In January of this year, Wattif secured a €50 million investment from Marguerite, one of Europe’s most active investment fund managers in sustainable infrastructure projects. The recent acquisition of Charge365 from Zaptec ASA, positions Wattif as a major player in the European EV charging landscape.
Robert Svendsen, CEO of Wattif EV, is highly enthusiastic about the achievement, stating, “Our goal from day one has been to become one of Europe’s leading providers of destination charging. Now, we are in a leading position in the Nordic region, as well as the largest CPO operating European housing cooperatives. We rank eighth overall in Europe, based on the number of charging points. This is a significant step in the right direction and a crucial milestone for Wattif.”
Launching Across Europe in 2024
Charge365 is a comprehensive solution for operating and facilitating automatic payments for EV charging. The operating system, with over 2,000 active charging facilities and being the most widely used system in Norway, will be introduced alongside the Zaptec Pro charger to housing cooperatives in various European countries in 2024. The target user groups include housing cooperatives, businesses, private users, and publicly accessible charging stations.
Svendsen highlighted, “The Charge365 system, coupled with the Zaptec Pro charger, is, in our assessment, the best combination for housing cooperatives available in the market today. It’s easy to install and user-friendly, aligning perfectly with Wattif’s focus on an uncomplicated and seamless customer journey.”
Going Forward: New Acquisitions and Organic Growth
The acquisition of Charge365 marks Wattif’s third strategic move in 2023. In the first quarter, the company acquired BilLader AS, and in October, Wattif EV Sweden AB took over operations from EFUEL, which had installed thousands of chargers in Swedish housing cooperatives and commercial buildings.
“We firmly believe that the future of EV charging lies in charging when parked, eliminating the need to park for charging. With increasing battery capacity and range, destination charging is the future. Therefore, we will expand charging infrastructure where cars are parked to spare EV drivers from charging queues and mitigate range anxiety,” Svendsen commented.
Looking ahead, Svendsen signaled that the acquisition of Charge365 is not the last, stating,
“We’re far from finished. Our roadmap involves deploying as many Wattif chargers as possible and acquiring the right companies. Our clear goal is to become one of the major destination charging point operator in Europe and create the best charging experience for everyone. We won’t be satisfied until we achieve this.”
Contributes til significate increase in sales
Charge 365 and Zaptec Pro become Wattif’s preferred solution for housing cooperatives across Europe. CEO Kurt Østrem of Zaptec ASA looks forward to a fruitful collaboration with Wattif going forward.
“We are pleased to bring in a new Value-Added Partner, which will contribute to a significant increase in sales going forward. We look forward to cooperating with Wattif on future projects to empower sustainable transportation across Europe together.”
Managing director at Marguerite, Michael Dedieu, is thrilled about the new acquisition.
“With this acquisition, Wattif will become the leading provider of charging solutions for housing associations, paving the way for an accelerated deployment of charging points across its target European countries, including Norway, Sweden, Germany, Austria, Ireland and the UK. Congratulations to Robert and the Wattif team,” said Michael Dedieu, Managing Partner at Marguerite.
