ZipCharge to announce second phase of its strategic plan with another game-changing product to transform public EV charging for every community and provide energy democracy – EQ Mag Pro

• ZipCharge releases first image of its next game changing product ahead of a global release on Earth Day, April 22nd 2022

• New product will overcome challenges associated with public level 2 AC charging and provide low-cost, convenient charging accessible to everyone, no matter where they park or live

• Announcement is in response to recent national US and UK government plans to expand EV charging infrastructure, with a focus on-street, in rural areas and unrepresented communities

• From the makers of the Go, the world’s first portable electric vehicle charger for consumer use, a power bank on wheels that enables EV drivers to charge wherever they park

London : ZipCharge, the pioneer in portable everyday EV charging, today released a teaser image of its next transformative product which will reshape public EV charging for every community while providing local energy democracy and grid resiliency. This represents the second phase of its strategic plan to provide convenient, low-cost access to energy for everyone.

For the last 50 years, Earth Day has taken place on April 22 to bring awareness to the environmental issues that the world faces, and on Earth Day 2022 ZipCharge will announce a new type of infrastructure that rethinks the role and purpose of public EV charging. ZipCharge will “power communities” providing more equitable access to charging and energy for everyone and every type of community. It will be affordable, resilient, and sustainable.

The ZipCharge will present a solution that combines charging and energy to support the global energy transition and acceleration of renewable energy. ZipCharge will showcase how infrastructure can manage energy in a smarter, more efficient and sustainable way.

ZipCharge Co-founder Jonathan Carrier said “We are at a critical point in our need to protect the planet and take more substantive steps towards decarbonising society and managing our energy use in a smarter way for our collective benefit. As such we believe there is a unique opportunity to reimagine the purpose and role of public infrastructure, how it integrates and serves its community, not only to provide charging but manage energy in a smarter way. We believe the ZipCharge Go can facilitate more accessible, equitable access to energy that can be used in multiple ways, not just for charging an electric vehicle.

“From the outset ZipCharge has been committed to the democratisation of energy and making EV charging more accessible to more people. Now it’s our opportunity to make EV charging part of a smart energy system, so it is more inclusive and democratic. We are excited to showcase the next stage in our journey and desire to transform how people access energy, anywhere so we can create benefits for everyone and every community, regardless of where they live, what they drive and how they move

“Our announcement will be a natural evolution from the ZipCharge Go, and will serve to further remove common barriers to EV ownership – by bringing the possibility of charging to anyone who can’t currently plug-in at their house. In the UK alone, 8.5 million or 40% of car-owning households are without designated or off-street parking. Elsewhere, this figure reaches 60% for example in Italy, Spain, Hong Kong, Singapore and South Korea and in major cities in the USA, China and India.”

In the last six months the US, UK and European Union have announced ambitious plans to develop EV charging infrastructure at a national level. The Biden-⁠Harris Electric Vehicle Charging Action Plan set a goal of deploying 500,000 chargers by 2030 backed by a $7.5 billion investment for EV infrastructure. In March, the UK government released its electric vehicle infrastructure strategy which has set a target of 300,000 public charge points by 2030. The government will invest £500 million to bring public charge points to communities across the UK, including £450 million to boost on-street charging for those without driveways.

About ZipCharge

ZipCharge is creating the world’s first global portable EV charging network to serve a billion people with convenient and low-cost charging wherever they park. The company mission is to democratise EV charging by removing the main barrier to electric vehicle ownership. In the UK alone, 8.5 million or 40% of car owning households don’t have designated off-street parking and can’t charge at home. ZipCharge has developed a range of portable EV chargers that are compact, affordable, and connected, providing sufficient range for daily driving. The chargers are designed to be simple to use for personal use at home, work and other destinations – anywhere a driver parks their car. The ZipCharge portable charging platform combines hardware, software, machine learning and innovative ownership models to make EV charging more affordable, convenient, and lower cost by utilising the charger as a local energy storage device to provide flexibility and resilience for the grid through the ZipCharge intelligent energy management system.

• ZipCharge was selected as a top 50 start-up for the European Start-up Prize for Mobility
• ZipCharge won the British Engineering Excellence Award for its outstanding R&D programme
• ZipCharge was selected as a top 100 start-up for the Start-up Energy Transition (SET)

This announcement follows the unveiling of the ZipCharge Go in November 2021 at COP26, a global climate conference that intended to deliver climate action and support. However, in 2022 it has become clear that more urgent action is required with the UN climate report stating it’s ‘now or never’ to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees. Coupled with recent geo-political events society is facing an unprecedent energy crisis as wholesale energy prices reached new highs.

For the last 50 years, Earth Day has taken place on April 22 that to bring awareness to the environmental issues that the world faces. On Earth Day 2016, the landmark Paris Agreement was signed by the United States, China, and 121 other countries. The theme for Earth Day 2022 is “invest in our planet’ with the ambition to act (boldly), innovate (broadly), and implement (equitably). Themes that are at the heart of the ZipCharge announcement that generates a positive impact for businesses, governments, and citizens — everyone accounted for, and everyone accountable.

As electric vehicles sales continue at pace around the world, more public charging infrastructure is required to provide a “universal right to charge” for mass EV adoption. Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive believes “all drivers, wherever they live, wherever they travel and whatever their needs” should have equal access to charging. While infrastructure is growing, the rate is well below the uptake of plug-in vehicles. This is leading to the creation of “charging deserts” in underserved, underrepresented and rural communities as charge point installation is concentrated in dense, urban areas and on major road network corridors where utilisation is higher.

Radical action is required if the world is to collectively address climate change. The energy transition from fossil-based to zero-carbon, and an increased focus on energy security, is accelerating the shift to renewable energy generation. In turn this will lead to transformation of the energy system, with generation and management becoming more decentralised at individual and community levels, requiring more flexible assets to store, balance and distribute energy.