Hubject, Mer and BMW Group Launch Plug&Charge Direct, Opening Seamless EV Charging to More Drivers

Drivers can now plug in and pay by credit card automatically, no account and no charging contract required.

BERLIN, [16 APRIL 2026] — Hubject, the global leader in eMobility interoperability, Mer, one of Europe's leading EV charging operators, and BMW Group have announced the launch of Plug&Charge Direct in Germany and Austria. The new service combines Plug&Charge authentication with direct credit card payment in a single automated flow, removing the final barriers between an EV driver and a seamless charging experience.

With a one-time credit card setup through the my BMW or MINI app, drivers can pull up to any compatible Mer charging station in Germany or Austria, plug in, and have authentication and payment handled automatically at the charger, with no additional account and no manual steps required at the charge point

‍
BMW is the first OEM to launch with Plug&Charge Direct, with the service designed as an open system available to any OEM. This opens Plug&Charge toa much broader group of drivers. Tourists, fleet managers, company car users can now access seamless charging without a pre-registered contract, making the experience available to any driver with a compatible vehicle and a credit card.

For CPOs, the benefit is equally direct. Higher charging conversion rates, fewer failed sessions and a broader addressable customer base, including drivers who have never registered with a charging service provider.

"Plug&Charge has delivered a truly seamless charging experience for all who have used it. Plug&Charge Direct extends that same experience to a much wider group of EV drivers. Our launch with Mer and BMW Group is the beginning of what we expect to be a global rollout. We believe the wider the access to a genuinely seamless charging experience is, the more inevitable electric mobility becomes" said Christian Hahn, CEO, Hubject.

“Many EV drivers want one thing above all when charging: arrive, plug in, and drive on without first having to deal with countless apps or contracts,” says Anton Achatz, Managing Director of Mer Germany and Mer Austria. "A good charging experience is created where simplicity, reliability, and quality come together. That is exactly the experience we want to offer customers at our stations. By integrating Plug&Charge Direct into our charging network, we are taking another step in this direction and, together with Hubject and BMW, can make a seamless charging experience accessible to even more people.”

Plug&Charge Direct is now available across Mer's charging network in Germany and Austria. The service will expand to additional markets and charging partners.


About Hubject

Hubject simplifies the charging of electric vehicles. Through its eRoaming platform intercharge, the eMobility specialist connects CPOs and eMobility Service Providers (eMSPs) to provide standardised access to charging infrastructure. Hubject operates the world's largest cross provider charging network, connecting over 1,000,000 charging points and more than 3,500 B2B partners across 75+ countries. Hubject is also a leader in Plug&Charge technology reaching 4,500,000 PnC ready EVs, using ISO 15118-2 and -20 standards to deliver secure, seamless EV charging experiences, and is the first EV-related company to offer financial services for EV companies based on its own payment license.


About Mer Germany

As a leading provider of charging solutions for electric vehicles, Mer is committed to the rapid expansion of e-mobility and the more efficient use of renewable energy. Whether charging infrastructure solutions for public spaces or for businesses, Mer’s mission is to make e-mobility easily accessible to everyone. Mer’s portfolio includes the planning, installation, and operation of public and corporate charging stations, as well as the provision of hardware, proprietary apps, and digital portals. Both corporate and private customers have access to a continuously growing public charging network of more than45,400 charging points powered by 100% renewable electricity, as well as access to over 740,000 charging points and charging hubs across Europe — all supported by Statkraft, Europe’s largest producer of renewable energy.


Media Contact:
‍Stuart Barnes
stuart.barnes@hubject.com

‍