Joti Mangat joins home EV charger firm, Hypervolt, this week, in a new role as Chief Revenue Officer. Joti comes from a previous role at Enphase Energy, helping lead the firm’s re-entry into the UK back in 2023.
We spoke to Joti to find out more about his career in the sustainability and EV industry, and learnt more on what role he will play in his new position at Hypervolt.
How did your career lead to your current role as Chief Revenue Officer at Hypervolt, and what inspired you to make a move to the EV charging industry in particular?
Having dedicated the past 10 years of my career to deploying residential and commercial energy storage in the US and the UK, I had been a relatively early adopter of EV starting with a trusty Nissan Leaf and level 2 home charger in 2014 before moving onto a Tesla Model 3 Performance in 2019. The public charging infrastructure on the island of Maui where I lived was virtually non-existent at the time. Imagine my surprise when I returned home to the UK in 2023 to find 300,000 EVs and chargers supporting the world’s largest virtual power plant right there at home! I nearly fell off my chair.
At that moment it really hit me that EV was driving electrification, grid transformation and the energy transition even more than solar here in the UK. I had to get involved! I was fortunate enough to meet the Hypervolt team around that time too and it was obvious that they were setting the pace in EV charging customer experience and grid integration.
I got to work on a cool home energy management project with the team while I was at Enphase Energy and the more I learned about them, their process and their culture the more intrigued I became. Obviously, I was over the moon to be offered the CRO role and took the opportunity without hesitation. I am probably the most excited I have ever been about the future.
Do you currently drive an EV? If so, what model, and what do you like most about it?
I’ve been waiting to join the EV sector before getting a car in the UK. I’m really looking forward to doing tons of test drives as we have so many more options here than in the US. My wife and kids really miss the Model 3 Performance, and she’s got her eye on a new Audi E-Tron!
How important do you believe vehicle-to-grid technology is for driving EV adoption? Does Hypervolt have any plans to bring V2G tech to its future home chargers?
V2G and V2X technology is the next paradigm shift in the EV sector and it’s coming soon – probably this year. While it will take years to build critical mass in the mainstream, every participant from auto OEMs, existing and potential EV drivers, fleet owners and managers, EVSE OEMs, CPOs, energy retailers, VPPs and all the supporting software providers are frothing for what’s to come.
Once vehicles are grid forming assets, the total cost of ownership will be transformed with many energy markets presenting revenue generating opportunities for V2G EV owners. Alongside continued policy support for net zero transportation, the V2G era of EV economics will be transformational so long as the car manufacturers and charging tech companies can align around basic principles and technical requirements.
How significant are partnerships with energy companies for driving EV adoption, and boosting sales of Hypervolt chargers?
Energy retailers are the most recognizable brands in the energy universe, and some of them have been very successful in gaining customer trust. Often, consumers’ EV journey starts with a call to their energy company to find the best energy tariff and charging options even before they have test driven any cars. We would expect this trend to continue and look forward to working with all energy companies looking for the best charging options for their customers.
Approximately 40% of UK households have no access to off-street parking. What strategies are Hypervolt employing, to turn these people into potential customers too?
All Hypervolt chargers and apps are powered by an awesome cloud-based operating system that we developed in house called Ultragrid. Ultragrid is ‘last-mile’ infrastructure for connected energy devices that could benefit charging modalities wherever cars are parked. We are excited to support that segment.
Beyond the aforementioned off-street parking issue, are there any other challenges you see to mass EV adoption – and how is Hypervolt working to address them?
At the highest level trust and cost remain the key challenges to EV adoption. At Hypervolt we are obsessed with customer experience which is our way of building trust with consumers. The more our customers love their chargers, and their EVs, the better evangelists they become. We are also massive supporters of schemes like Motability and salary sacrifice which provide low and no cost paths to ownership.
By continuing to focus on providing the smartest charging tech, including V2G solutions, Hypervolt allows energy retailers to reward EV owners for supporting the grid and as we discussed earlier, that will continue to improve ownership economics. Imagine if you earned more from smart charging each month than the car payment cost you!?
Thanks to Joti for taking part in our EV Leaders series. You can find out more about Hypervolt, here.
