We spoke to Stuart Douglas, Managing Director at PoGo Charge, about what the network has to offer - and what drivers can expect from PoGo over the next six months.
There are dozens of CPOs across the country, why should drivers filter for PoGo Charge when they open Zapmap?
It’s difficult to carve out much of a USP in this space, as we all focus on transferring energy from the grid to the EV as quickly and efficiently as possible.
What we do excel in, is providing accessible charging – this means we focus on accessible bays, flexible payment options, customer friendly processes with a large interactive screen and instructions, and cable management to support with connecting to your vehicle.
Stuart Douglas, Managing Director at PoGo Charge.
What's been the biggest surprise for PoGo Charge so far this year, and how have you responded to that?
How big the sector and the associated opportunities actually are. We are focused on building a robust network in the UK, with a national footprint which means drivers are never far from a PoGo Charge hub, but beyond this the opportunities are broad and widespread, as we start to explore generation, storage and opportunities further afield.
What is your most unique location in your network and why?
Our charging site at Culbokie Community Hub (North of Inverness) is the most northerly ultra-rapid charger in the UK! This was installed in partnership with the local community trust who were undergoing a rejuvenation project of the Culbokie Green.
PoGo was thrilled to be able to support this project by fully-funding the installation and ongoing maintenance of the site, which features two ultra-rapid EV charging points with CCS but also offering a CHAdeMO connector for the community bus. The PoGo team has also committed to supporting the community trust via a donation to renew the community toilet, and sponsoring of the Black Isle photography competition and recent food festival.
PoGo charging in Culbokie, Scotland.
How are you making the charging experience simple for drivers across the UK?
By ensuring our network is as open possible, and that anybody can take a charge when they arrive at one of our hubs.
We are working with specialist technology partners to make sure we are very easy to find, and we are constantly improving the customer journey by simplifying the steps needed to charge as well as refining on-screen instructions.
What can electric car drivers expect from PoGo in the next six months?
More choice and a denser national footprint. We are on track to deploy over 1,000 new EV charging points this year alone. Greater driver engagement is also being planned, so look out for promotional offers and competitions.
PoGo Charge Collaborates with Last Mile Asset Management for EV Rally checkpoint.
From a driver perspective, how do you see the EV charging landscape changing over the next couple of years?
As a driver, a higher volume of chargers is needed and is coming. This is great news for the driving community. I also expect to see a step-change in standardisation to follow, which will improve the consistency of driver experience and how we interact with the networks.
What measures are you working on to ensure your network hits the target of 99% uptime, as the government has mandated?
We are working with all of our technology partners to refine our hardware, supply chain, and back-office services. To achieve this, we are transitioning to a pro-active and predictive service model by leveraging the data available to us.
Our most recent metric put us at 98.9% so we are close to achieving this goal.
What would be your question for the next CPO we speak to?
What will the public EV charging solution look like by 2040, and how will it differ from the solutions offered today?
