Jet Charge has quickly emerged as a leading electric vehicle charging infrastructure provider since its inception nine years ago. From humble beginnings, the company is focusing on the bus industry and tackling larger-scale depot transition challenges.
While some companies are arriving late to the party when it comes to electric vehicle charging, JET Charge can safely say it was one of the first to arrive.
Unlike some other players in the market that are adding electric vehicle (EV) charging expertise to an existing business, JET Charge has focused solely on EV charging infrastructure since its inception nine years ago.
“Our CEO, Tim Washington, bought a Tesla shortly after its release in Australia,” JET Charge bus sector manager Alex Bowler told ABC magazine.
“He was one of the first orders. When he wanted a charger installed in his garage, he couldn’t find anyone to do it and couldn’t figure out the hardware.
“He was at a crossroads in his career and began a business in electric vehicle charging.”
The initial foray for JET Charge was as a three-person business running out of Washington’s garage alongside his partner and a friend who was an electrician. After first reaching out to Tesla to begin building electric vehicle chargers, JET Charge soon turned to supplying original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), councils and, then, many other members of Australia’s EV network.
Bowler says the company has now evolved to become a major specialty EV charging company, with around 115 employees. In the bus space, JET Charge focuses on charging solutions for both small-scale trials and large fleet conversions for depots. Bowler says this specialising in bus depot projects makes it a unique member of the charging market.
“Our sole purpose as a company is to deliver the best electric vehicle charging systems,” Bowler says.
“Everything we do, including our corporate structure, is really focused around this mission.”
JET Charge has a unique system in place to find solutions for any EV charging infrastructure challenge it faces. After cultivating a good relationship with suppliers, manufacturers and sub-contractors, JET Charge manages a wide range of charging products that it then installs in bus depots around Australia.
JET Charge says it uses a method that allows it to bring equipment and installation prices down for customers.
“It all starts with our business development team, who work with clients to understand their charging requirements and design implementable solutions that have future-proofing built in from the start,” Bowler says.
“After that, our infrastructure section works with clients to design, deliver, maintain and optimise the charging system.”
Despite JET Charge striving for consistency when it comes to installing charging infrastructure, Bowler says the spectrum of difficulty for each client’s project varies.
With smaller jobs, EV charging solutions can be retrofitted into the existing infrastructure at the depot. This means chargers can be installed quickly and easily without having to add transformers or engage major depot works. JETCharge uses smart design and control systems to squeeze in as much charging as possible from an existing site, before triggering larger infrastructure upgrades for the fleet owner.
Bowler says there are many difficulties that can arise during larger jobs. But there is one challenge that provides the largest obstacle for JET Charge in building EV charging infrastructure for bus depots.
“From an infrastructure perspective, the biggest problem we face is a lack of yard space,” Bowler says.
“Chargers do take up room in the yard, and we need space to fit them into a depot without disrupting vehicle movements.
“It’ll remain a challenge while the higher proportion of bus fleets in Australia get converted, but we have a few tricks up our sleeve to design around these issues.”
These innovative design solutions include a holistic approach to planning depot layouts, charging systems with small footprints, implementing overhead charging at depots or sharing multiple buses between one charger. Using its CORE energy management product, JET Charge engineers investigate various flexible options to tailor a solution best suited to bus depot operators looking to take their first steps in transitioning to EV charging.
The family-owned business also uses its Illuminate platform to provide solutions for clients. Consisting of a maintenance and integration platform, Illuminate allows JET Charge to integrate charging control in with electricity distributor systems.
“It may not be an exciting-sounding product for operators just yet, but in terms of ongoing systems integration and depot design, Illuminate is really important,” Bowler says.
“While it’s still new, it’ll be important in the next couple of years as depots get bigger and the network impact gets larger and larger.”
Bowler says JET Charge is a brand-agnostic provider of charging solutions, as it focuses on the overall quality of the service rather than any particular piece of equipment. The company works with different OEMs to deliver solutions that have different price points and functionality depending on the size of the fleet and the specific charging requirements.
Bowler says JET Charge provides various options to clients and makes recommendations from there, meaning customers get the final say on how their electric charging infrastructure is delivered, and how it should operate alongside their fleet.
JET Charge also offers an integrated maintenance plan for EV chargers, which takes the hassle of planned and reactive maintenance out of the operator’s hands. Charger performance can be monitored remotely, and service calls are automatically logged for approval when a fault occurs.
“DC bus chargers absolutely must have a preventative maintenance plan and a reliable source of spare parts to maintain uptime for critical fleet charging applications, like buses,” Bowler says.
“We offer maintenance as a wrapped product and are now placing performance guarantees on charger uptime. This will allow our clients to focus on the operation and leave charger performance to us.”
JET Charge is growing quickly as an EV charging infrastructure provider for depot owners and operators, with investments from the likes of the federal government, insurer RACV and other companies. However, it remains a private, family-owned company.
“We’re a small to medium-sized enterprise and Australian-owned,” Bowler says.
“Being Australian-owned is important for many operators, not only from a procurement perspective but also from a trust and relationship standpoint.
“Our problem-solving and reliability is important in delivering our projects. It’s still early in the game, but we feel like the companies that are taking action today are going to have a key advantage in the near future.
“By starting a strategic plan for fleet electrification now, operators can minimise the cost and disruption associated with future depot works.”