EVBox Gives Charging Stations a Second Life with OneChargerTwoLives Initiative
- The current energy transition requires more electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, and thus also increases the demand for technical personnel. With the OneChargerTwoLives initiative, EVBox has started to address these challenges by donating used charging stations to technical schools in the Netherlands for educational purposes.
The energy transition and the need for EV charging infrastructure is a crucial reason why the demand for technical personnel—from tech workers, welders, construction mechanics, to architects and electricians— is growing at a rapid pace. That is why EVBox started the donation program, OneChargerTwoLives, which lets customers donate used charging stations to technical schools in the Netherlands. With parking sites being redeveloped, companies can give away their fully functioning used charging stations to these schools and replace them with newer generation charging ports. This initiative in turn contributes to a more interactive educational experience for future employees in the electric car industry. EVBox’s installer and reseller partner, Laadpunt Nederland, is arranging the dismantlement and transport of the charging stations from the customer’s site to the schools.
Part of the Circular Economy: From Parking Lot to Classroom
By donating the charging stations to schools, they are given a second life. This extends the life cycle of a charging station and therefore has less impact on the environment. The schools can integrate the charging stations into their teaching materials or reuse them in other ways, such as utilizing the cover of a charging station for constructing a model boat.
Real estate developer Boelens de Gruyter, a customer of EVBox, was the first donor, giving away 18 used charging ports last year. The Keizer Karel College in Amstelveen, and the MBO College Westpoort in Amsterdam in turn received these charging stations for educational purposes.
A Win-Win Situation for Customers and Students
Not only do the schools benefit from this project, but EVBox customers also have the opportunity to easily hand in their used charging stations and donate them to charity. It additionally gives the partner, Laadpunt Nederland, the opportunity to come into contact with technical schools to recruit trainees and future colleagues.
Remco Samuels, CEO at EVBox, said:We’re really excited to have launched the OneChargerTwoLives initiative! As an experienced player in the EV industry, we know all too well how complex this entire ecosystem is and how every link in the chain is connected. Our drive to accelerate the uptake of electric mobility in order to reduce the strain on our planet has now put pressure on technical personnel across the globe. We’re in dire need of more technicians to build and expand the much-needed charging infrastructure. With this initiative we hope to make our youth excited for an electric future and at the same time extend the lifecycle of our stations. A huge thank you goes out to our partners and customers that have already participated in this program.
This article was originally published by EVBox.
