We warmly welcome Frode Braaten as Sales & Country Manager for Norway!
We warmly welcome Frode Braaten as Sales & Country Manager for Norway! With an electrical engineer degree and having spent the last 10 years in the EV charging industry, Frode brings a wealth of experience and will be a perfect fit as ChargeNode establish itself on the Norwegian market.
–When I started in the industry, there were not many electric cars, but when the authorities set goals for electrification of the Norwegian private car fleet for 2025, my interest grew. I have had the pleasure of following and shaping this journey, but it has been commercially challenging to design good solutions at the same pace as the market, technology and standards have developed. To find the best solutions for the domestic market, I have worked with many European manufacturers of both AC and DC solutions. It was when doing some international due diligence that ChargeNode turned up with an exciting mindset on how to meet the need for charging based on an energy-efficient, scalable and sustainable model with a number of advantages: The ability to use available energy in a smart way to charge as many electric cars as possible, opportunity for many charging socket without everyone needing a charging box. Material and aesthetic expression that lasts longer than other solutions. Low operating and ownership costs which guarantee a scalable facility long term. As ChargeNode develops its own software and hardware, we can ensure industry leading functionality and operational stability for users. In addition, we have innovative founders combined an experienced team in Sweden who put their heart and soul into the development of the product and the company. When I got the chance to join, it felt completely natural to follow this exciting journey.
What is the difference between the Swedish and Norwegian markets?
There are both similarities and major differences between the Norwegian and Swedish markets. The biggest difference is probably the total electric car market and the sale of new cars. The market is more mature in Norway and a natural choice when buying a new car. If you combine electric cars and rechargeable hybrids, 22% of all cars in Norway and only 6% in Sweden are chargeable. This means that we have to solve the need for charging, at home, at work and on the roads, and that is not an easy task. I think the need in the Swedish and Norwegian markets is similar, Norway is only a few years ahead in EV charging roll out. . Among other things, thanks to a favorable incentive program related to the purchase of electric vehicles, the use of electric cars and the establishment of an infrastructure for charging has seen Norway taking the lead globally with Sweden a few years behind.
What challenges do you see in the industry?
The industry is still fairly new and we probably do not see all the challenges yet. Even though we will see great development of energy efficient batteries, there will still be a huge need to charge. To avoid bottlenecks, we must charge when we can, not when we have to. With more and more electric cars, there must be more charging sockets. I also see a major challenge in leveling out energy consumption over a longer period of the day, which will help optimize the existing infrastructure. To meet these challenges, manufacturers and suppliers must be innovative.
Norway has the most electric cars per capita in the world, have you noticed any challenges with that?
Norway has become a kind of test market for everyone who has a solution for electric car use. All innovations are unfortunately not well designed or sustainable long term. Although Norway has a high density of electric cars, Norway is a small market with several challenges to address. We do not know how well solutions developed across the globe works in Norway. We also see that we have challenges related to the electric car density in urban areas, where today’s technology is unable to meet the demand for electric car charging.
How big is the need for scalable EV charging in Norway?
Today, we have many 1st and 2nd generation solutions that no longer cover the need for todays EV charging and since our car fleet has an average age of over 10 years, the number of electric cars will continue to grow exponentially. I would argue that scalable electric car charging will be a key factor for the future if we want to continue grow at this pace and not overload the energy grid. The need is huge.
What are your expectations when ChargeNode is launched on the Norwegian market?
I look forward to inform the Norwegian market how ChargeNodes scalable charging technology can solve many challenges and enable more people to charge. I expect us to grow and become a significant player, just like in Sweden.
What is best about ChargeNodes charging technology?
The ChargeNode charging station, centrally located where all expensive and operational components are safely located, while type 2 sockets are installed at the parking lot. Other advantages are the simple app and charging portal that prioritizes the power in the system dynamically between 3 and 22kW to dedicated charging nodes prioritized according to departure needs and finally the simple payment methods combined with a solid service promise.
What will be the next step for the Norwegian market?
It is important that we can quickly establish ourselves in Norway and inform the Norwegian market about ChargeNodes innovative and unique charging technology. We need to establish offices with more resources in sales while also building collaborations and partnerships in the market. We want to be a player with an active presence for our customers and partners in Norway.
