I was sitting at my desk, staring out of the window.I had just come off another call with a lead. On paper, it was a good conversation. They were interested, engaged, and asking sensible questions.And yet the same thought hit me again... Why is this so hard?Not the work itself. It was the explaining that drained me.Every call felt like starting from zero. I had to reframe what I did, restate the outcomes, and fill in gaps that should not have existed in the first place.I had traffic. I had plenty of it. But sales still dragged.Everything relied on follow-up, memory, and me being fully “on” every single time. That kind of friction is expensive.It costs sanity.It costs time.It costs money.Once I noticed it, I could not ignore it.The problem was not leads or effort. It was friction between what I understood and what the business was actually communicating to prospects.So I stopped trying to sell harder and instead, I started fixing the gaps.I fixed the language. I fixed the moments where people hesitated, got confused, or needed reassurance before moving forward.The thinking went into the copy first. Then it went into the systems. Then it went into automation and AI so that the business did not rely on me holding everything together.There were fewer explanations and movement from interest to action became cleaner and more predictable.I had finally made it easy for people to say yes.If this feels familiar, and sales feel heavier than they should despite decent traffic, do not add more noise.Start by finding the friction.If you want a second pair of eyes on where things are sticking, send me a message and I will ask a few questions that usually surface it quickly.

Aaron Caister

Niall Riddell

Paua

The largest, fastest, smartest electric fuel card solution. Enabling fleets and businesses to better incorporate simple public charging into their customer propositions. Contact me today to find out more about how we can help you / your fleet / your business / your dealership / your electric car salary sacrifice bundle save time and money!

CEO, Co-founder

Insider's Guide to Energy 

Co-Host. Electric Vehicle Series 
https://insidersguidetoenergy.com/48-electric-vehicles-and-charging-infrastructure/

Co-Host

elmo - EV subscriptions

Strategic advice & guidance to the Board of elmo EV subscriptions. Removing the cost and complexity of EV ownership through flexible 'total cost of ownership'​ subscriptions.

Advisor To The Board

SSE Enterprise

Integrating Smart Energy Systems including solar, storage & rapid EV charging. Deployment of smart city platforms, IoT devices and innovative technology solutions. Project lead for the worlds largest bus vehicle-to-grid project; #bus2grid

Smart Systems Innovation Director

NovAzure

Associate

EDF Energy

Leading the EDF Energy team working on innovative electric vehicle propositions working within the Blue Lab (EDF Energy’s innovation division). Developing solutions for all our customers with car parking spaces; business and domestic.

Particular focus on strategy, plan, team building and development for our three core focus areas of domestic customers (with a smart time of use tariff, smart charger and car lease option), business customers (bespoke charging options) and vehicle-to-grid solutions for fleet customers.

Head of Electric Vehicles 

M&A and special project manager within the Investment Directorate, part of Corporate Finance. The team manages acquisitions, disposals and other M&A transactions for EDF Energy in the UK, and provides specialist expertise to large and strategic projects. 
Specific responsibilities for EV charging, energy storage opportunities (battery, pump hydro etc.), fossil assets and long term market forecasting and asset valuations. Responsible for peer review of West Burton B 49MW EFR battery project business case.
Working across the business to provide development opportunities; experience with battery storage (grid, distribution, and I&C scale), Pump Storage Hydro for our generation business, Demand Side Response and Virtual Power Plant innovations in support of our customers business, intangible assets valuation, as well as reviewing a wide range of business development opportunities from Electric Vehicle infrastructure to energy from waste and small company acquisitions. Due diligence and assessment of investment into public rapid charging infrastructure. 
Seconded to Blue Lab (Customers Innovation)  to write the business case for Virtual Power Plant proposition (PowerShift). Responsible for valuation and market analysis.

M&A and Special Projects Manager

Strategy Manager responsible for long term energy market forecasting, inputting to the companies Generation strategy, energy policy and investment reviews of existing assets and new asset development.

Strategy Manager

I ran the Fleet Sustainability Group for the Nuclear generation arm of EDF Energy having helped support the integration of British Energy. My team successfully listed EDF Energy onto FTSE4Good supporting the later membership of EDF Group; one of the first nuclear companies to receive this recognition.

Head of Fleet Sustainability, Nuclear Generation

Energy Garden

Energy Garden is the first city-wide urban greening project supported by community owned renewable energy assets. Gardens are built across TFL overground stations maintained by community volunteers leading to social and environmental benefits. We are currently seeking to raise a bond to acquire energy assets, the revenues from which will support Garden maintenance. The four main pillars of Energy Garden are: air quality, biodiversity, horticulture, and renewable energy. I support the strategy and business development  including financial modelling and preparation of the bond offer. Energy Garden was developed from within Repowering London.

Director

Repowering London

Board member supporting Repowering London who are at the heart of community energy in the UK successfully crowd funding several hundred kW of solar in central London. 
http://www.repowering.org.uk/

Board Member

British Energy

Provision of analytical support to the British Energy Environment and Government Affairs team to develop policy positions and understand the energy and environment landscape.

Energy & Environment Analyst

Committee on Climate Change

A secondment with the Committee on Climate Change providing support to the secretariat on the modelling of the UK Energy sector and development of the UK carbon budgets. In particular he worked on the development of both Global and UK Marginal Abatement Cost Curves (MACC) for the energy sector with McKinsey & Co.

Secondment - Energy analyst

CEO, Co-Founder, Paua. Electric vehicle fleet optimisation solutions. Control business EV charging digitally; 25,000 charge point connectors via mobile app & card. One data resource. Podcast: Insiders Guide to Energy: EV

Views are my own. 

Career based on decarbonisation of the economy based on a foundation of knowledge gathered with the Climate Change Committee in 2007. Current focus on building a business to support the decarbonisation and electrification of transport through provision of electric vehicles solutions for business and residential customers. Technology specialist within the energy sector; innovation, digital, electric vehicle infrastructure, renewable energy, strategy, policy, commercial & financial experience across energy generation and smart supply with a focus on decarbonisation of electricity to decarbonise the economy. Former director Energy Utility. Advisor to Government & business. 

I have opinions - sorry about that 😉

The smartest electric fuel card solution. Enabling fleets and businesses to better incorporate simple public charging into their customer propositions. Coming soon to many (already with some of you!)

Fleete Group have opened their Port of Tilbury site. 

With 16 ultra-rapid chargers, deliveirng up to 360kW per vehicle and 24 hour access it is a "the largest dedicated commercial EV hub"

Supported by Port of Tilbury London and Thames Freeport and part of the Department for Transport (DfT), United Kingdom ZEHID programme this is a great example of collaboration to deliver a solution. 

Total site capacity runs at 5MW

Congrats team! Benjamin Dovey William Quan

#Collaboration #EVcharging #eHGV

Niall Riddell M.A.F.P

CEO, Co-Founder, Paua. Payment and charging solutions for business electric vehicles; home EV charging reimbursement, shared depot & on-the-road charging. #27 GreenFleet 100 Most Influential

Last week I was absolutely stunned to take #27 in the #GF100

But I spotted a small error and knew this was my opportunity to correct it. 

As I did so I remembered an old saying “it takes a village to raise a child”

I am proud to be a figure head at Paua but there are many others who make the magic happen and have supported us on our journey. 

As I scratched in a single “d” it gave me the chance to add a few more names to the list.

Thank you all for your continued support! 

Let’s make it easier for businesses to put more electric vehicles on the roads! 

#mostinfluential GREENFLEET 

#PauaRangers

So the big news of the day is a tax ruling on EV charging 

The First-tier Tribunal has ruled that the 5% domestic VAT rate can apply to public EV charging, under the existing 1,000 kWh per month de minimis rule.

I expertly had this explained to me sevaral years ago by Victor Cramer. The tax rules on de minimis are quite clear with sufficient precendent to support 5%. It was the guidance that caused concerns. 

Congratulations to Charge my Street on succesfully completing this work. Well done Daniel Heery, Will Maden and Oliver Jarratt. 

If this stands (it is not law yet), it could materially change the cost landscape for EV charging payment in the UK.

What this could mean:
• Public charging moves from 20% VAT to 5% in many cases
 • Greater parity between home and public charging
 • Lower gross costs for drivers in public
 • Potential system and invoicing changes across the industry

But there are still important questions that I am asking myself at Paua where business EV charging remains our focus:

1️⃣ Is the 1,000 kWh threshold assessed per driver, per vehicle, per fleet account, or per contracting entity? As Paua we are a taxable dealer of electricity so we will still be charged at 20% (or on a domestic reverse charge basis)

2️⃣ Could high mileage drivers or eHGV users exceed the 1,000 kWh per month limit at a single location? Will we need to split billing in these cases? We can give several such examples

3️⃣ How are non-electricity elements treated, such as overstay or parking fees? Will this need complex bills with 5% and 20% elements

4️⃣ Will HMRC appeal, and how quickly will guidance be updated?

For multi-driver fleet operators and chargepoint operators, this is significant but not yet settled. Ultimately most of our businesses reclaim this VAT anyhow but it could make this more complex to explain. 

We are watching closely. If upheld, this removes one of the structural frictions in the EV transition.

Curious to hear how others in the charging ecosystem are interpreting this. And what other questions there are. 

#tax #EVcharging #PauaRangers

Thanks for this write up Gareth Roberts

Scotland’s EV charging network is evolving.

ChargePlace Scotland has played an important role in building early public charging infrastructure.

But the landscape is changing.

Across Scotland we are now seeing new charge point operators emerging, and adopting infrastructure including:
Connekt EV Charging
Evolt Charging
EZO EV Charging
Fuuse
Monta
ScottishPower
Tap Electric

More operators means more infrastructure and investment, which is good for the transition to electric transport.

However it also creates a familiar challenge for fleets (some new to Scottish operators):
 ➡ Multiple networks
 ➡ Multiple apps
 ➡ Multiple payment systems

For businesses operating electric vehicles across Scotland, simplicity matters.

This is where aggregation becomes powerful.

With Paua, fleets can access charging across a growing number of networks through:
 📱 One app
 💳 One card
 🖥️ One dashboard
 📈 One invoice

Today Paua connects businesses to:
 ⚡ 50+ network partners
 ⚡ 75,000+ charge point connectors
 ⚡ The UK’s largest aggregated EV charging network for commercial vehicles

As the charging ecosystem continues to expand, a single access layer becomes even more valuable.

If you operate EVs across Scotland and want to simplify charging and payment, we’d love to help.

#EVCharging #FleetElectrification #Scotland #CleanTransport

Yes that is the Paua iPace at the start of the GB EV Rally of 2022 on the GRIDSERVE charger at John O' Groats

I’ve just read a great piece in The Times on “cool” home chargers.

Brilliant to see EV charging hardware making it into the luxury pages. Not just a garage afterthought anymore but something that defines the home.

Chargers from Andersen EV, Simpson & Partners (EV) Ltd, Easee and Cord Power Technologies are starting to shape how modern homes look. Design-led, architectural, and properly considered.

Yes, they have a utilitarian function; they charge your electric car. But they do it with a bit of style. 😎 

Good to see some of our Paua partners getting the recognition they deserve.

Home charging is fast becoming part of the home itself. 

And as it does, reimbursement and data matter more than ever. 

Particularly for business drivers.

#EVcharging #PauaReimburse #Home

The £360bn Transition from fossil fuels to electric

Every year or so I recalculate the total addressable market of EV charging (TAM). This is one of the basics of fundraising for a business. 

It is always an estimate of sorts. It tells us the "Size of the Prize"

This tells us about a macro energy transition, not just a niche EV story.*

Every year Europe spends ~£360bn fuelling road transport (2023 numbers). That money is now migrating to electricity.

I took the EU Fuel Quality Disclosure data identifying 245bn litres of roadside fuel sold (allowing for a UK component)

I took a weighted diesel/petrol pricing (RAC data). This gives a ≈ £360bn annual road transport energy spend

This money does not disappear as electricity cannot remain cheaper. We have to consider tax and the infrastrucutre transition.

Fuel duty + VAT are structural revenue and Governments will rebalance taxation. It may move but it still needs collected. 

And the transition is one of fuel and infrastructure. We need to pay for this infrastructure. This will be in the price.

If we pivot to look at just the UK
💰 ~£54bn UK proxy
⚡ 3.4% of vehicles electric
📈 ~20% of new registrations already ZEV

We are watching a £360bn energy market rewire itself. It is not going to happen overnight and it may well be messy. 

#EVcharging #PauaRangers #MarketSize

* For all those screaming - this is a hydrogen transition, fair enough. The numbers and logic are broadly the same.

The UK's largest EV charging network isn't public charging.

It's people's homes.

There are now over 1 million home EV chargepoints installed in the UK.
That already exceeds the number of public chargers.

And yet we are still early.

There are 28 million homes in the UK, so we are only a small way into this transition.

The reality at home is a little messy though.
⚡ Some drivers still use a three-pin plug in the garage
💡 Some homes have a charger but no EV
🚗 🚗 Some homes have two EVs sharing one charger

But one thing is certain; if a business driver charges at home, they will expect to be reimbursed for the electricity used for their business miles.

Which raises an important question for fleets.

How do you accurately reimburse electricity used at someone's home?

This is why the home charging ecosystem is becoming one of the most interesting parts of the EV transition.

And I suspect we are only just getting started.

#PauaRangers #EVCharging #HomeReimbursement

This is Maria Bengtsson. Take Two!

Unfortunatley Maria's old account was hacked. This is the new one.

Anyone who has been in the world of e-mobility will know Maria from her role at EY. 

If you know her, reconnect and help rebuild her network.

https://lnkd.in/dzQ-TEgb

Oh, and turn on 2FA while you’re at it. You can thank me later! 😉 

#eMobility #electriccars #renewables

Open article: Maria Bengtsson - EY | LinkedIn by linkedin.com

Why Paua believes business vehicles are driving the EV transition

We are confident that electrification is business-led, not consumer-led.

If you review the 2024 stock numbers
 - 1.39m UK ZEVs
 - 1.29m cars
 - 86k vans
 - A sliver of eHGV

All based on DfT data

Trucks (they are just there in the green sliver) 

Vans are all business vehicles; That’s ~6% immediately business controlled.

The cars form a split of
 - Company cars
 - Salary sacrifice
 - Leasing dominance (business financed)
 
A combination of data sources New Automotive data)

So by our working assumption
 → Two thirds of EV parc business controlled.

We believe this is important as business vehicles:
 → Higher mileage
 → More public charging
 → Need reimbursement, reporting, cost centre control
 → Rely in operational uptime. They need to keep the wheels of the business moving.

We believe it’s about fleet systems, a platform to provide services across home, work and out on the road.

Paua is that platform built from the ground up for modern electric fleets. 

#EVcharging #PauaRangers

This post was written by AI 🦾 

I have been interogating Google's AI mode to see how Paua performs. 

Overall I think we have room for improvement on our AI strategy but that seems pretty decent to me! 🦾 Oh and Nano Banana did the image!

This is what AI told me: 

The Digital Backbone for High-Performance Electric Fleets.

The Message:
Paua is an enterprise-grade orchestration platform that transforms fragmented EV charging into a single, streamlined operational workflow. 

Beyond providing a universal roaming card for over 75,000 UK connectors, Paua specializes in infrastructure density—offering exclusive access to private "shared" depots that are inaccessible to the general public. 

By integrating real-time charging telemetry directly into your existing ERP or Telematics systems via robust APIs, we eliminate administrative friction, prevent fraud, and provide the granular data visibility required for large-scale ESG reporting and commercial cost-control.

Three Strategic Benefits for Your Business:

Exclusive "Shared" Infrastructure: Gain a competitive edge by accessing private, high-powered bus and logistics depots, ensuring your vehicles are charged even when public hubs are congested.

API-First Integration: Stop managing chargers via spreadsheets. Plug Paua’s live data stream directly into your fleet management software for automated vehicle-level accounting.

Operational Certainty: Advanced features like vehicle-size filtering and "Paua Pins" ensure your drivers only navigate to chargers physically compatible with commercial vans and HGVs, reducing downtime.

#EVcharging #Paua #NextGeneration

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