We are pleased to introduce Patrick Willner as our new Sales Director for Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Patrick has extensive experience in the transport sector and was most recently Sales Partner Consultant for e-mobility services at DKV Mobility. He is responsible for the sales business in the DACH region and advises customers in selecting the appropriate GreenFlux solution for managing their charging network.
We met him for a short interview to hear his perspective on the German EV market and to share our views on developments in the DACH region.
Why did you decide to join GreenFlux?
I was looking for a new challenge in the e-mobility sector. When the opportunity came up to switch to GreenFlux within the DKV Group, I did not hesitate. I’m convinced that GreenFlux’s e-mobility platform is one of the best on the market. Moreover, I am very much motivated to make mobility more efficient and sustainable – for a cleaner and better future.
What differences do you recognize between Germany, Austria and Switzerland in terms of e-mobility?
I don’t see any significant differences between the three countries. Germany, Austria and Switzerland are quite well positioned in the European market, even though the rollout of public charging infrastructure needs to be accelerated. Cities and municipalities should work together with politics and automotive manufactures on attractive propositions that make e-mobility available to everyone.
At GreenFlux, we want to support companies in Germany, Austria and Switzerland in enabling a high level of customer experience and satisfaction with their charging services.
What do promising business models for charge point operators and e-mobility service providers look like?
The best charge point operators (CPOs) do well by offering a great customer experience while charging. This requires a working network of charging points and rapid support in the case of technical failures/issues. CPOs can also attract customers with competitive pricing and other features such as intelligent indication of charge point availability in apps, a large roaming network and smart energy management.
For e-mobility service providers (eMSPs), a tight, Europe-wide charging network and excellent customer support are essential. Drivers want transparent invoicing for their charging sessions, not only for public charging but also for in-house electricity reimbursement with their employer. EMSPs can meet these requirements by providing a charging card and a portal or app where customers can access and check all charging transactions.
How do e-mobility concepts differ for example between municipal suppliers, leasing companies and company fleets?
As local providers, municipal suppliers focus on customers in their region. They have the public responsibility to expand the regional charging network and make it accessible to end consumers and B2B customers. To achieve this, municipal suppliers are increasingly focusing on holistic e-mobility solutions, e.g., in combination with renewable energy.
Leasing companies focus mostly on B2B. Many leasing partners do not operate their own charging stations and offer their customers access to charging points throughout Europe via a charging card instead. Leasing companies would like to be perceived as the full-service providers by their customers.
Fleet customers, on the other hand, often have contracts with eMSPs that provide companies with a charging card/app and access to their roaming network. In this case, the customer receives all services from one source, from the charging option at home and at the employer’s site, to the vehicle-related invoicing.
What can charge point operators and e-mobility service providers do to effectively scale their business?
Expanding CPOs should definitely use a proven backend to manage their charging infrastructure. For this, a cloud-based solution is particularly suitable for larger companies, where operators can view all locations and solve problems at the charging stations remotely. Remote access for analysis and monitoring purposes is the basis for generating high customer satisfaction and scalability.
In the eMSP role, it is important to have an overview of one’s own customer structure and the charging transactions that have taken place. In the case of a large transaction volume, it can be interesting to negotiate your own roaming contracts and integrate them into the charging management software via a solid software interface. In the long term, eMSPs will also be able to convince through selective pricing for different customer groups.
What are your goals for the DACH market?
The first step is to further introduce companies in the DACH region to the benefits of using the GreenFlux platform. We are currently in promising conversations with interested companies and hope to welcome them as customers on our platform before the end of the year. In the long term, I am convinced that GreenFlux CPO and eMSP solution will extend its market leadership across the globe.
