UK company steals the lead from US in electric vehicle charging

UK company POD Point has smashed the US lead in the race to supply the electric vehicle charging market. The company has now shipped over 2,500 wall-mounted and street (post) charge point units – more product than the leading US provider Coulomb Technologies who are heavily subsidized by the US government1.

EV infrastructure is one of the most rapidly expanding business areas for the United Kingdom, and POD Point’s growth has been fuelled by its introduction of new business models and innovative products to the home and street charge point markets.

POD Point is driving the market across Europe by exporting to all major European countries in partnership with energy companies, public infrastructure providers, and motor manufacturers such as Toyota Motor Europe, who have just signed POD Point as an approved supplier for Toyota dealers throughout the EU, and whose Prius Plug In Hybrid is expected to storm the market this year.

Erik Fairbairn, POD Point’s CEO, predicted the market for EV charging in 2009 when the recession bit into the profits of his previous business, Ecurie25, a membership club which rented supercars. “The motor industry experienced profound repercussions from the financial crisis, and simultaneously it became obvious that the hybrid and electric car market would be trading in an environment that is increasingly disenchanted with fossil fuels,” he commented. “Governments were pushing for the adoption of low-carbon technologies, and the motor industry was ready to take up the challenge of launching affordable family cars – making the conditions ripe for EV adoption and profitable for EV charging companies.”

POD Point is Europe’s largest electric vehicle charge point supplier and has capitalised on the public and private sector interests that are encouraging EV adoption. In addition to home and street charging points, the company supplies software support services to energy companies in several countries in the European Union, as well as the UK’s Office for Low Emission Vehicles and many of the Plugged in Places regions.

POD Point manufactures exclusively in Britain and exports to all countries in the European Union as well as supplying the UK market. Erik added: “EV charging is rapidly developing and the manufacturing challenge is to leave sufficient redundancy for future developments – while keeping costs competitive in order to service domestic and export markets. Now we’ve overtaken the leading US charging company, and our UK-manufactured infrastructure is being installed on Europe’s electric highway.”