Interview: David Martell, Chief Executive, Chargemaster

David Martell is the Founder and Chief Executive of Chargemaster, a UK-based supplier of electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure. The company has over 25 years of experience working in the telematics and vehicle infrastructure industry. Chargemaster has a number of strategic partnerships with OEMs like BMW, as well as energy providers, government agencies, management consultancies, property development companies, and leading blue chip companies across the UK and Europe. Chargemaster recently received a £3m (US$5m) investment from Beringea, the growth capital investor that manages the ProVen Venture Capital Trusts, which it plans to use to further expand its activity in Europe. The company holds about 55% of the UK market, and exports equipment to France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland and Germany. Martell spoke to Automotive World about the European EV industry, and his thoughts on the future of vehicle electrification. How many charge points does Chargemaster have in the UK and Europe? We recently installed our 10,000th charge point in a public and workplace environment in the UK. We have about 3,000 in Europe, and we’ve delivered around 14,000 domestic charging points, so it’s growing to be quite a big business. If EV sales increased, could the current infrastructure cope? There’s no reason why the existing infrastructure shouldn’t cope with increased use, that would be welcome, but we are committed to working with partners such as local authorities, supermarkets, and the government to roll out more charging points as the EV market grows. Is continued government support needed to develop EV infrastructure? It is at the moment. The EV industry is a young industry and we do continue to need government support. If we didn’t have government support, we wouldn’t see the growth needed to support EVs coming on to the market, but we expect government support to continue for the next five years at least. Do you think there should be a charging standard? There is no standardisation yet. For instance, a Nissan Leaf has a different socket to a Renault Zoe or a BMW i3. When it comes to rapid charging, there are three different standards. Chargemaster charging posts are designed to be operational with all the standards mentioned. It would be easier if all EVs had the same charging standards, but that’s not the case and we have to cope. All EVs can charge on Chargemaster charging posts, but it would be helpful if the industry moved towards standardisation in the future. Where do you think are the best locations for charge points? Most charging is done at home. If anyone buys an EV they need a charging point, commonly known as a wall box, at home. There is a government scheme in the UK which can provide those free of charge. The next place that is useful is the workplace and we’re increasingly fitting offices, corporate environments and local authorities to allow them to charge in work. With public charging, there are two types. One is destination charging, at a supermarket for example, and [in the UK] we have fitment deals with Waitrose, ASDA and other supermarkets, and the other type is rapid charging. They are found on motorways and can charge in 30 minutes or less, but are more expensive to install. What charging solutions exist for consumers who live in flats or have to park on streets? If you don’t have off-street parking, you have to rely on a public charging facility on a street or in a car park. We have charging points in car parks operated by companies like NCP and Q-Park and you can charge there, but it is easier if you have off-street parking. The common perception is that rapid chargers are only for occasional use – is that correct? Rapid chargers are designed for covering long distances and for occasional use. It’s much better to charge overnight or at the workplace and use rapid charging on long distance journeys, which is what they are really designed for. How important is it that the electricity to power EVs is ‘green’? It certainly helps. We try to work with clean energy companies to provide green energy and increasingly we can provide people with an EV with electricity that has been generated in an environmentally-friendly way. What EV charging developments do you expect in the future? We have a significant programme on wireless charging. We expect to see cars on the market that can accept wireless charging in two to three years. This means you do not have to take the cable out of the boot to charge your car. That makes it convenient for users. We’re leading the way in the provision of equipment to facilitate wireless charging. We see that as a major development in about 2016. Would you still regard EV sales as low? I think you could have claimed disappointing EV sales a year ago but they are more than doubling year on year currently and a number of new EVs have been launched recently OEMs such as BMW and Tesla. Over the next year that will accelerate with new EVs from Mercedes, BMW and Tesla, and it’s widely expected that in 2020, one in ten cars will have a plug – whether hybrid or pure electric. Sales of EVs are going very well now. What do you think EVs offer over ICEs? You never have to go to a petrol station and you know you’re driving something that is environmentally-friendly. EVs produce zero carbon emissions and produce no gases that are harmful to air quality. Increasingly in cities, air quality is a major issue. EVs are also nice to drive. The performance and acceleration is much better than an ICE. Do you think a move to electrification is inevitable? I think we’re past the point of no return. All OEMs have large, significant programmes on building plug-in vehicles across the range. A move to electrification is already happening. Within the next three years it will be unusual to go to a dinner party and not find someone who has just bought an EV. In which markets around the world do you see EVs being most successful? They have already been very successful in Norway but the UK is quite a friendly environment for EVs and we see it becoming one of the leading countries. Already in the US, EV sales are gaining momentum, especially in states like California. Rachael Hogg

Interview: David Martell, Chief Executive, Chargemaster

The auto industry's move to electrification is well under way, says Chargemaster's Chief Executive, David Martell

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