Over the past year, Wattif has acquired three companies, two large portfolios and secured major contracts of its own. The Bergen-based charging and infrastructure company will soon operate over 35,000 charging points.
“The acquisitions have contributed to rapid growth and important knowledge of various segments within the industry. As in other emerging industries, there are numerous contenders who vie for market dominance initially, yet only a few endure to claim a prominent position in the long run. We aspire to champion the consolidation of the charging industry, and with Electric Freeway’s 4,000 charging points, we are stronger than ever. Soon our customers in housing cooperatives will have access to our many thousands of public charging points that we have in Norway and Europe,” says Robert Svendsen, CEO of Wattif EV.
CEO of Wattif, Robert Svendsen together with project manager Lars Oskar Kilen.
European network
Established in 2020, Electric Freeway currently operates over 4,000 charging points in nearly 200 locations in Norway and Denmark. The portfolio consists mainly of chargers in housing cooperatives, but also public charging points, including all chargers for Lørenskog municipality. Wattif and Electric Freeway will collaborate on the operation of the chargers. CEO of Electric Freeway, Dag Storli, says that the agreement with Wattif was a natural next step for the company.
“Our choice fell on Wattif because we believe that it is the best for our customers. Wattif has financial security at its core, while the company is an independent charging operator with the customer experience in focus. By working together, our customers can benefit from the economies of scale that come from being a major player, as well as improved customer service 24/7,” says Storli.
Beyond better customer service, customers will notice little about the transition.
“The charging industry is undergoing major changes. Many players in Norway are linked to an electricity company, which is mainly interested in making money on electricity. By working with an independent charging operator, such as Wattif, you can specialise in creating the best customer experience,” says Storli.
“The best charging experience is the simple and seamless, and here we never stop. You can already charge without an app with us, and by 2024 the plan is for all our public chargers in Norway and Europe to be available to all our customers. This also applies to the many thousands who are customers of ours and live in housing cooperatives, Svendsen adds.
Dag Storli
Growing portfolio
In 2023, Wattif secured €50 million in funding from investment fund Marguerite, one of Europe’s leading investors in sustainable infrastructure. The transaction with Electric Freeway is the fifth in a row in the past year.
“From day one, our goal has been to become one of Europe’s leading providers of destination charging. We are already the leading charging operator within housing cooperatives in Europe with Charge365, we acquired Laddel to grow within the fleet segment, and with the Electric Freeway we especially strengthen our housing association portfolio even further”, says Robert Svendsen, CEO of Wattif EV.
Destination charging is the future
At the end of February, there were almost 700,000 electric cars in Norway, and over 90% of new car sales consist of electric cars. Svendsen emphasises the need for rapid roll-out of charging infrastructure.
“Most EV owners have charging options at home; Nevertheless, we see a great demand for more charging infrastructure, especially in the big cities. We believe that the electric cars of the future will be charged where people park, instead of parking to charge. With ever-increasing battery capacity and mileage, charging at destination will be the norm. That’s why we’re expanding our charging infrastructure where cars are normally parked,” says Svendsen.
