Micromobility firm TIER has formed an international strategic partnership with parking operator APCOA after a recent link-up in Stuttgart.
The agreement will see TIER use APCOA parking garages as a base to charge lithium-ion batteries for its fleet of e-scooters.
TIER will also establish designated parking spaces for its shared e-scooters at APCOA parking garages, allowing customers to park their car before hiring an e-scooter for the final part of their journey.
By the end of 2021, TIER will have set up at APCOA parking garages in Düsseldorf, Berlin, Cologne and Hamburg, with plans to expand into APCOA facilities in Poland, the Netherlands, the UK, Sweden and Norway.
The announcement comes shortly after TIER agreed to recharge its 1,500-strong e-scooter fleet in Stuttgart at APCOA stations last month.
Many APCOA parking garages now serve as multi-purpose “urban hubs”, with the firm expanding the functionality of its city-centre locations.
Thanks to strategic partnerships with firms including BOSCH, BVG, Daimler, E.ON, HERE Technologies, REEF, Sixt, Swiftmile, UFO Drive, and now TIER, APCOA is able to offer a broad range of services at an increasing number of these urban hubs.
“Our new partnership with APCOA will reduce logistics traffic, enhance our service and reduce CO2 emissions,” said Philipp Haas, Vice President Expansion & Central Operations at TIER.
“All of these benefits can only be achieved because of the removable batteries we use. Rather than charging our fleet of vehicles every day at a large warehouse on the outskirts of the city like our competitors, we rely on small charging stations in central locations.”
Niels Christ, Director Urban Hubs, APCOA PARKING Holdings added: “The close international partnership with TIER is a great example of the opportunities APCOA URBAN HUBS provide for our partners, owners and end customers. It also demonstrates how we use innovative concepts to attract potential new users to our parking facilities. We are currently exploring more promising partnerships with numerous potential partners, all of whom appreciate the high density of our car park network and the fact that 230 million consumers live and work within easy reach of our properties in European city centres.”