Paua, a roaming network for electric vehicle (EV) charging, announced today that it has established the UK’s largest independent EV roaming network for business, with the company agreeing contracts providing fleets with access to 10,000 chargepoint connectors across the country.
This is an impressive number of chargepoints across the UK and should help to speed up the adoption of electric vehicles and squash any issues with charging anxiety.
Founded in 2020, Paua aims to solve the problem of electric vehicle charging for businesses. It does this by providing a single interface for organisations and fleets to pay for charging, obtain receipts and claim VAT refunds.
Chargepoint brands in Paua’s network now include market-leading UK and European players, including Osprey, Fastned, Ionity, Connected Kerb, Char.gy and Mer.
By partnering with charging networks, Paua provides fleets with access to chargepoints throughout the UK via a single app and electric vehicle charge card to drivers. As a result, Paua provides fleets with seamless access to public charging infrastructure for businesses that have previously found charging to be logistically difficult.
A 2021 survey by Paua found that 40 percent of fleets avoid public charging, with government research indicating that 54 percent of future electric vehicle drivers view public charging as a barrier.
By enabling fleet and business adoption of electric vehicles, Paua is providing an essential service in helping the UK transition away from petrol and diesel vehicles ahead of the phase-out of these fuels in 2030.
Today’s milestone of 10,000 connectors comes off the back of an oversubscribed pre-seed round in January 2022. The round was led by Seedcamp, and also saw participation from Speedinvest, Octopus Ventures, and angel investors, including former directors from RWE, Ovo and SSE.
Niall Riddell, Paua CEO and co-founder, said: “We’ve now developed the UK’s largest business network for electric vehicle chargepoints. The reason for our success comes down to the fact that we provide a great value-add for our customers, as we make EV fleet admin simple.
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“We provide a great way for the UK’s public chargepoint networks to connect with historically under-served business customers. We’re delighted to be welcoming our new investors, who believe in our vision to support business transition to electric motoring.”
Carlos Espinal, Seedcamp managing partner, said: “We are excited to lead Paua’s pre-seed round to accelerate the transition to a more sustainable transportation infrastructure for business fleets.
“Niall and André are exceptional entrepreneurs with significant experience in digital energy solutions. Becoming UK’s largest EV business roaming network is an important first milestone in leading the European transition to cleaner mobility.”
Andreas Schwarzenbrunner, Speedinvest partner, said: “Simplifying the electric vehicle charging experience for businesses is critical to mass adoption of EVs.
“Companies like Paua help tackle climate change by providing technology that improves the driver’s experience and therefore reduces barriers to going electric. We are happy to back the team in achieving that mission.”
