More sustainable charging points and less clutter in the streetscape
CityCharge produces small charging points for electric cars that are fully integrated into lampposts. With an investment from the Finnish Purso and the Innovation and Energy Fund Gelderland (IEG), the company can continue to grow and improve their charging points. IEG is a fund of the province of Gelderland under the management of Oost NL. CityCharge is located in Arnhem.
Electric driving is increasingly becoming the norm. This requires more charging points. Many people do not have their own driveway, which means there is a need for additional charging points in the street. This results in an increase in charging stations. The National Charging Infrastructure Agenda predicts that there will be a need for 4.3 million charging points by 2050. There are currently around 450,000 in the Netherlands. With their solution, CityCharge makes charging points from regular lampposts. This allows municipalities to increase their range of charging points without cluttering the streetscape.
Heimen Visser, CEO of CityCharge: “Our innovation makes it possible to use lamppost locations for a second function, namely charging electric cars, motorcycles and even electric boats from the canal. There are more than 3.5 million lampposts in the Netherlands, of which more than 400,000 are located exactly between two parking spaces. Ideal for charging two cars at the same time, at the same speed as a regular charging station. Moreover, it is a much more sustainable solution that results in a CO2 saving of more than 58%, compared to regular charging stations.” The charging points are fully developed and produced in the Netherlands.
CityCharge works together with various charge point operators and municipalities to implement this sustainable charging lamp post solution. The CityChargeR charging lamp posts are now in more than 16 municipalities, including Arnhem, Renkum, Zaltbommel, Alkmaar, Haarlemmermeer, Eindhoven and Oosterhout and the company receives many requests from abroad.
Investment in smart charging points for further growth
Thanks to the investment, the company can move forward in their development. “The financing helps us to implement innovations faster, scale up our production and focus more on communicating the solution to all municipalities in the Netherlands. Our CityCharge charging product must continue to be at the forefront. With Purso, we have a strategic partner on board. And an investor with a public character such as Oost NL offers comfort for potential public customers,” says Visser about the new impetus for CityCharge.
Finnish Purso, which produces aluminium light poles, among other things, is leading the investment round. Timo Suuriniemi, CFO of Purso: “Together, we can accelerate the development of light poles and charging points. We are always looking at how we can further improve the CityChargeR product and we are investigating further possible innovations. This is a smart way to meet the growing demand for charging points.”
Jeroen Gierveld, investment manager Energy at Oost NL: “For a successful energy transition, transport must become more sustainable. More and more cars will be electrically powered in the future. This requires infrastructure. CityCharge is an enabler , which provides many sustainable charging points. The method of roll-out by means of charging streets also contributes to combating grid congestion. It is great that we can contribute to this from the Gelderland Innovation and Energy Fund.”
Establishment at IPKW and cooperation with the region
As part of the investment, CityCharge will establish itself in Gelderland at Industriepark Kleefse Waard (Cleantech region Arnhem). This makes the company a valuable addition to the ecosystem surrounding charging infrastructure in Arnhem, including companies such as ElaadNL, Allego and Milence and the facilities offered by Connectr .
From left to right Michel Versteeg, CTO CityCharge, Jeroen Gierveld, Investment manager East NL and Heimen Visser, CEO CityCharge
