Electric Vehicle (EV) charging has come a long way in ten short years, says the CEO of white label back-end provider ChargePanel – a CTEK partner in providing reliable, smart and futureproofed EV charging.

Peter Persson says the speed of evolution in the EV ecosystem is rapid, demand is growing and trust in charging services is a precious commodity.

"Reliability of charging is very important. Everything depends on trust," said Peter, one of three founders when ChargePanel was launched in 2016. The Swedish company now has more than 50,000 EV charge points on its cloud-based platform and is active in more than 15 countries on six continents.

Peter said: "We have used CTEK charge points almost from the very start. And now there are thousands in the networks we work with. I believe CTEK charge points' uptime is one of the best in the market. The quality and service are extraordinary. And that's what I hear from others too."

CTEK's Chargestorm Connected chargepoints are busy at work alongside ChargePanel's software in many locations, including thousands of parking spaces in many of the 110 garages belonging to the Swedish capital's municipal operator Stockholm Parkering.

Peter said: "Stockholm Parkering has 12,000 charge points and a big majority are CTEK. Professionals in this market, such as at the Municipality of Stockholm, know what kind of chargers they want and many choose CTEK."

Being part of the transition from fossil fuels to electric mobility is what motivated the founders of ChargePanel, from their first small business customers to the mighty fleet and lease operators they now serve.

Peter said: "Key to our growth has been how what we provide compares with the alternatives available. Petrol stations have had more than 100 years to become something very reliable thanks to the infrastructure around them. When drivers are thinking of moving from petrol or diesel to electric, they compare EVs to what they already have.

"The EV charging sector has had just over 10 years to get to where we are today. That's a very short time and it has become increasingly complex. We've created an increasingly capable and flexible system that works at your home, your workplace, the shopping centre, etc – to deliver the electricity you need to have in your car, so you have the charge in your battery when you need it.

"Evolution in charging is happening very quickly. For big changes you have maybe three years – 1,000 days or less – to find and create the solutions. But that's also a very inspiring challenge."

ChargePanel says that among the next wave of EV innovations for drivers will be zero-touch Plug & Charge, more dynamic charging linked to energy prices and V2H (Vehicle to Home).

Peter said: "We will be able to have Plug & Charge in the near future. We'll need three elements: a system like ChargePanel to be able to do it; a car that can handle it; and the hardware – the charge point – that can deliver. Plug & Charge capability is becoming a required element, a 'must', in tenders as operators seek to future proof their installations.

"Next up in Europe is the transition to electric by the biggest leasers and fleets and their integration of charging. Big companies that have been reactive to this are becoming proactive. It makes a lot of sense. They need to be closer to the transaction of charging and the way to do that is to own their own system, to be their own charge point operator."

Stefan Gabrielsson at CTEK agrees that the future is exciting: "EVs are getting better and better and the charging ecosystem is also improving and becoming smarter and more reliable, thanks to the integration of great hardware and software.

"At CTEK we are very pleased to be working with innovators such as ChargePanel who have a vision of the possibilities of how charging can enable drivers to transition to electric and enjoy doing so."

ChargePanel's customers include leasing companies such as LeasePlan and Arval, parking operators such as Stockholm Parkering and fleet operations at Securitas, DHL and Post Nord. "It shows we as a small company can make a good contribution," said Peter. "And that is very motivating for us to keep working hard."