Utili-TREES reposted this
Yesterday the news broke that Landis+Gyr has decided to wind down and exit the EV charging business in EMEA. It was only last year that they completed the acquisition of Slovenian charging hardware manufacturer Etrel. But Etrel was not only a hardware manufacturer, they developed a charge point management software Etrel Ocean that EV charging providers still use today. Etrel's Ocean was also one of the first charge point management solutions I knew of, together with has.to.be, Virta and Fortum's. Back in 2018, before I even founded AMPECO my research showed Etrel Ocean as one of the best ones on the market. My competitive landscape research back then included solutions (and companies) that in the meantime got acquired, wound down, or completely shut down. And to be honest, I don't think this is the last one that will go this way. In fact, I expect more of that to happen as soon as this year but certainly in the next couple of years. Many have underestimated the complexity of EV charging infrastructure and services management and have overestimated the growth potential for their solutions and companies. Many companies in the space continue to do so, by choosing to build entirely in-house. At AMPECO we have always tried to look at problems from first principles and build our assumptions for the future, and thus - our strategy, from there up. And honestly I don't see a future where the complexity of EV charging is solved as an afterthought or in isolation. Laser focus and a clear long-term vision backed by significant resources is what it is going to take to not just survive in this space but to prosper and lead. We have seen companies fail at this for the lack of resources, we have seen companies exit to corporations only for the corporation to switch focus and phase out the original product, we are going to see more of these happen and while I am sad to see products and companies that I have at some point looked up to, go, I am also happy to see our own strategy be proven right as we continue to grow and excel at what so many others have failed and will continue to fail. To everyone looking for the most solid and future-proof option to replace Etrel Ocean, you are likely already talking to us, we would be happy to help you make the move with the least disturbance to your business.