Ahead of the U.S. arrival of the M-Byte electric SUV next year, the fledgling electric automaker Byton has announced a partnership with Qmerit for residential charger installations.
Initially, the agreement will result in a program for coordinated installation of Level 2 home wall-box charge points.
Most brands offering plug-in vehicles have so far gone with one of two national networks for home charger installation. GM and BMW partner with Qmerit—including for BMW’s wireless charging trial—but Audi, Kia, Ford, and others have hooked up with Amazon Home Services.
“Ensuring access to innovative energy solutions is just one of the many ways Byton has built a solid foundation for a successful North American launch,” says Jose Guerrero, Managing Director BYTON Americas.
Through the Qmerit system, Byton customers will fill out a digital survey and then be sent up to three installation quotes. The entire transaction will be overseen by a “white-glove” EV concierge program yet to be detailed.
Byton M-Byte
The charge point services fall under the Byton Energy division that was announced in January. The company says that it plans to offer charging solutions, battery storage, and energy management systems.
Byton just yesterday reported that it was ramping up production of pre-production M-Bytes that would be used for crash-testing—and that it was on track for U.S. deliveries in the latter half of 2021. The company is developing at least three vehicles on the same company-developed platform, with motors and power electronics supplied by Germany's Bosch.
Byton M-Byte and K-Byte concepts
Electrify America is already partnered with Qmerit for coordinated home installation, and Byton formed a partnership with Electrify America last November enabling an unlimited number of 30-minute Electrify America charging sessions for M-Byte owners for the first two years of ownership. So the arrangement might be seen as part of the same ecosystem taking form.
Byton points out that by the end of 2021, when M-Bytes are arriving, that Electrify America will have 800 charging stations with about 3,500 charge points capable of at least the 150 kw that will charge it at its peak rate.
