CHARGE FAIRY: Nobody Left Behind in Move to EV

As the energy transition gathers pace, decarbonising the transport system in the UK remains high on the agenda for most. Replacing a major percentage of road-going vehicles with electric vehicles (EVs) is a vital step, but there remain fundamental challenges. How and where to charge, how to fund, and how to achieve success quickly are questions for larger industry groups and not single organisations.

But the majority agree that EVs are the future and rollout must continue at pace. While already very achievable in some cases, owning and running an EV does require planning.

How does a travelling tradesman, who lives in the centre of London, with no outside space, and no commercial property, charge effectively? There are not yet enough public charging stations for all to make the switch.

Thankfully, some magic from SaaS industry veteran Ed Lea is helping those who want to make the jump but are faced with unique challenges. In 2019, Lea established Charge Fairy – a technology-based support business for the EV industry. A former CTO across various big businesses, Lea’s international journey helped formulate the mechanics behind the business. Focussing on the London market, Charge Fairy uses a fleet of specialised vehicles to travel around the UK capital providing fast charging for those with EVs who don’t have the space to power up, such as a driveway or depot. Initially, the company worked on a B2C model, partnering with owners and charging their cars outside homes on the street. Success here helped Charge Fairy to grow and take on business clients, building a reputation as a problem solver and a supporter of green mobility.

Now, Lea and Charge Fairy are busy planning the next stages on the growth journey, with more services, different geographies, and the longer-term Net Zero goal at the front of mind.

THE NEXT LEVEL

“Our immediate focus is fundraising as we have built the business on a shoestring budget. We have proven everything works and we are at the point of raising capital to take it to the next level,” Lea tells Energy Focus.

“In the UK, I don’t think anyone is actively doing this. In America, there is a company that follows a slightly different model. There are some companies in Italy, with a slightly different approach. We believe we have found the best way and we are confident in our style.”

Using experience in software, Lea created an app which integrates directly with automotive manufacturer apps, controlling many things including security, functions, service information, and charge level. Not wanting a simple ‘order on demand’ model, Charge Fairy can track vehicle position and available power, and turn up to recharge without any input from the driver. It’s all part of a strategy that adds to the modern environment of bringing services to customers.

“Uber picks them up to take them out, Deliveroo brings their pizza, Ocado delivers their groceries, so I started thinking about how this could work for EV charging,” remembers Lea.

“Talking to people in and around North London who didn’t have an EV but knew their next car should be an EV, we learned they were not put off by range or price, just the inconvenience of keeping it charged,” he says of the company’s genesis.

From here, innovation and originality was required. Designs of new systems and development of significant IP helped to grow the first pillar of the business – the physical hardware.

“We needed battery packs, fast chargers, long charge cables, and small electric vehicles so that we could move around small London streets and park without blocking roads. It was about flexibility, and we found that nothing existed on the market – you couldn’t get online and buy something like this from anywhere in the world. We knew we had to build, and so we have been building our own chargers for three years,” Lea explains.

Today, Charge Fairy builds 150kw combined charging system (CCS) chargers – as fast as any motorway service station rapid charger – which are mounted in panel vans or small chassis utility trucks. “Obviously it’s complex and requires IP from suppliers in the UK and Europe, and batteries from various locations,” details Lea.

MAGICAL SYSTEM

After proving the system, the next step was the software to enable delivery. “We realised that if we made it like Uber, everyone would be online on a Sunday at the same time, asking for charge for the week, creating a supply and demand problem, and we would be quiet for the rest of the time.”

This is where app integration came into its own. “With that data from the car apps, we can predict when and where a car will actually need to be charged. The same access through APIs allows us to unlock the charge ports without the driver being there. We created a subscription service where customers give us access to their car and when the car needs charging, we go and do it. They don’t need to worry about booking or any of the logistics around it – it’s kind of a magical charging system, hence the name Charge Fairy,” Lea smiles.

This popular model, which provides true convenience for users, quickly boomed and pink Charge Fairy units can now be seen whizzing around London keeping people moving. Even through the tough years of pandemic lockdown, the nature of the business meant it could continue to operate in a socially distanced way. As restrictions eased, the company began gaining B2B clients, and this is where the last 18 months have been focussed. With more large fleet-owning companies looking for opportunities to do more on their sustainability journeys, a partnership with Charge Fairy makes a lot of sense.

“We are expanding as fast as possible,” states Lea. “We are seeing more fleets trasitioining to EV and the low hanging fruit – those which can return to a depot or back to a home with a drive to charge – was easy for big businesses. It’s the last 20% which came with the opportunity for us.”

He uses the example of a recent client win for an energy company which changed its entire fleet to EVs. “Their engineers would go out and manage heat pumps or smart meters in electric vans. But at the end of the day, if an engineer lived on a street with no parking, how can you charge that van?” A common problem in London and other cities, with a third of UK homeowners having no access to a driveway or garage.

“The engineer was heading to charging stations and sitting for an hour and half at the end of the shift, and getting paid overtime to do so. Charge Fairy came in with a trial and provided a better experience for everybody. The company didn’t pay extra on overtime, we handled the charging on site, and the engineer could go home on time at the end of the day.”

In another example of rational strategy rollout, Charge Fairy has partnered with short-term rental companies, where small cars are hired on an hourly basis and left anywhere in London for the next user.

“Previously, they would send people in on scooters and move cars around. But if a customer left the car on 1% charge, then they would have to send a diesel flatbed to collect the car and take it back to the depot for an overnight charge. We can go and provide 80% charge in 30 mins and get the car back in the hands of customers fast.”

Because of such success, and a growing reputation for excellence, Charge Fairy has gone from start up to cash generating quickly, but remains lean and agile. It is the flexibility that is appealing for B2B clients as the number of EVs in London is set to skyrocket in the coming years.

“We are looking at a few cities after London, and we are excited about that, but it is contingent on us raising the funding,” says Lea.

GROWTH CHARGED

As the company scales, the environmental benefits are obvious – more EVs will be able to operate more effectively, with ease and reliability. From a decarbonising perspective, this could assist those considering EVs to make the switch, and this will further bolster the UKs Net Zero ambition. In terms of company expansion, Lea’s background in software has helped Charge Fairy to create a software as a service (SaaS) package which will help partners to build similar success in new areas.

“All of the software we have built to operate the business is packaged as a SaaS platform and we have licensed that to our first customer in Singapore who will become like the Charge Fairy of Singapore, operating on our platform. We have a few more deals in the pipeline that we are busy with right now,” says Lea.

“As we grow, phase one is with the software. Phase two will be software and hardware – whether that is licensing or franchising, we are still looking at that across a few opportunities.”

When this next stage growth begins, the beauty of simplicity offered by Charge Fairy will allow EV owners to get up and go, taking the stress out of travel. “Together we can speed up the green revolution and lead the charge for electric cars,” the company states, and with every opportunity to power the transition being explored and embraced, this is a company that will undoubtedly succeed because its core proposition is, like all the biggest and best, simple – solving real problems for customers.