FRANKFURT -- Daimler has chosen electric vehicle infrastructure specialist SPX Service Solutions to provide chargers and charger installation services for future EVs from the Mercedes-Benz and Smart brands, the supplier announced in a release at the auto show here Tuesday.
Under the terms of the agreement, SPX's expertise will be provided to people who buy the A-class E-Cell, Vito E-Cell and the Smart ForTwo electric drive vehicles. Mercedes and Smart dealerships also will benefit from SPX's know-how.
"Our support of Daimler's new line of EVs establishes SPX as a truly global supplier of electric vehicle charging services and equipment to vehicle OEMs," Tanvir Arfi, president of SPX Service Solutions, said in the release. "We are confident that our strong pan-European presence, coupled with the knowledge and experience we've amassed as a supplier of EV charging installation services in the United States, makes us an ideal partner to serve Daimler's EV infrastructure needs across the Continent."
The SPX Electric Vehicle Solutions team will manage home and on-site charging, including coordinating the installation of 230-volt and 400-volt three-phase fast-charge stations that allow owners to fully charge their EVs quickly. SPX also will help with permitting and post-installation services.
SPX Service Solutions, which is subsidiary of U.S.-based SPX Corp., is General Motors Co.'s recommended supplier of chargers to Chevrolet Volt buyers in the United States, where Arfi says the company already has installed more than 1,000 charging stations.
"We have the charging hardware, the charging network (all the installers) and serve as the conduit between the utility, the OEM, the dealer and the consumer," Arfi told Automotive News Europe in June.
The company offers the same services in Europe, where it has installed 50 charging stations. SPX Service Solutions aims to finish the year with a combined 1,000 installations in Germany, Spain, France, Italy, the Netherlands and the UK.
SPX Service Solutions started its EV infrastructure unit two years ago and Arfi says he expects the business to be profitable in 12 to 24 months.
