UK & Ireland’s EB Charging Joins The Blink Family, Becomes Blink Charging UK

Last year, Blink Charging, a company well known in the United States (for better or worse), bought EB Charging, a company doing the same thing in the UK and Ireland. Now, they’re bringing the companies closer together with an integration and rebranding. As a result of its rebrand, Blink now has a highly visible presence with over 1,225 EV chargers located in the UK and Ireland.

“The market opportunity in the United Kingdom and Ireland is substantial and was a significant factor in our consideration for the EB Charging acquisition,” said Michael D. Farkas, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Blink Charging. “While overall vehicle sales in the United Kingdom are slow, EVs outpaced expectations, accounting for nearly 17% of new vehicle registrations last year. The acceleration of EV adoption demands the EV charging infrastructure to support it. With Blink now having a solid foundation and growing brand awareness across the region, we can further accelerate our charging network globally.”

Blink’s acquisition of EB Charging in April 2022 was driven by EB Charging’s reputation as a well-established and highly regarded EV charging infrastructure company with a strong track record of success. EB Charging is well-known for providing exceptional EV charging services to over 50 local councils, as well as to a wide range of private clients including NHS healthcare trusts, universities, and fleets.

As part of the rebranding process to Blink Charging UK, the company has updated the look of the existing EB Charging-branded chargers. Additionally, the EV driver mobile app, which is now called “Blink Charging – EB Go!,” has been given a fresh new look. The rebranding effort also extends to the company’s website and external sales and marketing assets, which now feature a refreshed Blink look.

“The launch of Blink in the United Kingdom and Ireland through the strategic acquisition and rebrand of EB Charging as Blink Charging UK complements both companies’ shared mission to advance EV adoption with a desire to see zero-emission towns and cities everywhere.” Farkas added.

Blink Seems To Be Doing Better

A few years ago, Blink Charging wasn’t doing great. Its revenues were down despite growth in EV driving, and it seemed to be on the way down. One possible driver of its woes was an over-reliance on urban EV charging when most EV drivers charge at home. This left Blink with an unhealthy mix.

While I haven’t seen the company expand into highway charging, the company seems to have revamped itself. When I really got into needing a charge in 2017-19, I came across a ton of stations that were down, often because the property owner ended up abandoning the station. The company even had to put up a page explaining why there are so many Blink chargers permanently down, so it wasn’t just me noticing this.

But, in 2020 they announced new charging equipment, an upgraded network, and better apps to control and monitor the charging process. Since then, I’ve seen much better stations going in that appear to stay up on Plugshare.

This latest announcement, where it’s not only out of trouble but bought another charging company and expanded into new countries, shows us that the company has likely turned the corner since its worst times.

Featured image provided by Blink.