Opcharge secures multi-million funding
Dutch firm Opcharge has secured a €32 million investment which it hopes the funding, from IBS Capital Allies Corporate Finance, will allow it to expand its network of stations at both a national and international level.
The investment is the largest in the Netherlands by an independent charging station operator, the firm claims.
In a similar policy to the UK, all new cars sold in the Netherlands starting from 2030 must be emission-free. In that year, there will be an estimated two and a half million electric cars in the Netherlands and this will require around one million public charging points.
The transaction is the largest investment ever raised in the Netherlands by an independent charging station operator. Opcharge is focusing on municipalities, housing corporations, companies and associations for the investment.
Cyriel van Bree, CEO and partner of Opcharge, said: “Both the share of fully electric cars and plug-in hybrids on Dutch roads is growing rapidly. Among other things, improved technology, large supply and shorter delivery times are responsible for this important development in the energy transition. The Netherlands now faces a major challenge, looking at the availability of charging stations for all these cars. Thanks to this raised funding, we can further accelerate our ambitious growth strategy to help meet this demand.”
“We face a huge challenge to realise this. My experience is that the goodwill is high, but many parties lack the knowledge to set up a good infrastructure of charging stations. This concerns locations of the charging stations, but also, for example, the consequences for traffic flows, developments in the field of generating and storing green energy, as well as practical matters such as expected maintenance. In addition, we can take care of the financing so there is no obstacle to realising this important facility.”
Diedrik Oost, Principal at Ramphastos Investments, who helped raise the capital, said: “When we invested in Opcharge over a year ago, we initiated an ambitious growth strategy together with the management. The now closed funding shows that this strategy is the right one and enables Opcharge to grow even faster, both in the Netherlands and abroad.”
Image courtesy of Opcharge
