SPECIAL FEATURE
ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING
CHARGE WHILE YOU WORK When Pure energy needed to identify the best UK distributor of EV charging stations to provide for its clients, the company went to The Pilot Group to look at the company’s EV products, observe the technology and how it works, as well as the dashboard provided by The Pilot Group.
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With electric vehicles now reaching a level of demand where sites are increasingly asking for EV charging solutions, a provider was needed that could adapt to the growing demand
ure energy’s client base primarily consists of work/ office locations, who prioritise convenience and ease of use along with a user-friendly design when seeking EV solutions. For Pure energy, reporting and metrics are an important factor in determining how to best deliver value for its clients. With electric vehicles now reaching a level of demand where sites are increasingly asking for EV charging solutions, a provider was needed that could adapt to the growing demand, whether for one site or multiple. Having been in discussion with a broad variety of manufacturers and providers of EV charging stations for approximately 18 months, in January 2020, Pure energy came to The Pilot Group and was immediately impressed by the company’s product offering and the helpfulness of the team. The technology exceeded Pure energy’s expectations. Alan MacLeod, founder of Pure energy liked the convenience of the contactless payment opportunities offered by the Classic and Plus+ charging points, that would allow for many next-generation users of electric cars to easily use their preferred methods of payment. He comments: “We really liked the technology and […] the point of sale software, this VPOS-type of approach to contactless charging […] reflects the way we live these days.” The charging speeds offered by The Pilot Group’s products were considered ideal for an office environment, especially as it means that consumers could use the charging points while doing productive work. The Pilot Group’s display and
advertising options, offering both a revenue opportunity and a chance for business customers to view promotional materials, were both considered very useful additions, especially to service office environments. Having chosen The Pilot Group’s solutions as the optimal product offering, Pure energy proceeded to offer its range of services to a number of clients. Later in 2020, the opportunity arose to provide the installation of EV charging points at an office building location in Tayside, Scotland. The office building is a hi-tech digital hub, which complemented the ethos of the space, as well as being able to service the needs of a number of users who are owners of electric cars but previously unable to use the charging points while at the office. Alan comments on the solution of officebased charging, “It’s convenient charging to suit your lifestyle.” Pure energy and The Pilot Group conducted a series of collaborations together to agree the parameters of the installation. Subsequently, The Pilot Group and its partners ensured that the site was properly fitted, installing the EV charging points as well as taking care of all elements of installation, from car bay marking at the car park facility, to conducting the utility company management process to ensure full access to electricity to prepare the charging points for use. The energy will be supplied by Octopus Energy, a fully renewable supplier of energy, which allows not only for the emissions-reducing electric cars to be charged, but to be charged using less polluting forms of electricity. In the words of Alan, “That’s the beauty of electrifying transport – power is all around us.”
The technology exceeded Pure energy’s expectations
The Pilot Group ensured that the Pure energy team were fully trained on the charging points dashboard, allowing them to provide quality measurements and reporting to their clients. A survey of the inhabitants of the building has been incredibly positive, with many hoping to use the EV charging points as they return to the office, providing a convenient way to charge their electric cars while remaining productive. According to Alan, Pure energy “sees a very big market for this, so it’s great for us to have a chance in this first installation to see how things work – and things have worked very well. So we want to build on that going forward, particularly next year.” The office building where the EV charging points have been installed is owned by a large property developer, who is now in the process of looking at it’s other locations to find more opportunities to do the same. For Pure energy, this really is the start of an important partnership that will help accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles throughout the UK. The Pilot Group, thepilotgroup.co.uk
46 | January 2021
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17/12/2020 10:09
