ChargeUp Europe welcomes OMV as Full Industry Member
ChargeUp Europe welcomes OMV as its latest member. OMV is transitioning to become a leading sustainable fuels, chemicals and materials company with a focus on circular economy solutions. The company is rolling out a comprehensive network of e-charging stations in central and eastern Europe. The implementation includes the installation of 2,000 charging points by 2030 to offer high-power chargers, with the majority ranging from 150kW to 300kW charging capacity. This forms part of the company’s path to becoming a net-zero company by 2050, thereby contributing to a successful energy transition.
Find out more about them here.
ChargeUp Europe welcomes IONITY as Full Industry Member
ChargeUp Europe, the voice of the EV charging infrastructure industry in Europe, is delighted to welcome IONITY as its latest member. IONITY operates a network of high-power charging stations along highways in 24 European countries. All charging stations are open to electric vehicles of any brand, with several high-power charging points to recharge a vehicle’s battery in the shortest time possible. Sourcing renewable energy only, IONITY is a driving force for sustainable mobility.
For further information, go to ionity.eu
“IONITY is a leader in electric vehicle charging on the long distance. We are committed to further advance industry standards and regulation to ultimately offer all EV drivers a seamless and hassle-free user experience”, said Michael Hajesch, CEO of IONITY. Commenting on the announcement, ChargeUp Europe Secretary General Lucie Mattera stated: "We are delighted to welcome IONITY to our growing ChargeUp Europe membership. IONITY stands for long distance electric travel across Europe and will be right at home in ChargeUp Europe!"
See full PR with press contacts here.
ChargeUp Europe welcomes Alpitronic as the 30th Full Industry Member
ChargeUp Europe, the voice of the EV charging infrastructure industry in Europe, is proud to announce that Alpitronic has joined the association as a full industry member. Alpitronic is the 30th full industry member to join the association since it was formally established in December 2020, marking a significant milestone.
Alpitronic, a distinguished manufacturer of EV chargers and power electronics testing solutions for the automotive and industrial industries, brings invaluable expertise and innovation to the ChargeUp Europe membership. Since 2017, Alpitronic has been renowned for its DC fast chargers designed for electric vehicles in the power range between 50 kW and 400 kW. The products, managed under the Hypercharger brand, exemplify their commitment to delivering high-performance and reliable charging solutions. With a compact footprint and advanced design, these solutions aim to contribute to the future of e-mobility.
For more information, visit Alpitronic’s website.
"We are delighted to welcome Alpitronic to ChargeUp Europe as our 30th full industry member! The collaboration with Alpitronic marks a pivotal moment for ChargeUp Europe, emphasizing the importance of collective efforts in advancing a seamless charging experience for EV drivers of all types. We look forward to involving Alpitronic in our group of industry leaders, pooling expertise to accelerate the transition to e-mobility.” said Lucie Mattera, Secretary General of ChargeUp Europe.
This partnership underscores the commitment of both ChargeUp Europe and Alpitronic to contribute significantly to the growth of electric mobility. Together, they will continue to work towards a seamless EV charging experience, playing a decisive role in shaping the future of e-mobility across the continent.
Highlighting the importance of this collaboration, Philipp Senoner, the CEO of Alpitronic, said,
“We are delighted to announce our membership in ChargeUp Europe. This collaboration provides us with various opportunities for development, including direct communication with policymakers and active engagement with the community in a supportive environment dedicated to a shared industry cause. We look forward to actively participating in the dynamic ChargeUp Europe community, gaining knowledge from other partners, and contributing our expertise to collectively drive the future of clean energy.”
See the full PR with press contacts here.
ChargeUp Europe welcomes IES Synergy as Full Industry Member
ChargeUp Europe, the voice of the EV charging infrastructure industry in Europe, is delighted to welcome IES Synergy as its latest member company.
Founded in 1992 in France, IES SYNERGY is an international player in sustainable mobility. As a pioneer in the field of electromobility, the company designs and assembles advanced recharging solutions for electric vehicles. With a global presence spanning nearly 50 countries through direct operations and strategic partnerships, IES Synergy has emerged as a key international player in the creation and manufacturing of cutting-edge battery charging solutions for the latest generations of electric vehicles. IES Synergy's ambition is to maintain its leadership in the electric mobility sector by continuing to innovate and meet the challenges of the global energy transition. The company is determined to provide advanced and sustainable electric recharging solutions while offering an efficient and local service.
For further information, go to the website of IES Synergy.
“We're proud to be joining Charge Up to continue extending a model of sustainable mobility in Europe through our charging systems”, said Jérôme Arnaud, Chief Executive Officer of IES Synergy.
Commenting on the announcement, ChargeUp Europe Secretary General Lucie Mattera said, “We are delighted to welcome IES Synergy to ChargeUp Europe. Their expertise in designing and manufacturing electric vehicle charging solutions will undoubtedly enrich the collaborative efforts of our diverse membership. Together, we aim to address the challenges and opportunities in the rapidly growing electric mobility sector and foster a sustainable and inclusive future for e-mobility in Europe."
Read the PR with media contacts here.
ChargeUp Europe welcomes the official publication of AFIR
The Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR) sets the framework for public EV charging for the coming years.
Read the press-release here.
ChargeUp Europe welcomes Drake & Farrell as Full Industry Member
ChargeUp Europe, the voice of the EV charging infrastructure industry in Europe, is delighted to welcome Drake & Farrell as its latest member. Drake & Farrell is a top provider of circular supply chain solutions, partnering with CPOs and hardware producers to give them a higher degree of control over the lifecycle of their products and increase the potential for reusing and recycling their charging stations and their components. Drake & Farrell fully repairs or refurbishes faulty charging stations to their original state when possible and dismantles them when repair or refurbish is not possible. The charging stations themselves, or their spare parts and materials, then get a second life by being used to replace other charging stations. These parts are quality controlled and tested before reuse. For parts that cannot be reused, the materials are recycled and find their way back into the circular economy in a new form, reducing e-waste and saving resources. Drake & Farrell also provides the tools to help its partners investigate and better understand the root causes of possible hardware issues and solve them with greater precision. With over 15 years of experience in supply chain circularity, Drake & Farrell is a frontrunner in supporting the electric mobility sector with multiple forward and reverse process solutions. On a pilot project, it was observed that over 50 percent of the charging stations could be successfully repaired and reused. For the remaining stations, parts and components could be successfully harvested to further improve customer support efforts and reduce environmental impact.
“With the first generation of EV charging equipment gradually being replaced, the need for an industry wide closed-loop solution for returns is inevitable. Perfectly in line with the Drake & Farrell purpose to continue fighting global e-waste, we support the entire EV industry in compliantly returning, refurbishing and dismantling of de-installed equipment”, said David Engel, CEO of Drake & Farrell.
Commenting on the announcement, ChargeUp Europe Secretary General Lucie Mattera stated, "We warmly welcome Drake & Farrell to ChargeUp Europe. As the sector is gradually maturing, Drake & Farrell will bring unique expertise, insights and services on circularity opportunities, and how circularity can contribute to reduce costs along the EV charging value chain, on top of supporting resilient supply chains.
Read the full PR with media contacts here.
ChargeUp Europe welcomes DKV Mobility as Full Industry Member
ChargeUp Europe, the voice of the EV charging infrastructure industry in Europe, is delighted to welcome DKV Mobility as its latest member. DKV Mobility is the leading B2B platform for on-the- road payments and solutions, serving over 314,000 active customers across Europe with services and products to make mobility more efficient, seamless, and convenient. From charging infrastructure to planning and design and from advice to installation and electricity products, DKV Mobility offers customized supply solutions for electric vehicles and provides a complete and transparent supply service for electric vehicles – on the road, at home or at the workplace. Enabled by GreenFlux, DKV Mobility is offering an acceptance network of 468,000 charge points all over Europe. As part of DKV Mobility, GreenFlux is a primary contributor to accelerating EV charging infrastructure rollout in Europe. The company's SaaS platform enables CPOs and eMSPs to operate and scale their EV charging networks and driver services. Together DKV Mobility and GreenFlux drive the transition towards an efficient and sustainable future of mobility.
“We are pleased to join ChargeUp Europe and thus contribute our expertise in times of the mobility transition to help e-mobility become a full success throughout Europe by providing the best possible, customer-oriented supply solutions”, said Christopher Schäckermann, Director eMobility at DKV Mobility.
Commenting on the announcement, ChargeUp Europe Secretary General Lucie Mattera stated, "We are delighted to welcome DKV Mobility to ChargeUp Europe as they scale their overall EV charging offer across Europe. With the addition of DKV Mobility to our membership, our expertise and voice of commercial fleets will be strengthened even further."
Read the full PR and media contacts here.
ChargeUp Europe welcomes Driveco as Full Industry Member
ChargeUp Europe, the voice of the EV charging infrastructure industry in Europe, is delighted to welcome Driveco as its latest member.
Driveco is a leading innovative electric vehicle charging company, whose mission is to bring electric mobility within everyone's reach. Founded in 2010 with the aim of decarbonising the transport industry, Driveco is a trailblazing company operating the second largest French electric vehicles charging network open to the public. It has over 8,000 charging points in operation or under construction. Convinced of the necessity to play its role in the reindustrialization of Europe, Driveco assembles its own 22kW charger in Angers, France and prioritizes European-made high-power chargers of 50kW, 150kW, 300kW and more.
With more than 10 years of experience in the electric charging sector, the French company recently announced a 250 million euros record fundraising round for the sector in France from the Dutch pension fund manager APG. Existing shareholders Mirova, an affiliate of Natixis Investment Managers dedicated to sustainable investments, and Corsica Sole retain their majority stake in the company’s capital. This investment will support Driveco in strengthening its position in France, accelerate its internationalisation strategy into Europe and consolidate its technological innovation to provide a seamless experience for electric vehicle drivers.
“We are pleased to join ChargeUp and be part of a network of committed actors that are working towards meeting the EU’s green agenda objectives, including Fit for 55, by supporting the rollout of electric charging stations throughout Europe. Our goal is to open over 60,000 charging points in Europe by continuing Driveco’s development in France and Belgium and expanding our operations into Germany, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands. The objective is to enable the charging of over 1.2 million vehicles per year for their entire annual travels, thus avoiding the emission of 3 million tonnes of CO2,” said Ion Leahu-Aluas, CEO of Driveco.
ChargeUp Europe Secretary General Lucie Mattera stated, "We are delighted to welcome Driveco to ChargeUp Europe. Building on its current momentum, Driveco can further strengthen ChargeUp Europe’s voice on the integration of renewable energy sources, and help drive a strong road transport decarbonisation agenda at the service of EV users.”
For further information, go to www.driveco.com
Read the full PR and access the media contacts here.
ChargeUp Europe welcomes Zunder as Full Industry Member
Zunder is the leading independent fast and ultra-fast charging operator for all electric vehicles in Spain. The company has the support of international investors such as White Summit Capital or Mirova, which recently invested 100 million euros in the company.
The growth of the company is not limited to the Spanish territory. In 2022 it began its international expansion, having won its first public tender in France and reaffirming its ambition to deploy and operate more than 4,000 charging stations and manage more than 40,000 charge points through its platform in 2025, with an investment plan of €300M for that same period.
Saul Lopez, Director for International Development at Zunder, said, “Zunder is excited to join the voice of the EV charging infrastructure industry in Europe. We have a strong position in Spain, and we will continue deploying our fast-charging hubs in Europe with a focus on France, Italy, and Portugal. Joining forces with ChargeUp Europe is hence a natural step for us as we share common goals, such as working towards an expeditious and effortless rollout of EV charging infrastructure in Europe.”
Commenting on the announcement, ChargeUp Europe Secretary General Lucie Mattera stated, "We are thrilled to welcome Zunder as the 27th member of ChargeUp Europe. Their diverse charging infrastructure, and a fast-developing state-of-the-art network makes our alliance even stronger. It is our privilege to join forces towards a broad and speedy rollout of EV charging infrastructure, enabling transport decarbonisation in the EU."
Please find the PR and press contacts here.
ChargeUp Europe welcomes Electra as Full Industry Member
Electra is a French charging network founded in 2021. It is developing a public fast-charging network with high-power hubs all around France, focusing on major and medium-sized urban areas. To support the goal of speeding up the development of the French charging network, Electra’s focus on user experience is central. Electra is present in Italy, Belgium and will soon be arriving in Switzerland, Austria and Spain. To this end, Electra plans to have more than 8,000 charging stations by 2030. In November 2022, Automobile propre voted Electra as the second-best charging network in France. Last week, the company has joined the French Tech Next40, a government support programme dedicated to the most promising French scale-ups and future European heavyweights.
"We are delighted to join ChargeUp Europe in a desire to speak with one voice for the needs of the recharging industry, in the context of an emerging market. We have a lot to offer each other with a common mission: to evangelise the transition towards more sustainable mobility," explained Aurelien de Meaux, CEO of Electra.
ChargeUp Europe, the voice of the EV charging infrastructure industry in Europe, is delighted to welcome Electra as its newest member. Commenting on the announcement, Secretary General Lucie Mattera stated, “We are thrilled to welcome Electra into ChargeUp Europe as its 26th member. Electra is bringing their strong focus on the user experience and dedication to deploying fast-charging hubs to our work, and we look forward to continuing structuring the sector with them, and the rest of the ChargeUp Europe membership.”xq
Please find the PR and press contacts here.
ChargeUp Europe Members Elect 2023 Leadership Team
ChargeUp Europe, the voice of the EV charging infrastructure industry in Europe, is delighted to announce its new, 2023 Committee Chairs, who lead the development of the work in their respective committees. They join the Board of Director and Secretary General Lucie Mattera, in leading the association and its work.
Read the full press release here.
ChargeUp Europe Elects Board Members
On 9 February 2023, ChargeUp Europe’s General Assembly of the Members held elections for the Board of ChargeUp Europe. Four seats were up for (re)election. They were filled by EDP, Fastned and GreenWay, who were re-elected, while BP is joining the Board as a new member company. The new and re-elected Board members are joining ABL+reev, Shell, as well as ChargeUp Europe founders Allego, ChargePoint and EVBox.
Read the full press release here.
Future-proof & user-centric: Making AFIR fit for 35 and beyond
On 23 November, ChargeUp Europe hosted a webinar on the ongoing trilogue negotiations on the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR). The webinar featured speakers from ChargeUp membership: Franco Barbieri (evway), Aaron Fishbone (GreenWay) and Tanya Sinclair (ChargePoint). The webinar was moderated by Lucie Mattera, the Secretary General of ChargeUp Europe. Broadly, the webinar examined the following topics:
Targets: the goal of targets should be to kickstart the market in places where it is most needed. Only with ambitious capacity-based targets we can prevent a two-speed Europe from developing and meet the EUs climate targets in time.
Roaming: the primary way that EV drivers charge out of network, both nationally and internationally – therefor AFIR must include roaming in its scope. Only with roaming we give the freedom of choice to the driver and that’s what we are all aiming for.
Retrofits: instead of focusing on rolling back by retrofitting perfectly functioning public AC chargers, we should be focusing on rolling out a lot more public EV charging infrastructure as rapidly as possible to meet the growing demand.
Grids: as grid connection timeline and complexity issues are the largest bottleneck CPOs across Europe face when it comes to rolling out more charging infrastructure. Addressing this key obstacle is crucial
Watch the full webinar below!
ChargeUp Europe welcomes Hubject as Ecosystem Partner
ChargeUp Europe, the voice of the EV charging infrastructure industry in Europe, is excited to announce Hubject as its 6th ecosystem partner, expanding the overall scope and reach of the association, which now consists of 24 full industry members as well as six ecosystem partners. This partnership brings major industry players into alignment and collaboration on the shared, core goal of developing an open, harmonized, pan-European Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure (EVCI) marketplace which makes charging easy for EV drivers, and enables them to speak with one voice.
One key enabler for the smooth and fast uptake of electro-mobility in Europe will be the possibility for EV drivers to charge anywhere and get connected to open charging networks. Roaming between publicly accessible charging networks is critical for EV drivers to be able to drive smoothly and reliably and for the development of a single European EV infrastructure market. Direct peer to peer roaming connections between charging service companies or connections with eRoaming hubs like Hubject are the primary ways that EV drivers can conveniently get access to and recharge their EV outside of their home network.
Hubject and ChargeUp Europe both believe that for an open market model to exist, EVCI interoperability must be a central tenet. This interoperability depends on the use of open, free to use, non-discriminatory protocols and standards available to all players on the market on equal terms. The principles of an open, interoperable market should be supported by a robust regulatory framework at the EU level.
In the context of the ongoing Green Deal legislative proposals from the EU Commission, ChargeUp Europe, in line with its foundational values, is a strong advocate of open protocols and standards in order to spur market competition and ensure a level playing field in the various communication domains of EV charging.
Hubject’s own platform plays an important role in an interoperable European eRoaming market. Its platform allows market players, regardless of their business approach, size or place in the value chain, to participate. The platform provides a low barrier for entry, is non-discriminatory in nature, ensures open and equal access. It’s importance in the EV infrastructure industry is evidenced by the number of market players who connect with the platform.
Read the full press release here.
ChargeUp Europe statement on keeping the digital and green transition to e-mobility on track amid an energy crisis
ChargeUp Europe:
Recognises that the European Union is facing the unprecedented, short-term challenge of managing shortages, extreme price volatility and high prices in gas and electricity markets while also confronting the climate crisis and managing the transition to cleaner, more resilient and sustainable energy systems.
Calls for recognition that it is of critical importance that the long-term objective of decarbonization and the digital and green transition to e-mobility are not sacrificed as EU institutions and national governments seek to alleviate short-term pressure.
Read the full statement here.
ChargeUp Europe Appoints its First Secretary General
ChargeUp Europe has appointed Lucie Mattera as its first Secretary General to meet the needs of its expanding membership and the growing sector. Lucie Mattera will help steer ChargeUp Europe to the next phase of its development. She has direct work experience with three EU institutions, as well as leadership experience in trade and green associations.
Don't miss the short interview with Lucie to mark her appointment below!
You can read the full press release here.
Would you say that you know Brussels quite well?
After fifteen years in Brussels, I feel I am finally getting the hang of it. I have good awareness of the EU Brussels Bubble, I know the institutions and whole machinery and how it works here. Having worked most of the main institutions myself, I am very familiar with the political institutional systems in Brussels. But it goes beyond that, I really feel very comfortable in the country that I consider my home.
What did you do before you joined ChargeUp Europe?
I have a mixed background mostly in government and advocacy. For the government side, I worked for EU institutions, that is, the European Parliament, the Commission, and the Council. It is good to have seen these three institutions, so you know where the actual power is and to understand the machinery.
I have also worked in national governments in France. It was very important to work at cabinet level with decision makers - the top guys whose decisions are not based on pure science or data. That was a valuable experience to get a sense of how decision-making at high political level works.
I have also led a Brussels-based trade association and the Brussels office of a think tank that promotes climate safety. So, in a nutshell, I have some background in business, from government, and some experience in the green sector.
You are basically everything combined. So, it makes perfect sense to now move to e-mobility. But first, my question: do you have an EV?
Unfortunately, I do not have an EV. I am looking forward to the moment where EVs will be more affordable. The second-hand market is going to develop at some point, so that is one way to jump on it. I am very curious to see how in my neighbourhood, the work around the building codes is going to play out to get the charging points up. But I do have a giant, cargo e-bike!
But that is maybe one motivation of yours to go into the sector of e-mobility. Tell us a little bit more what drove your decision to join the e-mobility sector?
First, I think it has a bright future, which is of essence. The direction of travel in Europe is set and that direction will open doors and horizons for the sector. Projects and the markets are evolving - a lot of it is going to continue to evolve in the coming years. So, this is an exciting moment to join this industry. It is young and innovative, and it is changing a lot. I am very happy to be part of the journey. And of course, as the market grows and matures, this sector will make positive contribution to health and to the economy in Europe, as well as to climate. All positive and that is what I want to be a part of.
In the context of mobility, EVs are in that sense still a niche but obviously on the rise, but the charging of it is then even more niche. So why exactly have you chosen the EV charging industry?
I take issue with that question. I object to this characterization. EVs can be a bit niche, but it is in this space where it is transitioning from a niche market to a mainstream market. We are going mainstream. Indeed, if you look at it today, EVs are still a small percentage, but this percentage is growing very, very rapidly. In fact, it is growing so fast and so spectacularly that we are precisely on the verge of no longer being niche.
And then the EV charging infrastructure is basically the foundation, the very backbone of this ecosystem.
What are some of the main challenges that you see for the EV charging industry that are coming in the next years?
The direction of the industry is only pointing in one direction. But that direction has yet to fully materialize. It is targets, numbers on a paper and that are good in the sense that we give a signal to investors. However, if you do not take a systemic change approach to these targets then you are not going to meet them. What is happening with the workforce? Whatever the fiscal incentives, are they also aligned with what we are trying to do here? What about the fragmentation of the market? What about building codes? Local authorities that don’t prioritize the industry?
You touched upon that already a little bit. Because politicians on the one hand set a very tight timeline to those challenges with the ban of the internal combustion engine by 2035. On the other hand, what do politicians have to provide for that to happen, and for that to be possible for the industry?
Number one would be a real policy consistency and policy alignment - just making sure what you are trying to do in one place is not undone by what you are doing in another place. I would say the signals to investors are critical. And for that you have to have perfectly clear policy direction. Staying on course is going to be important. Because net zero was the ambition of this commission, but we need to see consistency across time. Politicians can also help us by making the effort to try to educate themselves about our sector, trying to understand it a little bit. It is hard, yes, but it is not a sector that is very well understood, so far.
ChargeUp Europe welcomes Q8 as Full Industry Member
ChargeUp Europe, the voice of the EV charging infrastructure industry in Europe, is delighted to welcome Q8 as its latest member company.
Q8 is investing in E-mobility solutions across all its European operating units in Benelux, Sweden, Denmark, Italy and Spain: Together they are developing, each at different pace a network of (fast) chargers in their own stations, at partners’ locations and customers and via an international network across Europe. The goal is to ultimately connect all Q8 customers to a large and reliable EU charging network by means of the national Q8 fleet cards or apps. Moreover, Q8 aims to enable customers to have their own Q8 charger installed in their homes, with all the necessary hardware and service delivered by them.
Since its launch in late 2020, ChargeUp Europe has now grown to 24 full industry members, three knowledge partners, and five ecosystem partners, all working together to accelerate the rollout of EV charging infrastructure and enable seamless charging for drivers across the EU.
Read the full press release here.
ChargeUp Europe welcomes Be Charge as Full Industry Member
ChargeUp Europe, the voice of the EV charging infrastructure industry in Europe, is delighted to welcome Be Charge, the company owned by Plenitude (Eni), as its latest member company.
Be Charge is an integrated operator for electric mobility controlled by Plenitude through Be Power dedicated to the dissemination of charging infrastructures for electric mobility. Thanks to one of the most widespread networks of public charging infrastructures for electric vehicles in Europe, Be Charge wants to make a decisive contribution to the development of a sustainable mobility system through the innovative management of digital flows. To date, all the energy supplied by its network is certified renewable. Be Charge plays both the role of owner and manager of the charging station system (CSO) and that of a provider of charging and electric mobility services that interface with users of electric vehicles (EMSP).
Since its launch in late 2020, ChargeUp Europe has now grown to 23 full industry members, three knowledge partners, and five ecosystem partners, all working together to accelerate the rollout of EV charging infrastructure and enable seamless charging for drivers across the EU.
Read the full press release here.
ChargeUp Europe welcomes Plugsurfing as Full Industry Member
ChargeUp Europe, the voice of the EV charging infrastructure industry in Europe, is delighted to welcome Plugsurfing as its latest member company.
Plugsurfing is dedicated to bringing the carefree drive back to EV drivers through an alliance of all stakeholders of the public charging ecosystem. They bring drivers, charging point operators, and carmakers together through a single platform. Drivers benefit from reliable access to public chargers, charge point operators a scalable back-end, and carmakers integrations for their customers to charge on our network.
Since its launch in late 2020, ChargeUp Europe has now grown to 22 full industry members, three knowledge partners, and five ecosystem partners, all working together to accelerate the rollout of EV charging infrastructure and enable seamless charging for drivers across the EU.
Commenting on the announcement, Tatu Kulla, CEO at Plugsurfing, said: "At Plugsurfing, we believe that to make e-mobility go mainstream, the whole industry needs to work together. Joining ChargeUp Europe is a natural step for us to break barriers and collaborate while setting the standards that will define the charging experience. We look forward to bringing the carefree drive to EV drivers across Europe with our new fellow members."
Read the full press release here.