EMEA Entrepreneur. Erik Fairbairn, Founder and CEO, Pod Point. The transition and mass EV adoption (Electric Vehicles) in the world today has been accelerating quite rapidly. With everyone supporting eco-friendly practices, sustainability, and eco-conscious consumerism, many countries are seeking initiatives and establishing goals that place fuel-powered vehicles in the back row. In the United Kingdom, fostering EV transition among the masses brings significant environmental, social, and economic benefits. When speaking in the ecological aspect of things, the use of EVs poses huge reductions in GHG Emissions, Water and Land Pollution, and Adverse Climatic Changes. A cleaner, greener, and sustainable future is fostered for all things living on our planet. In the social aspect of things, EVs foster innovation and employment opportunities in the community and the green tech sector. A significant turnaround in health-related issues is also seen that stem from pollution and climate change thereby encouraging a better and healthier lifestyle. In the economic aspect of things, EV manufacturing and development fosters a good economy, decreases the continued reliance on already depleting fossil fuels, and encourages sustainable transportation for the people and the planet.
Keeping in line with the imperativeness of Electric Vehicles and how they can change important aspects of our world for the better, this article shall shed light on one of the UK’s earliest providers of EV Charging. Pod Point – founded and established in 2009 by Erik Fairbairn in London, is one of the UK’s largest and earliest providers of Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructures, namely the very essential EV Charge Points. Aimed at facilitating the mass transition and adoption of EVs in the UK, Pod Point has been working for many years in the motor vehicle manufacturing industry to help people and businesses have access to affordable EV Charging Points. Therefore this article shall explore the journey of Pod Point EV Charger Point Infrastructures with its founder – Erik Fairbairn.
Erik Fairbairn – Entrepreneur and Innovative Disruptor:
To ensure ease in the responsibilities of owning an Electric Vehicle, the maintenance of it must also be alleviated, in terms of costs and infrastructure availability. Thus with a passionate team and an amazing place of work culture, Pod Point is known as the UK’s largest and earliest provider of EV Charging.
Married and having 3 kids, Erik the Founder and Chief Executive Officer has an education that includes a Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Sheffield. He also participated in a one-year summer school course in Entrepreneurship and Business from the University of Cambridge and later studied Entrepreneurship and Entrepreneurial Studies at the Stanford University Graduate School of Education.
Erik’s career includes being an Engineer at Ford Motor Company and MSX International. Before Pod Point’s founding, Erik was also a Senior Innovation Manager at Britvic Soft Drinks and the Co-Founder of Ecurie25 – Supercar Club. A mission-driven entrepreneur and an innovative disruptor, Pod Point’s CEO has currently been on a temporary retirement break since 2023 of last year after a major part of the company was acquired in early 2020 by EDF – the world’s biggest electricity generator as the EDF Group’s biggest EV investment and acquisition.
Erik, named “London’s 1,000 Most Influential Leaders” for two consecutive years,
founded and established Pod Point in 2009, with a strong and impactful belief instilled in the company’s core values and operations. This belief was that “driving shouldn’t cost the Earth, and owning an EV should be easy and affordable for everyone.” Therefore with a vision to be a leader in the mass transition and adoption of EVs in the UK, Erik established Pod Point by installing Electric Vehicle Charge Points around public areas and for home installations. Leading the electric car shift through the installation of EV Charge Points in the UK since 2009, Pod Point’s Charging Infrastructure is made fast, smart, safe, smooth, and WIFI-enabled for the efficient use of EV Charging.
Pod Point – Leading the Electric Transition as the Largest Provider of EV Charging in the UK:
“We believe driving shouldn’t cost the Earth.”
With a mission aimed strongly at “making living with an electric car easy and affordable for everyone,” Pod Point has since its establishment in 2009 installed more than 222,000 EV Charge Points in London, England, and Oslo, Norway. Accomplishing over 745 million miles of electric driving, the motor vehicle manufacturing company has successfully facilitated the adoption and transition of EVs in the UK.
Even before the rise in global EV manufacturing and adoption was rolled out in fact, Pod Point had already begun its installation of Charge Points around public areas, businesses, newly built residential properties, and for home installations.
From trusted partners in installation services, warranty approvals, on-site maintenance, and round-the-clock customer care support, UK’s EV Charging – Pod Point offers Commercial EV Charging Solutions, fortified Network and Mobile App, Rapid Charging Solutions, and Charging Zones and Bays called EV Zones, all set the new standard for public charging infrastructures. Recommended to schedule and reserve charging time during off-peak hours, Pod Point provides its EV owners with a fast, safe, efficient, and smart charging solution for EVs offering convenience and a smooth supply of power.