important to us is availability, communication and resolving any issues we have. ChargePoint is always reachable, takes issues seriously and responds in a timely manner. We also have regular communication cycles in place. So, considering all that, I would score our partnership with ChargePoint at 10/10."
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