Lancashire electric vehicle charging firm in acquisition move

White Cross, Lancaster-based Fuuse has acquired Envisij, so that its energy management technology will combine with Fuuse’s EV charge point management software to help clients better understand their site energy usage.

It will also help them plan and optimise their EV charging strategy; and drive down the costs and impact EV charging can have on their overall power infrastructure and costs.

The two have worked closely together since the early stages of Fuuse’s development, collaborating on two Innovate UK and OZEV funded projects.

In 2019 they came together to develop a feasibility study into connected smart charging, exploring the relationship between building energy supply and EV charging need, and producing charge plans to minimise cost and carbon impact.

They are now investigating how their combined solution scales across multiple use cases.

Working with online retailer Ocado, white goods manufacturer Whirlpool, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, the Road Haulage Association and business park Here + Now, they said the project was seeing positive results with better utilisation of existing infrastructure across all use cases.

As a result, companies have avoided the need for costly energy infrastructure upgrades, reduced their charging costs and the impact on the grid.

Co-founder and chief innovation officer for Fuuse, Will Maden, said: “Working together our products have proven to be a natural fit and so we’re delighted to have the Envisij team now join Fuuse permanently.

"As facilitators of EV transition and optimising charging infrastructure, this acquisition brings one of our closest partnerships into our core offering, allowing us to work with customers to not only optimise the charging of entire fleets, but balance that usage with their site power capacity and that of the grid.”

Envisij’s energy management solution is set to integrate with new features in development on the Fuuse platform to become Fuuse Energy – a suite of tools that go beyond smart charging to offer a more intelligent enterprise solution for fleets and workplaces. Fuuse Energy is currently in early trials, with full commercial availability due later this year.

Gary Highton, Managing Director of Envisij, said: “Our relationship with Fuuse has been a real meeting of minds. Since our first meeting, we’ve always seen a natural interconnection between our solutions.

"EV charging can have a detrimental impact on a building and the DNO if left unregulated and unmanaged. Our combined solution aims to make it as easy as possible to protect buildings and power supply as EV transition accelerates.

“We’re thrilled to be working together and realise the impact of our shared vision.”