Who Are The Major Players in EV Infrastructure Today? | Utilimarc Fleet FYIs

Gretchen Reese (00:24):

Hey there. Welcome to the Fleet FYIs podcast, the weekly podcast by Utilimarc that reveals how you can make the most of your data for smarter fleet management. My name is Gretchen, and every week you'll hear from me or some of the industry's finest in candid conversations that will not only shed some light on over two decades' worth of fleet data insights, but also some of the industry's hottest talking points and key metric analysis with the aim to help you better understand your fleet from every angle.

(00:52):

But before we begin, if this is the first time you've heard our show, thanks for stopping by. I'm so glad you decided to come along for the ride with us. But I've got a quick favor to ask you. Once you finish today's episode, if you could take a few minutes to leave us a review on your favorite podcasting platform, we would really appreciate it. Give us a rating, five stars I hope, or tell us what you liked, or leave us a comment or a question about what you've heard in today's episode. If we haven't yet covered a topic that you're interested in hearing more about, let us know. We would be happy to go over it in detail in a later show.

(01:35):

Hello, everyone, and welcome back to another episode of the Fleet FYIs podcast. Today, we're back with another episode on charging. If you remember a couple of episodes back, we were talking about some of the logistics of implementing charging infrastructure and some of the factors to consider when you're making your decision on developing your charging strategy for your fleet. But specifically, we're digging into charging infrastructure today and who the leaders in this space are. We all know that charging infrastructure is a crucial element of electrification that a lot of people leave as an afterthought to EV adoption.

(02:09):

Now, this can be a huge mistake for fleet managers, as installation of EV infrastructure can take up to, well, months depending on the amount and the type of stations needed. And also, as I'm sure you all know, we're dealing with supply chain issues right now, so sometimes the parts and the labor may take longer as well due to gaps in the supply chain there. Now, before deciding on the types of equipment needed, fleet managers need to consider their charging strategy, their budget, available space, and the infrastructure company that they will choose to work with. I'm sure you all probably (laughs) know that by now.

(02:45):

But for fleets that are opting to charge their electric vehicles on the road, drivers can make use of the network of nearly 46,000 public stations consisting of nearly 114,000 chargers across the United States today. And that's not even including the rest of North America either, so, you know, different areas around Canada. Expansive networks like ChargePoint and Shell make it easy for electric vehicle drivers to quickly fuel up on the go without having to go back to the fleet yard to actually charge, but fleets choosing to charge their vehicles at a central depot, fleet yard, or employees' homes will have to work with one of the many com- companies that offers infrastructure installation.

(03:27):

Now, this process will include choosing desired charger types, the number of plugs needed, discussing the logistics of installation on the premises, and also how they want to, quote unquote, fuel their chargers. Are they going hydro? Are they going wind? Are they going solar? Or are they using grid power to power these chargers? That's all part of the conversation. Let's dig in.

(04:12):

So who even are the leading companies in EV infrastructure today? So even as a growing market, that are sevel, several prominent and established names in EV infrastructure installation. The different companies specialize in various electric vehicle charging solutions, from AC and DC charging, so alternat- alternating current and direct current charging, Wallbox charging, and some companies hoping to develop wireless EV charging infrastructure in the future. Now, depending on the company, they can also be better equipped to install charging stations at private businesses versus more residential areas, or to even assist fleets of EV buses.

(04:50):

Companies like Beam Global that provide fully transportable, in your hands in 90 days solar-powered infrastructure, or, like, Tritium, that could be on the cutting edge of innovation, each brings something unique to the table that could be part of your EV charging strategy. But these two aren't the only companies charging ahead. (laughs) Get it? We all know I can't resist a good pun in this industry. So let's take a look at some of the biggest names in EV charging infrastructure today. The first one, which I'm sure you've probably all heard of, or at least been interacting with at some point in your career or even just in your personal lives, is Shell.

(05:25):

And as one of the largest global energy suppliers, Shell is evolving with the changing times as the world continues to move away from internal combustion engines. The oil and gas company has one of the largest public electric vehicle charging networks in the nation, and it's now offering a specialized electric vehicle solution portfolio under the brand Shell Recharge Solutions. The company has committed to offering commercial and fleet partners with the scalable technology and services to support wide-scale electrification, and fleets can get full assistance from the point of system design to infrastructure installation, maintenance, and online charging management tools for a seamless charging experience.

(06:05):

For businesses [inaudible 00:06:06] hoping to inch- install charging stations on their sites. Shell also offers charging as a service, which is, as I'm sure you know, a subscription-based electric vehicle charging package, a lot of companies offer it these days, that reduces upfront pur- upfront purchasing costs of infrastructure and let's Shell handle all the project management and all of the installation going forward.

(06:28):

Now, the next company that I'd like to talk about today is Siemens, and it is a German technology and manufacturing company, but Siemens is tackling sustainability and electrification in a multitude of ways. Now, this company created a charging solution called the VersiCharge IEC Wallbox, which allows for easy installation in private or semi-private locations, such as garages, residences, or business parking lots. A noteworthy feature of the VersiCharge IEC is its ability to preset charging times, which I think is kind of cool, because we'll dig into peak charging rates a little bit later in this season of Fleet FYIs, just so you know, but the, what this means is basically, it allows electric vehicle drivers and fleet managers to take advantage of off-peak electricity rates, which tend to be lower than peak charging times.

(07:18):

Think about it this way. When you come home from work, what's the first thing you do? Turn on all the lights in your home. You might start a load of laundry. You might turn on the TV. You might use your computer, or you might use an electric stove, whatever it may be. Energy costs go up because, guess what? Almost every single family or every single person in the world will do that between five and nine o'clock. It's pretty common.

(07:40):

But anyways, before (laughs) I get too far down that rabbit hole, in addition to providing onsite infrastructure for fleets, Siemens has been instrumental in revolutionizing charging infrastructure. Siemens's eHighway system consists of overhead contact lines that charge electrified freight transport as they drive, which is quite cool in my opinion. And the system is already being tested and used in Sweden, Germany, and the US, and it shows a glimpse into the future of charging infrastructure that hopefully we'll be able to see in the next few years.

(08:12):

Along the same lines, looking outside of the US, Schneider Electric is a French company providing multifaceted solutions for efficiency and sustainability. One of the company's focuses is on creating a holistic eMobility infrastructure from the point of audit and consulting, to developing an energy strategy, and finally, deploying smart electric vehicle infrastructure to fit personal needs. They can work on smaller projects, like private homes and buildings, as well as with larger scale installation projects at fleet depots or transit EV stations.

(08:45):

One of Schneider Electric's top products is their Wallbox charger, the EVlink, EV 230 watt. The charging station can be easily installation at home garages, residence buildings, and business parking structures as well, similar to Siemens product. And it also claims to charge EVs up to seven times faster than other chargers, making it a good fit for fleets with minimal time being vehicle shifts. There you have it.

(09:11):

One of the last companies I'd like to talk about... There's two more left on my list, but second to last is ABB, and ABB is another leading technology company offering electric vehicle charging solutions to fill a range of needs, from single home residencies, workplace charging, commercial and industrial fleets, and heavy duty truck or bus charging. ABB has a range of products for each situation. Now, this company has a wide offering of electric vehicle service equipment, including an AC or alternating current Wallbox charger, or DC fast charger, which is your direct current fast charger.

(09:45):

ABB's unique vehicle-to-grid equipment presents a new opportunity in energy trading. And whilst ESVE typically works as grid-to-vehicle, this V2G, or vehicle-to-grid technology, gives utilities actually access to the energy stored in electric vehicle batteries, which can, one, alleviate grid bottlenecks, but it also allows municipality fleets especially to sell their energy back to the grid in case of emer- of an emergency. It almost kind of created a mini microgrid when you think about it.

(10:15):

And if you don't know what microgrids are, make sure you go back a couple of episodes and have a listen to the episode we did on Jersey City and their fully functioning microgrid. That might give you a little bit of a better idea of what we're talking about here. But anyways, these bidirectional charging points make energy trading a seamless transaction, and electric vehicle owners benefit by charging the grid a fee for the service, kind of like your own utility when you think about it that way.

(10:40):

Now, last but not least on my list for today, and keep in mind this is not a fully exhaustive and extensive list on all of the companies that are providing fantastic solutions or innovative solutions. For example, Tritium and Beam Global are two that I had mentioned previously. But there will always be more companies coming up with innovative solutions and exciting solutions as this electric vehicle charging space starts and continues to modernize and expand.

(11:07):

Now, ChargePoint specifically, in addition to managing the world's largest public charging network with over 18,000 charging locations in the United States alone to date, ChargePoint offers their world-class electric vehicle supply equipment, EVSE, like I said, solutions for fleets as well. They are headquartered in California, and they operate globally. And the company handles infrastructure installation from end to end, from initial site qualification and preparation to ongoing maintenance and management once they are deployed. Fleets can choose between three types of charging stations designed for Class 1 to 8 vehicles with varying power outputs, and with the option of single or double ports. ChargePoint also offers dedicate home chargers for private garages, driveways, and apartment complexes, perfect for electric vehicle fleets with take home vehicle policies.

(12:20):

So what does all of this mean? Do you have to be an expert on every single charging company possible? No. (laughs) You really don't. As a fleet professional, it can be worth following these companies, as well as other major players, like I mentioned, in the electric vehicle service equipment space. And though there's a clear disparity between the current production level of electric vehicles and their current demand, fleet managers and green fleet teams can really make use of this time to work with infrastructure companies in building solid charging strategies from end to end before these vehicles arrive or they're available to purchase. Especially for larger and multi-class fleets, there can be a variety of factors to consider, spanning from where vehicles will be charged, to the day to day charging schedules, and the amount of charging stations needed to actually fill this requirement.

(13:08):

I'd love to hear what you think, though. Do you have any other charging companies that you think should have been on this list that I didn't mention? Do you have any products that you would have liked to have heard about or we could expand on them in a future episode? Let me know. Send me an email, tag me on LinkedIn, or use the hashtag, #UtilimarcFleetFYIs. You can even send me a carrier pigeon. I'd love to hear from you, because this, I think, is one of the most exciting portions of the electric vehicle space, is all of the technology and the infrastructure behind it.

(13:35):

And if you stay tuned for a couple more episodes, I think you will be really excited about a specific company that is providing a service that just might, and I say just might, but it might end the need for EV pilots or infrastructure pilots altogether. But that's to be seen. Anyways, that's all from me, so until next week, ciao.

(14:00):

Hey there. I think this is the time that I should cue the virtual high five, because you've just finished listening to another episode of the Fleet FYIs podcast. If you're already wanting more content, head over to utilimarc.com, which is Utilimarc with a C, U-T-I-L-I-M-A-R-C, dot com, for this episode's show notes and extra insights coming straight from our analysts to you. That's all from me this week, so until next time, I'll catch you later.