ENGIE Vianeo picks BICS to support smart EV charging stations

ENGIE Vianeo, the EV charging business of energy company ENGIE Group, is partnering with international communications enabler BICS to connect its charging stations to the Internet of Things (IoT). The solution will provide real-time data which allows for remote maintenance and enhanced decision-making. Partnering with BICS will deliver seamless connectivity, security and regulatory compliance to support ENGIE’s rapid European rollout plans.

Electric vehicles are becoming increasingly popular across Europe - new electric car registrations reached nearly 3.2 million in 2023, increasing by almost 20% from 2022. However, this is driving demand for more accessible charging infrastructure. Last year, the EU approved a new law to add more chargers across its member states, with specific targets for 2025 and 2030. This legislation put specific emphasis on installing stations across main highways.

In response to this demand, ENGIE launched its charging business, ENGIE Vianeo, last year. It has now partnered with BICS in a move to upgrade the technology supporting its expanding estate. By utilizing BICS' IoT connectivity portal 'SIM for Things', ENGIE is upgrading its EV charging estate into a network of IoT devices to improve efficiency, reliability, and user convenience. The solution supports remote maintenance and troubleshooting, analytics on station activity, and enables remote software and firmware updates.

These are determining rating criteria recognized by the users. Previous iterations of the technology have used a ‘black box’ fitted to the stations, these would collect data but have to be physically collected and processed, while this new solution means real-time, remote data collection from the highway to ENGIE Vianeo's European supervisory center.

The real-time data provided by the solution will also improve customer experience, described by ENGIE Vianeo as a “key element of the transition to a lower-emission mobility model”. Users will be able to see live information, via their phone app, on nearby charger availability or the charging status of their vehicle. Answering such a need to guarantee the best charging experience leads to a significant increase in attendance.

“The appetite for electric cars is growing across Western Europe,” says Clémence Fischer, Managing Director, ENGIE Vianeo. “We aim to meet this demand by rapidly expanding our number of charging stations. In France alone, we aim to have 12,000 charge points by the end of 2025. In Belgium, we expect to double the current number of charging stations to exceed 5,000 charge points by the same date. Managing such a large, dispersed estate presents challenges, so alongside BICS, we’re investing in technology to give us complete visibility over our infrastructure. This will help us improve the prompt response of our services and keep stations maintained and running reliably, so they’re always ready and available when customers need them.”

Due to the typical locations of charging stations, in built-up metropolitan areas or remote highways, mobile connectivity (as opposed to fixed fibre) is a must. BICS is making this simple for ENGIE Vianeo, providing the internet connection, the SIM cards to connect the charging stations, and its SIM for Things platform for easy setup and maintenance. While the initial rollout for these ‘connected chargers’ will focus on Belgium, they will later expand across Western Europe, including France, Italy and Spain. Around 50,000 devices are expected to be deployed as part of the collaboration.

“IoT technology augments businesses by enabling real-time visibility across their operations, from the management of moving parts within factories to devices distributed across the globe,” says Mikael Schachne, CRO Enterprise, BICS. “Enabling EV vehicles to access charging stations anywhere is essential as we look to achieve a more efficient and carbon-neutral mobility infrastructure. We are very pleased to partner with ENGIE Vianeo to accelerate their rollout, reducing the complexity with ‘plug-and-play' SIM connectivity to rapidly and easily connect smart chargers across Europe.”