The Charge Point Podcast

Christophe Lephilibert
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Technology
  • Updated fortnightly

The Charge Point Podcast is your gateway to the future of EV charging. In each episode, we dive deep into the world of EV infrastructure, offering insights and perspectives from industry leaders, innovators, and the people at the forefront of deploying charging networks. Join us to explore the exciting developments that are accelerating our world towards sustainable mobility. More information about our Mission, Vision and Values here: https://www.flexecharge.com/company/about-us

  1. 7 Oct

    Episode 60 - Zero Downtime and Safer CPMS Migrations: Why CPOs Need Broker Forking

    Summary Most conversations about EV charging infrastructure focus on chargers, power and grid connections. Far fewer look at backend architecture, even though it decides whether a site keeps charging when something goes wrong. In the traditional setup, each charger talks to a single charge point management system (CPMS) over OCPP. If that one connection drops, transactions, remote commands and monitoring can stop with it. For critical sites like electric bus depots, and for CPOs migrating networks after an acquisition, that single point of failure is a real business risk. In this episode of the Charge Point Podcast, Christophe Lephilibert speaks with two guests from inside FLEXECHARGE. Szymon Żmijewski is the software developer who built broker forking, FLEXECHARGE's OCPP proxy feature for backend redundancy, designed in close collaboration with Daimler Buses for bus depot operations. Jan Köster, CCO and co-founder of FLEXECHARGE, brings the commercial view from six years of working with CPOs on load management and energy management. Together, they explain how broker forking lets one OCPP proxy maintain connections to a primary, a fallback and a service backend at the same time, why preserving transaction state matters more than simply reconnecting, and how the same architecture lets CPOs migrate between CPMS platforms gradually instead of in one risky switch. They also zoom out to CPO consolidation and specialisation across Europe, and Jan shares the three industry trends he is watching most closely. Chapters What you'll learn Why the traditional one-charger, one-backend model creates a single point of failure that can paralyse an entire charging site when the internet connection drops.How broker forking routes OCPP traffic to three backends, a primary, a secondary fallback and a service backend, each with a distinct role.How a fallback backend keeps charging sessions running at a bus depot when the connection to the primary CPMS is lost.Why OCPP 1.6 transaction IDs make multi-backend operation hard, and how a mapping layer in the broker keeps three backends in sync without the charger noticing.How the service backend separates monitoring and diagnostics from operations, and how real-world use led to a whitelist of messages it is allowed to send.How broker forking turns a CPMS migration after an acquisition into a controlled, gradual move with sandbox testing.Why Jan sees three trends shaping the market: the shift from hardware to controllable energy assets, the specialisation of CPOs and their tech stacks, and standardisation as the key to winning the consolidation game.Why an OCPP proxy with forking can match the reliability of a direct Modbus integration with the charger.Notable quotes "The primary purpose of a charging site is not to be connected to the internet, it's to charge cars. So when the internet connection fails and that paralyzes the whole site, that creates a serious problem." - Szymon Żmijewski, FLEXECHARGE "The charger thinks that there's only one ID, each of the backends think that there's only one ID, but we internally know that actually there's three different IDs." - Szymon Żmijewski, FLEXECHARGE "The CPOs have realized if they handle each charging site as an individual project, there's no chance to scale. And the ones that have figured it out to standardize are the ones that are taking the lead in the consolidation game." - Jan Köster, FLEXECHARGE About the guests Szymon Żmijewski is a software developer at FLEXECHARGE, the European EV charging software and hardware company, where he works on energy management solutions and hardware integrations for charge point operators. He is the developer behind broker forking, the OCPP proxy feature that gives CPOs backend redundancy, and has worked hands-on on the state preservation and transaction ID mapping that make multi-backend OCPP setups reliable in real-world fleet environments. Jan Köster is CCO and co-founder of FLEXECHARGE, where he leads sales, business development and account management. He has helped grow FLEXECHARGE from load management for small customers into a comprehensive energy management platform for CPOs, with features like broker forking. With a commercial background in industrial control systems for heating, ventilation and lighting, he brings a practical view of the reliability and scalability that critical charging infrastructure demands. Szymon Żmijewski on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/szymon-zmijewski/ Jan Köster on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jankoester/ Related listening: Episode 13 with FLEXECHARGE CEO and co-founder Max Brandt, on how the company evolved into a vendor-independent grid-integration platform. Got some feedback or questions? Text us! You can get more information on our website. Give us some stars please 🌟 If you enjoyed the episode, please give it a 5-stars note and leave us a review. Get in Touch: Do you have suggestions for future guests or topics? Reach out to us at hello@flexecharge.com.  Subscribe & Stay Updated: 🔔 Make sure to subscribe to the Charge Point Podcast to stay updated on the latest trends and developments in the world of EV charging and energy. 📩 You can subscribe to our Newsletter, The Charge Point Journal, by clicking here. 🫱🏻‍🫲🏼 And you can follow us on Linkedin by clicking here and connect with Christophe here. ⚡ Let’s keep the conversation—and the electrons—flowing.

    Episode 60 - Zero Downtime and Safer CPMS Migrations: Why CPOs Need Broker Forking

  2. 30 Sept

    Episode 59 - How AI and Smart Charging Unlock EV Flexibility Revenue for CPOs - with VUB

    Summary For decades, the energy sector and the mobility sector evolved on separate tracks. Electrification has now merged them, and EV charging sites sit exactly where they meet. For charge point operators, that creates a new kind of asset: a vehicle that has a trip to make, but also a flexible load that can respond to imbalance prices, balancing markets and grid constraints. The question is no longer whether EV flexibility has value, but how CPOs can capture it reliably without compromising the driver. In Episode 59 of The Charge Point Podcast, Christophe Lephilibert speaks with Cedric De Cauwer, professor at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and researcher at MOBI, the university's electromobility research centre, which is approaching 50 years of work in e-mobility. Cedric started his PhD at MOBI on EV range estimation and gradually moved to grid integration of electric vehicles, which is now his main research domain. His recent work applies reinforcement learning and AI to EV charging, co-located batteries and flexibility services. The conversation covers what his research reveals about smart charging, the Belgian imbalance market, value stacking with co-located batteries, and why aFRR is particularly difficult for EVs. Cedric explains why the use case matters more than the market, why sites like long-term airport parking and truck depots are natural flexibility candidates, and what his new large-scale coordination project aims to solve. He closes with practical advice for CPOs from two perspectives: as a researcher and as a long-time EV driver. What you'll learn How reinforcement learning applied to the Belgian imbalance market cut charging costs in simulations, and even reached negative charging prices.Why the driver is the defining variable in EV flexibility, and why every revenue gain has to be balanced against meeting the driver's charging needs.Why involving drivers is about more than financial incentives: reducing friction in the user interface and gradually building their understanding matters just as much.Why a co-located battery rarely pays off on a single use case such as peak shaving, and how value stacking multiple services improves the return on investment.Why aFRR remains lucrative but is especially hard for EVs, since capacity reservation clashes with unpredictable vehicle availability.Why the real potential lies in treating the EV as a mobility asset first, and using energy services to fulfil its charging needs in a smarter way.Which use cases make flexibility more predictable, from long-term airport parking to depots, compared with public charging.What it will take to coordinate tens of thousands of EVs at once, including aligning TSO and DSO needs and handling data exchange at scale.Chapters 00:00 Intro: smart charging, AI and the 50% question 02:27 Cedric's origin story: from EV range estimation to grid integration 03:36 What sparked his interest in where mobility meets energy 05:30 Reinforcement learning in the Belgian balancing market 08:54 Negative charging prices and the driver trade-off 10:15 Involving and educating EV drivers 12:36 Co-located batteries and value stacking at charging sites 15:58 ChargePoint Radar break 16:25 The most lucrative ancillary services: aFRR vs the imbalance market 19:17 Treating the EV as a mobility asset first, energy asset second 22:24 What control and planning CPOs need for flexibility revenue 24:40 Airports as virtual power plants, and depot charging 25:36 Next research project: coordinating tens of thousands of EVs 28:56 Innovations to watch in the next 3 to 5 years, including V2G 31:39 Advice for CPOs from a researcher and a long-time EV driver 34:10 Outro and key takeaways Notable quotes "In our simulations, we even got to a negative price, meaning that we were earning to charge. However, at a slight cost, and that cost was not always being able to fully charge the vehicle." - Cedric De Cauwer "Look first at the obvious one, the smart charging one, and do that on more scale. Increasing self-consumption, reducing peaks, peak shaving, arbitrage. These are low-hanging fruits." - Cedric De Cauwer "As an EV driver, I would say reliability. Make your network reliable, make sure that it works all the time. That is what will make you stand out as a CPO." - Cedric De Cauwer About the guest Cedric De Cauwer is a professor at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and a researcher at MOBI, one of Europe's leading electromobility research centres, with a multidisciplinary team of more than 120 specialists. Trained as an electromechanical engineer, he completed his PhD at MOBI on the range estimation of electric vehicles before shifting his focus to the integration of EVs into the electricity grid. His research covers smart charging, vehicle-to-grid, co-located battery storage, flexibility markets and AI-based energy management, including a new project on large-scale coordination of EV charging for grid balancing and congestion management. Cedric De Cauwer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cedric-de-cauwer-8ab22488/ MOBI, Vrije Universiteit Brussel: https://mobi.research.vub.be/ Related listening For the operator side of imbalance-market arbitrage and co-located batteries in Belgium, listen to Episode 56 with Yuso. Got some feedback or questions? Text us! You can get more information on our website. Give us some stars please 🌟 If you enjoyed the episode, please give it a 5-stars note and leave us a review. Get in Touch: Do you have suggestions for future guests or topics? Reach out to us at hello@flexecharge.com.  Subscribe & Stay Updated: 🔔 Make sure to subscribe to the Charge Point Podcast to stay updated on the latest trends and developments in the world of EV charging and energy. 📩 You can subscribe to our Newsletter, The Charge Point Journal, by clicking here. 🫱🏻‍🫲🏼 And you can follow us on Linkedin by clicking here and connect with Christophe here. ⚡ Let’s keep the conversation—and the electrons—flowing.

    Episode 59 - How AI and Smart Charging Unlock EV Flexibility Revenue for CPOs - with VUB

  3. 22 Sept

    Episode 58 – Grid Connections, TCO Parity, and the Truck Charging Buildout – with Voltix

    Public charging, not battery technology, is quietly becoming the biggest obstacle to electrifying Europe's trucking fleet. A truck can't simply pull up to a standard DC charger built for cars; it needs dedicated infrastructure delivering 600 kilowatts, 800 kilowatts, or even a full megawatt, sized to refill a battery inside the driver's mandatory 45-minute regulatory break. Building that infrastructure at scale, along the right corridors, with the right grid capacity, is a very different challenge than rolling out passenger-car charging, and it's one Europe has barely started solving. Louis Dupasquier is uniquely placed to talk through it. He's the CEO of both Voltix and Easy Charge, two charging companies inside the Vinci Group, giving him an end-to-end view that spans small-format AC networks on French streets and the E-Born network in the southeast, all the way up to the megawatt-class truck charging stations Voltix is now building along Europe's highways. Louis's path here runs through the French Ministry of Energy, six years at Vinci deploying thousands of high-power chargers across the French motorway network, and the 2023 founding of Voltix specifically to tackle truck charging. Weeks before this episode went live, Voltix and its parent Vinci Concessions closed close to 90 million euros, alongside Épopée Gestion and ADEME Investissement, to fund the network's next phase. In this conversation, Louis explains why 2025 was the tipping-point year for electric trucks, how France and Germany are each building their own path to TCO parity with diesel, why Germany's fragmented grid landscape makes connections so much harder than in France, and why he thinks Europe's grid connection rules need to change entirely. He also lays out Voltix's rollout plan across five European countries through 2028, and makes the case for why megawatt charging matters even beyond the regulatory break itself. CHAPTERS 0:00 – Intro & episode overview  2:14 – Louis Dupasquier's path: from the French Ministry of Energy to double CEO at Vinci  4:29 – Why Voltix exists: the case for battery-electric trucks over hydrogen and biofuel  6:04 – The 2023 study that defined the bottleneck: public charging for trucks  9:14 – The 2025 tipping point: the Mercedes eActros 600 and real-world proof  13:43 – TCO parity in France vs. Germany, and the coming EU carbon price on road transport  16:21 – Grid bottlenecks: why France is an "El Dorado" and Germany's grid is fragmented  23:06 – What makes Voltix different: Vinci's infrastructure DNA and operational excellence  26:05 – Public charging only: en-route and destination charging for long-haul trucks  29:23 – The rollout plan: first station in Vierzon, and the 2027-2028 roadmap  31:03 – Expanding to five countries: Spain, Germany, Denmark, and Sweden  33:05 – Megawatt charging, MCS vs. CCS, and the future of induction charging  37:51 – Recap, the 90 million euro funding update, and closing thoughts WHAT YOU'LL LEARN Why public charging infrastructure, not battery technology, is the real bottleneck standing between Europe and electric long-haul trucking.Why 2025 was a turning point for the industry, driven by real-world performance data from Mercedes' eActros 600 on long-haul routes.How France has built a policy framework, purchase subsidies, depot-charging installation subsidies, and fiscal over-amortization, that already gets regional electric trucks to TCO parity with diesel.Why Germany's toll exemption for electric trucks makes it just as strong a TCO story as France's, despite a much more fragmented grid to navigate.How the EU's planned expansion of carbon pricing to road transport, expected around 2028, will further tilt the TCO math toward electric.Why Louis argues Europe needs to abandon "first come, first served" grid connections in favor of anticipatory planning, using Vinci Autoroute's own highway grid-connection strategy as a working example.How Voltix is using battery storage as a bridge to open charging stations even where grid connections are limited or delayed.Why Voltix is building every station with both MCS and CCS connectors, and Louis's case for why a full megawatt of charging power could eventually let truck charging happen outside of drivers' regulatory breaks entirely.NOTABLE QUOTES "We cannot charge a truck with a tractor with its trailer on a DC charger for light vehicles. It just doesn't fit. So we need a dedicated infrastructure to charge electric trucks." — Louis Dupasquier "One of the rules, the European mindset we have to change, is the first-arrived, first-served rule. We have to plan the grid connections. We know we will need power everywhere. We should not wait anymore for people to ask for it." — Louis Dupasquier "We are not an energy company. We are not an oil company. We are not an electrician. We are not a gas company. But we are an infrastructure manager." — Louis Dupasquier ABOUT THE GUEST Louis Dupasquier is the CEO of Voltix, the Vinci Concessions company building megawatt-class public charging stations dedicated to electric trucks across Europe, and CEO of Easy Charge, a Vinci Group company operating public high-power charging networks for CPOs in France, including the E-Born network across the southeast of the country. Louis began his career as a civil servant at the French Ministry of Energy, working on nuclear power, offshore wind, and hydroelectric concessions, before joining Vinci roughly six years ago to lead deployment of thousands of high-power chargers across the French highway network starting in 2020. He founded Voltix in 2023 to address what he identifies as the central bottleneck to truck electrification: dedicated, high-power public charging infrastructure along Europe's main freight corridors. Under his leadership, Voltix has secured two rounds of EU CEF-AFIF funding and, most recently, a near-90-million-euro investment from Vinci Concessions, Épopée Gestion, and ADEME Investissement, with its first station set to open in Vierzon, France in autumn 2026. Connect with Louis Dupasquier: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louisdupasquier/  Voltix: https://www.voltix-charging.com/ RELATED LISTENING For more on the grid-connection challenges facing truck fleet electrification, listen to Episode 51 with Martin of INTERFACE Nordics, who dug into the same grid-constraint and depot-charging communication problems Louis raises here, from a Nordic market perspective. Got some feedback or questions? Text us! You can get more information on our website. Give us some stars please 🌟 If you enjoyed the episode, please give it a 5-stars note and leave us a review. Get in Touch: Do you have suggestions for future guests or topics? Reach out to us at hello@flexecharge.com.  Subscribe & Stay Updated: 🔔 Make sure to subscribe to the Charge Point Podcast to stay updated on the latest trends and developments in the world of EV charging and energy. 📩 You can subscribe to our Newsletter, The Charge Point Journal, by clicking here. 🫱🏻‍🫲🏼 And you can follow us on Linkedin by clicking here and connect with Christophe here. ⚡ Let’s keep the conversation—and the electrons—flowing.

    Episode 58 – Grid Connections, TCO Parity, and the Truck Charging Buildout – with Voltix

  4. 16 Sept

    Episode 57 - Building the Open Smart Charging Ecosystem: 4 Voices From icnc2026 Berlin

    Summary EV charging infrastructure has largely solved the problem it set out to solve — the chargers work, the networks exist, drivers can find a plug. But at ICNC26 in Berlin this September, the industry's largest annual gathering built its entire theme around what comes next: "Collaboration at Scale: Establishing the Open Smart Charging Ecosystem." The premise is that interoperability can no longer stop at plugs and protocols; it has to extend into smart charging, grid data, and the deeper convergence of the energy and mobility sectors. In this special multi-guest episode, recorded live on the ICNC26 show floor at Berlin's Tempelhof Airport, Christophe sits down with four people building pieces of that open ecosystem from very different vantage points. Joakim Arvidsson, co-founder of Peak Energy, brings a sales and solution-development background from the IT and security industries to the unglamorous but critical problem of grid cost transparency. Bradford Crist, CEO and co-founder of ChargeMate, spent a decade in EV charging — including leading DC fast-charging product development at Volta — before building an AI support layer for drivers and CPOs. Oumaima Bounouadar, co-founder and CEO of OCPP Lab, brings a data science background to a problem she lived firsthand: the slow, manual, physical-hardware-dependent grind of testing charging interoperability. And Jaap Burger, an independent EV grid-integration consultant, has spent years translating between EV charging innovation and the regulatory and policy world that governs it. Together, these four conversations trace a single throughline: the industry has moved past "does it work" and into "does it pay off, does it scale, and does it actually talk to itself" — cost, revenue, testing rigor, and regulatory collaboration, all in service of the same open ecosystem ICNC26 put at the center of its stage. What you'll learn Why grid connection fees and transfer costs are a genuine "jungle" — scattered manually across individual DSO websites with no standardized definitions of peak, average, or seasonal pricing, according to Joakim Arvidsson.How the EV charging market's priorities have shifted in distinct phases: first hardware rollout speed, then reliability and user experience, and now — per Arvidsson — cost and profitability.Why Bradford Crist believes AI-driven driver support should be judged on revenue recovery and retention, not just cost reduction, which he calls "cost of entry" rather than a real differentiator.What ChargeMate's new partnership with Percepta (a Ford tech joint venture) adds to its AI-plus-human support model for large automotive and charging providers.Why Oumaima Bounouadar and her co-founder built OCPP Lab's continuous interoperability testing platform after experiencing firsthand how slow and resource-intensive manual OCPP/OCPI testing was — up to 30 minutes per basic scenario, requiring a physical charger, an EV, and two specialized engineers.Why component-level testing (unit and integration tests) isn't enough on its own — drivers experience the full charging journey end-to-end, and many real issues only surface when systems interact.Why Jaap Burger sees a widening gap between technical maturity and regulatory conversation: charge point operators are constrained by grid capacity but rarely bring the resulting flexibility-value opportunity directly to regulators and DSOs.Why real-world vehicle-to-grid deployments are still earlier-stage than expected two years ago, even as unidirectional smart charging has become close to a default assumption in depot and HGV charging business cases.Notable quotes "I think it's a hidden cost that not anyone understands. You have the utility cost, the kilowatt hours, and then you have the grid cost — the connection fee, the transfer fees. And the grid owners can define them as they want." — Joakim Arvidsson, Peak Energy "There's a lot of people able to offer lower costs with AI tools. That's cost of entry. What we're really focused on is providing an experience that recovers revenue and retains customers." — Bradford Crist, ChargeMate "Ultimately the driver experiences the entire charging journey, not just an isolated component — and many issues only appear when those systems start interacting." — Oumaima Bounouadar, OCPP Lab About the guests Joakim Arvidsson is co-founder of Peak Energy, which helps charge point operators and CPMS providers understand and control the hidden costs of grid connections — including capacity fees and peak charges that vary widely and opaquely across distribution system operators. Arvidsson brings a background in solution sales from the IT and security industries, applying that same "translate a complex technical cost into something a business can act on" approach to grid economics for the EV charging sector. Bradford Crist is CEO and co-founder of ChargeMate, an AI-powered support platform for EV drivers and charge point operators. He spent the last decade working across the EV charging industry, including several years as a product manager at Volta Charging leading DC fast-charging, payments, and mobile app development, and earlier experience with Hubject during its US market entry. Crist founded ChargeMate after seeing firsthand how even highly "online" charging networks still generated significant friction at the point of use. Oumaima Bounouadar is co-founder and CEO of OCPP Lab, a Paris-based (Station F) startup building a continuous interoperability testing platform for the EV charging ecosystem. With a mathematics background and five years of experience as a data scientist — including at an e-mobility operator, where she first encountered the problem she'd later build a company around — Bounouadar co-founded OCPP Lab roughly ten months ago to let companies simulate and test integrations across protocols like OCPP and OCPI without needing physical hardware for every test. Jaap Burger is an independent consultant focused on EV grid integration — smart and bidirectional charging viewed through a combined regulatory, policy, innovation, and user-facing lens. His work centers on translating between what's happening in policy and regulation and what's happening at the leading edge of EV charging innovation, helping each side understand what's realistically possible today and in the near future. Episode chapters 00:00 — Welcome & episode intro02:25 — Joakim Arvidsson (Peak Energy): The grid cost jungle08:24 — Bradford Crist (ChargeMate): AI support built for revenue, not just cost16:29 — Oumaima Bounouadar (OCPP Lab): Testing the full charging journey23:51 — Jaap Burger: Bridging the CPO–regulator gap32:03 — Wrap-up & key takeawaysRuntime: ~34 minutes Links Joakim Arvidsson: linkedin.com/in/joakim-arvidsson-ab0135Bradford Crist: linkedin.com/in/bradford-crist-787a5519Oumaima Bounouadar: linkedin.com/in/oumaima-bounouadar-a31221198 | OCPP Lab: www.ocpplab.comJaap Burger: linkedin.com/in/jaapburgerRelated listening For more on the regulatory and DSO side of the flexibility conversation Jaap Burger raises here, check out our episodes with Julia Hildermeier, Zsuzsanna Pató, and Jan Rosenow of RAP (Regulatory Assistance Project), three separate deep dives into grid congestion, smart charging economics, and time-of-use tariff policy across Europe and the UK. Got some feedback or questions? Text us! You can get more information on our website. Give us some stars please 🌟 If you enjoyed the episode, please give it a 5-stars note and leave us a review. Get in Touch: Do you have suggestions for future guests or topics? Reach out to us at hello@flexecharge.com.  Subscribe & Stay Updated: 🔔 Make sure to subscribe to the Charge Point Podcast to stay updated on the latest trends and developments in the world of EV charging and energy. 📩 You can subscribe to our Newsletter, The Charge Point Journal, by clicking here. 🫱🏻‍🫲🏼 And you can follow us on Linkedin by clicking here and connect with Christophe here. ⚡ Let’s keep the conversation—and the electrons—flowing.

    Episode 57 - Building the Open Smart Charging Ecosystem: 4 Voices From icnc2026 Berlin

  5. 7 Sept

    Episode 56 - The Duck Curve, the Canyon Curve, and the Business Case for BESS at CPO Sites

    Summary Grid connections rarely deliver the full power a CPO has actually contracted for. Ask a distribution grid operator for enough capacity to run ten fast chargers at rated power, and the answer is almost always less than what's on paper — and reinforcing a grid connection takes years and billions of euros, while integrating a battery takes months. That mismatch in timelines is why co-located battery energy storage systems (BESS) are quickly moving from a nice-to-have to a near-default requirement for serious EV charging infrastructure. In this episode, Christophe Lephilibert sits down with Michel Verschuere, founder and managing director of Yuso, a Belgian balance service provider (BSP) that has grown into a major flexibility player across Belgium, the Netherlands, the UK, and the Baltic states. A physicist by training who has been trading electricity since 2003, Michel built Yuso in 2012 around the idea that batteries and other flexible assets should actively participate in the energy market, not just sit idle as backup. Today Yuso manages roughly 500 megawatts of grid-scale flexibility — and an increasing share of that flexibility now sits behind EV chargers. The conversation covers why the EV charging industry's usual playbook for flexibility revenue doesn't fully apply to charging sites, why the "duck curve" utilities have talked about for years is turning into a "canyon curve" in solar-heavy markets, and what's actually driving reliable value for charge point operators (CPOs) today. Michel also walks through a live, named example of how this works in practice: a three-way partnership between FLEXECHARGE, Yuso, and battery hardware provider Intercell, deployed on a real Q8 Electric site in Belgium - with FLEXECHARGE named as one of Yuso's own certified energy management system (EMS) partners. What You'll Learn in This Episode Why grid congestion, not charger hardware cost, is the real reason co-located BESS is becoming essential for CPOs, and why grid reinforcement timelines make batteries the faster path to more usable capacityWhat the "duck curve" is, why growing solar penetration is turning it into a "canyon curve" in markets like California, and what that means for when a CPO's battery should charge and dischargeWhy classic ancillary services like FCR and aFRR are often a poor fit for CPO sites specifically — they're contracted directly with transmission system operators (TSOs) and priced in kilowatts, the exact resource a charging site can least afford to commit away from serving driversWhere real, reliable flexibility value exists today for charge point operators: peak shaving against grid connection limits, day-ahead price optimization, and capturing swings in the imbalance market (Belgium has recorded imbalance prices as extreme as -15,000 EUR/MWh)Why "full-stack" flexibility revenue pitches are, in Michel's words, usually "over-promised and under-delivered"How a real three-way partner stack actually operates on a live site: FLEXECHARGE as the energy management system, Yuso as the balance service provider reading the market, and Intercell supplying the battery hardwareWhat Michel recommends any CPO check first before trying to monetize a battery: whether it can realistically close the site's kilowatt gap, correct sizing, and choosing the right combination of partnersNotable Quotes "Three-letter abbreviations do not lower an invoice. The actual EUR delta does."  "We have our own internal certification scheme, and this is why FLEXeCHARGE is one of the certified partners on our website." — Michel Verschuere About the Guest Michel Verschuere is the founder and managing director of Yuso, a Belgian balance service provider and energy flexibility company he launched in 2012. A physicist by background, Michel has been active in European electricity trading since 2003. Yuso today manages approximately 500 megawatts of grid-scale flexibility across Belgium, the Netherlands, the UK, and the Baltic states. Connect with Michel: linkedin.com/in/michel-verschuere-28abb56 Learn more about Yuso: yuso.com/nl Related listening: for more on CPOs integrating battery storage at scale, check out our earlier conversation with Q8 Electric and Intercell on deploying co-located BESS across Benelux fast-charging sites. Got some feedback or questions? Text us! You can get more information on our website. Give us some stars please 🌟 If you enjoyed the episode, please give it a 5-stars note and leave us a review. Get in Touch: Do you have suggestions for future guests or topics? Reach out to us at hello@flexecharge.com.  Subscribe & Stay Updated: 🔔 Make sure to subscribe to the Charge Point Podcast to stay updated on the latest trends and developments in the world of EV charging and energy. 📩 You can subscribe to our Newsletter, The Charge Point Journal, by clicking here. 🫱🏻‍🫲🏼 And you can follow us on Linkedin by clicking here and connect with Christophe here. ⚡ Let’s keep the conversation—and the electrons—flowing.

    Episode 56 - The Duck Curve, the Canyon Curve, and the Business Case for BESS at CPO Sites

  6. 19 Aug

    Episode 55 – How ORLEN Is Scaling Its EV Charging Network across 7 markets

    How do you transform a major fuel-retail network into a scalable EV charging business?  Marvin Bechtel from ORLEN shares how the company is expanding its EV charging network while navigating site selection, grid constraints, technical complexity and changing customer expectations. The conversation explores what it takes to move from individual charging sites to a standardised, reliable and customer-centric network - and why charging speed alone will not differentiate tomorrow’s leading Charge Point Operators.  Episode summary  ORLEN operates approximately 3,500 service stations across seven European countries, including around 600 in Germany. Its ambition is to evolve from a traditional fuel retailer into an integrated energy and mobility provider, with EV charging as a central pillar of that transformation.  Marvin explains how ORLEN approaches charging locations across Germany and Eastern Europe, from existing service stations and retail destinations to dedicated high-power charging hubs. He also shares why selecting the right location remains one of the most important factors in building a commercially successful charging network.  As the rollout grows, the challenges change. Managing a handful of chargers is very different from operating hundreds of charging points across multiple locations, technical environments and grid operators. Standardisation therefore becomes critical- helping teams accelerate deployment, simplify commissioning and reduce operational complexity.  The discussion also looks ahead to battery energy storage systems, solar integration, dynamic pricing and smarter energy management. As charging speeds become increasingly similar across networks, Marvin believes convenience, reliability, transparent pricing and the overall customer experience will become much stronger differentiators.  What you will learn  How ORLEN is transforming from a fuel retailer into an integrated energy and mobility provider What EV charging means for the future of traditional service stations Why prime locations remain essential to charging-network utilisation and profitability How EV adoption and grid readiness differ across Germany and Eastern Europe What changes when a CPO moves from individual projects to a large charging network Why site selection should not be driven solely by the easiest grid connection How grid limitations and physical space affect charging-site development Why standardisation can accelerate rollout and reduce operational complexity How failed commissioning can delay an entire charging site How FLEXBOX and the HARMON-E platform support a repeatable operational approach Where battery storage, solar power, load management and dynamic pricing could add value Why charging speed alone will become less of a competitive differentiator What may separate successful Charge Point Operators from the rest over the next three to five years About the guest  Marvin Bechtel is responsible for ORLEN’s e-mobility business in the German market. After joining ORLEN in 2017, he worked in communications and public relations before moving into business development, where he helped develop the company’s mobile payment application for fuel and car-wash services.  In 2023, Marvin took on responsibility for building and scaling ORLEN’s EV charging activities in Germany. His work covers charging-network strategy, site development, operational excellence and the creation of a consistent customer experience across ORLEN Charge locations.  Connect with Marvin Bechtel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marvin-bechtel/  Key topics  EV charging infrastructure · CPO strategy · charging-network scalability · ORLEN Charge · service-station transformation · charging-site selection · grid capacity · DNO requirements · charging-hub operations · commissioning · standardisation · FLEXBOX · HARMON-E · load management · battery energy storage systems · dynamic EV charging prices · customer experience · Germany · Eastern Europe  Resources  Check out the intro webinar about the FLEXBOX here Support the Charge Point Podcast  If you found this conversation valuable, share the episode with a colleague or someone working in EV charging and e-mobility.  Please also follow the Charge Point Podcast, leave a review and give the show a five-star rating. Your support helps more people discover the podcast and join the conversation about the future of EV charging. Got some feedback or questions? Text us! You can get more information on our website. Give us some stars please 🌟 If you enjoyed the episode, please give it a 5-stars note and leave us a review. Get in Touch: Do you have suggestions for future guests or topics? Reach out to us at hello@flexecharge.com.  Subscribe & Stay Updated: 🔔 Make sure to subscribe to the Charge Point Podcast to stay updated on the latest trends and developments in the world of EV charging and energy. 📩 You can subscribe to our Newsletter, The Charge Point Journal, by clicking here. 🫱🏻‍🫲🏼 And you can follow us on Linkedin by clicking here and connect with Christophe here. ⚡ Let’s keep the conversation—and the electrons—flowing.

    Episode 55 – How ORLEN Is Scaling Its EV Charging Network across 7 markets

  7. 13 Aug

    Episode 54 – How Cheap Batteries Are Changing EV Charging Infrastructure - with Ryan Fisher, BloombergNEF

    Cheap batteries are starting to reshape the economics of EV charging infrastructure. In this episode of the Charge Point Podcast, Christophe Lephilibert speaks with Ryan Fisher, Head of Charging Infrastructure at BloombergNEF, about why co-located Battery Energy Storage Systems — or BESS — are becoming increasingly relevant for fast-charging sites, truck charging, megawatt charging and grid-constrained locations. The conversation builds on BloombergNEF’s report, How Cheap Batteries Are Helping EV Charging Scale, to which FLEXECHARGE contributed data. Ryan explains why battery storage is moving from a niche pilot topic to a serious infrastructure tool for Charge Point Operators, especially as battery costs fall, grid fees rise, and charging sites need to deliver more power. Together, Christophe and Ryan discuss peak-demand charges, grid connection constraints, energy arbitrage, subsidies, truck charging, BYD’s battery-backed megawatt charging rollout, and the implications of BloombergNEF’s 2026 Electric Vehicle Outlook. The key message: co-located BESS will not make sense for every charging site tomorrow — but every serious CPO should now understand where batteries fit into their rollout strategy. Guest Ryan Fisher Head of Charging Infrastructure, BloombergNEF Ryan Fisher leads BloombergNEF’s charging infrastructure research. His work connects the electrification of transport with the wider energy system, covering charging infrastructure, battery storage, power markets, grid constraints and the future of EV adoption. In this episode, Ryan brings a global BloombergNEF perspective on how cheap batteries, grid fees and higher charging powers are changing the fast-charging business case. What you will learn In this episode, you will learn: Why battery storage is becoming more relevant for EV fast-charging infrastructureHow cheaper batteries can help CPOs deal with grid connection constraintsWhy peak-demand charges and grid fees are becoming critical to the charging business caseHow co-located BESS can help unlock sites that were previously too expensive or too difficult to buildWhy truck charging and megawatt charging may accelerate battery deploymentHow China, Europe and the US differ in battery costs, subsidies and tariff structuresWhy ancillary services and flexibility markets are promising, but still early for most CPOsWhat BloombergNEF’s 2026 EV Outlook says about EV growth, electricity demand and future charging needsWhy future charging networks may need to think more like distributed energy asset operatorsKey topics covered Why this report, and why now? Ryan explains why BloombergNEF decided to investigate the role of batteries in EV charging infrastructure. Overcapacity in the battery market has pushed storage costs down, while CPOs are facing more questions around grid access, grid fees and whether charging infrastructure can scale fast enough. BloombergNEF tracked around 800 projects where batteries are already being used with EV charging infrastructure — a striking sign that co-located BESS is no longer only an experimental topic. The bottleneck is shifting from chargers to energy For years, fast charging was mainly discussed in terms of charger deployment, location, utilization and uptime. Today, the bottleneck is increasingly about energy: available grid capacity, power availability, grid fees and the ability to deliver higher charging speeds. This becomes even more important as EVs become capable of higher charging power and as commercial vehicles bring much larger loads to charging sites. The business case for co-located BESS Ryan breaks down where the value of BESS can come from: avoiding or delaying grid upgradesreducing peak-demand chargesenabling higher charging power on constrained grid connectionsshifting electricity consumption to cheaper hourssupporting truck charging and large fleet operationspreparing for future flexibility and ancillary service revenuesBut the business case is highly market-specific. Tariff structures, electricity prices, utilization, subsidies and grid constraints all determine whether BESS makes financial sense. Peak-demand charges and grid fees One of the most important insights from the episode is that grid fees vary significantly by country, region and tariff structure. Some markets have peak-demand charges, some have time-of-use grid fees, and some have both. Ryan explains that in certain markets, peak-demand charges are being reduced or temporarily removed to support charging infrastructure rollout. But the long-term challenge remains: how do you scale charging infrastructure without creating unsustainable grid costs? Truck charging and megawatt charging Truck charging is one of the strongest use cases for co-located BESS because the energy demand is much larger than passenger-car charging. A single truck can have a battery of several hundred kilowatt-hours, and high-power charging for fleets can quickly create major grid requirements. The discussion also touches on BYD’s battery-backed megawatt charging rollout in China, which could significantly influence the global average size and architecture of battery-supported charging sites. Can cheap batteries change where charging sites are built? Ryan’s answer is clear: yes. If battery costs continue to fall — or if operators can access grants and subsidies — BESS can make new types of charging locations viable. This is particularly relevant for existing fuel retail sites, depots, and high-traffic locations where the commercial case is strong but the grid connection is weak. With batteries, a site that previously lacked sufficient grid power may still be able to offer high-power charging. BloombergNEF’s 2026 EV Outlook The conversation also connects BESS with the broader findings from BloombergNEF’s 2026 Electric Vehicle Outlook. Ryan highlights growth in Europe, developments in Southeast Asia, progress in heavy-duty trucking, and emerging questions around robotaxis. The outlook also looks at electricity demand from EVs and the grid investment needed to support transport electrification. One important point: EVs will become a meaningful driver of grid investment, but they are only one part of a wider picture that also includes aging grids, data centers, general electricity demand growth and electrification in other sectors. The future charging business case Ryan explains that the future competitive landscape for CPOs will not only be about who has the best location or the most chargers. It will also be about: who can deliver higher charging powerswho can manage electricity costswho can optimize grid capacitywho can integrate batteries effectivelywho can combine charging with retail, amenities or other site-level business modelsA good charging site today could be overtaken tomorrow by a better-located, better-optimized, higher-power and more energy-efficient competitor. Key takeaway Co-located BESS is not a universal solution for every charging site. But cheap batteries, grid constraints, higher charging power and the rise of truck charging are changing the EV charging business case. For many CPOs, batteries will become a strategic tool to reduce costs, unlock constrained sites, improve charging performance and prepare for future flexibility markets. The smartest operators will not wait until every business case is obvious. They will start understanding where BESS fits, which sites are suitable, and how to build the technical stack needed to scale when the economics become attractive. Listen to the full episode Listen to the full conversation with Ryan Fisher from BloombergNEF to understand how cheap batteries are changing EV charging infrastructure — and what this means for CPOs, fleet operators, truck charging, grid constraints and the future of fast charging. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a colleague working in EV charging, batteries, fleet electrification or energy infrastructure. You can also support the Charge Point Podcast by leaving a review and giving us a five-star rating on your preferred podcast platform. Resources mentioned BloombergNEF report: How Cheap Batteries Are Helping EV Charging ScaleBloombergNEF Electric Vehicle Outlook 2026: Got some feedback or questions? Text us! You can get more information on our website. Give us some stars please 🌟 If you enjoyed the episode, please give it a 5-stars note and leave us a review. Get in Touch: Do you have suggestions for future guests or topics? Reach out to us at hello@flexecharge.com.  Subscribe & Stay Updated: 🔔 Make sure to subscribe to the Charge Point Podcast to stay updated on the latest trends and developments in the world of EV charging and energy. 📩 You can subscribe to our Newsletter, The Charge Point Journal, by clicking here. 🫱🏻‍🫲🏼 And you can follow us on Linkedin by clicking here and connect with Christophe here. ⚡ Let’s keep the conversation—and the electrons—flowing.

    Episode 54 – How Cheap Batteries Are Changing EV Charging Infrastructure - with Ryan Fisher, BloombergNEF

  8. 8 Jul

    Episode 53 - Grid Constraints, Batteries & AI: What Power2Drive 2026 Revealed

    Recorded live on the showfloor at Power2Drive Europe 2026 in Munich, this special episode of The Charge Point Podcast captures the technologies, business models, and conversations shaping the next phase of EV charging. Across seven short interviews with experts from Polarium, ADS-TEC Energy, Sungrow, FLEXECHARGE, KEBA, and Lumina, one message comes through clearly: EV charging is moving beyond rapid infrastructure rollout. The next phase is about smarter operations, better use of constrained grid connections, battery-backed business models, depot and truck charging, energy market integration, and more intelligent software. From distributed battery storage and battery-buffered charging to FLEXBOX, C&I storage, cable theft prevention, local energy management, VPPs, AI agents, and ecosystem collaboration, this episode offers a snapshot of where the EV charging industry is heading next. Episode summary Power2Drive 2026 showed an industry entering a more mature phase. For years, the central question was how fast charging networks could be deployed. Today, the conversation is shifting. CPOs, hardware providers, battery companies, EMS platforms, and software players are increasingly focused on profitability, resilience, operational intelligence, and making the most of the grid connections already available. In this showfloor episode, Christophe speaks with seven guests to understand what stood out at Power2Drive 2026. The conversations highlight three major themes: grid constraints as a defining design challenge, battery energy storage as a strategic commercial asset, and the growing convergence between EV charging, solar, storage, grid services, software, and AI. The result is a practical, on-the-ground view of the next charging playbook: optimise sites, orchestrate assets, unlock new value streams, and collaborate across the energy ecosystem. What you will learn Why grid constraints are now shaping how charging sites are designed, deployed, and operated.How battery energy storage can help CPOs avoid or delay grid upgrades, increase charging capacity, reduce peak demand costs, and unlock additional revenue streams.Why BESS is moving from a “nice to have” to a strategic lever for site profitability, especially in depot and truck charging.How battery-buffered charging can help operators deploy high-power charging on limited grid connections.Why C&I storage, PV integration, and energy market participation are becoming increasingly relevant for EV charging operators.How local energy management can coordinate chargers, batteries, solar PV, and grid constraints in real time.Why depot and truck charging were among the hot topics at Power2Drive 2026.How charger reliability, service, and cable theft prevention are becoming critical issues for logistics and public charging operators.Why AI is moving from a broad buzzword to practical agents that can help operations teams manage EV chargers and energy assets.Why the future of EV charging will depend on stronger collaboration between hardware, software, batteries, solar, grid services, and energy management providers.Guests featured in this episode Håkan Tezcanli, Polarium Håkan shares the battery and distributed energy storage perspective. He explains why batteries have become central to solving grid and energy challenges, how distributed BESS can support EV charging, and how aggregated battery sites can contribute to VPP models and new revenue opportunities. Sascha Koenig, ADS-TEC Energy Sascha discusses battery-buffered charging and how it can help operators deploy on low-voltage or constrained grid connections. He also explains why truck and depot charging are becoming major growth areas, and why batteries are increasingly essential when the power and energy requirements of fleets increase. Miguel Lojan Jaramillo, Sungrow Miguel brings the C&I storage and solar perspective. He talks about weak grid connections, electricity prices, peak charges, PV integration, PowerStack, technical support, after-sales service, and the growing role of ecosystem partnerships when customers want to connect EV chargers, PV, ESS, and energy market opportunities. Kasper Daugaard, FLEXECHARGE Kasper reflects on the shift from charger deployment and land-grabbing to energy optimisation and site profitability. He introduces FLEXBOX as a local energy controller that balances chargers, batteries, solar, and the grid in real time, while helping operators maximise charging capacity without exceeding grid limits. Torsten Freytag, KEBA Torsten takes the conversation into transport and logistics. He explains why reliability and service are critical for depot charging, why partner ecosystems matter in early-stage depot electrification, and how KEBA is approaching AI-supported cable theft prevention. He also discusses high-power DC charging and liquid-cooled cables for trucks. Mikkel Weikop & Andreas Sønderbo Patscheider, Lumina Mikkel and Andreas discuss how the AI conversation is moving from general hype to practical agents. They explain how operations teams could build and deploy AI agents to operate EV chargers and energy assets, and why e-mobility, solar, storage, software, and adjacent energy sectors are becoming increasingly intertwined. Key themes from Power2Drive 2026 1. Grid constraints are becoming the central design challenge Charging operators are no longer only asking how many chargers they can deploy. They are asking how to maximise the value of the grid connection they already have. This changes everything: site design, hardware choices, energy management, battery strategy, and long-term business models. 2. Batteries are becoming commercial assets, not just technical fixes BESS can help solve grid constraints, but the bigger story is value stacking. Batteries can support charging capacity, peak shaving, load shifting, PV optimisation, arbitrage, flexibility services, and VPP participation. For CPOs, the battery is increasingly becoming part of the business model. 3. The industry is becoming one connected operating system EV charging, solar, batteries, grid services, local controllers, EMS platforms, AI, and depot operations can no longer be treated as separate industries. The most interesting solutions are emerging at the intersections — and that makes partnerships more important than ever. Key takeaway Power2Drive 2026 revealed an industry moving from rollout to optimisation. The next winners in EV charging will not only be the companies that build fast. They will be the ones that operate smart: making better use of constrained grid connections, integrating batteries and flexibility markets, coordinating assets in real time, improving operational resilience, and building stronger partnerships across the energy ecosystem. Listen to this episode if you are interested in EV charging, CPO strategy, Power2Drive, grid constraints, battery energy storage, BESS value stacking, depot charging, truck charging, public fast charging, local energy management, flexibility markets, VPPs, C&I storage, PV integration, cable theft prevention, AI agents, energy orchestration, and the future of profitable EV charging operations. Got some feedback or questions? Text us! You can get more information on our website. Give us some stars please 🌟 If you enjoyed the episode, please give it a 5-stars note and leave us a review. Get in Touch: Do you have suggestions for future guests or topics? Reach out to us at hello@flexecharge.com.  Subscribe & Stay Updated: 🔔 Make sure to subscribe to the Charge Point Podcast to stay updated on the latest trends and developments in the world of EV charging and energy. 📩 You can subscribe to our Newsletter, The Charge Point Journal, by clicking here. 🫱🏻‍🫲🏼 And you can follow us on Linkedin by clicking here and connect with Christophe here. ⚡ Let’s keep the conversation—and the electrons—flowing.

    Episode 53 - Grid Constraints, Batteries & AI: What Power2Drive 2026 Revealed
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About

The Charge Point Podcast is your gateway to the future of EV charging. In each episode, we dive deep into the world of EV infrastructure, offering insights and perspectives from industry leaders, innovators, and the people at the forefront of deploying charging networks. Join us to explore the exciting developments that are accelerating our world towards sustainable mobility. More information about our Mission, Vision and Values here: https://www.flexecharge.com/company/about-us

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  • Creator
    Christophe Lephilibert
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    60
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Charge Point Podcast
  • Show Website
    The Charge Point Podcast

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