InstaVolt announces European expansion and hires Neil Hutchings to spearhead growth

InstaVolt, has announced renewables expert Neil Hutchings as the company’s International Development Director, to spearhead the company’s growth into European markets including Portugal, Spain and Iceland, as well as progressing its move into Ireland later this year.

EV uptake is increasing rapidly throughout Europe, yet the charging infrastructure currently in place doesn’t meet this demand. InstaVolt’s European expansion will service these EV drivers with its award-winning infrastructure, making a considerable difference to consumers, especially in countries with significant uptake such as Iceland, which has the second highest number of EVs per capita, yet only 175 DC public charging points to support this demand[1].

Following EQT Infrastructure’s acquisition of InstaVolt in February, the network has continued to make significant moves in the EV charging space. In June 2022 InstaVolt became the second largest rapid charging network in the UK, and this continued growth supports its pledge of installing 10,000 rapid EV chargers across the UK by 2032. Neil’s role will focus on replicating InstaVolt’s success into multiple international markets to ensure EV drivers’ needs are met, in turn accelerating the uptake of EVs throughout Europe.

Prior to his appointment at InstaVolt, Neil was previously at multinational energy firm, SSE, and during his 23 years with the company held positions including National Development Director and Managing Director of Telecoms and Utility Solutions. Neil joined Anesco for five years, taking director roles in operations and technical services, before founding his own energy consultancy.

Hutchings, commented: “After working with InstaVolt on a previous project, I understand how the business works and what truly drives it. InstaVolt has had a busy year following its acquisition by EQT and I’m thrilled to be given the opportunity to lead its international growth plans and turn them into a reality. With nearly three decades of experience in the electricity and renewables sector, I’m confident I’m able to deliver results and broaden InstaVolt’s offering.”

Adrian Keen, CEO of InstaVolt commented: “As one of the leading charging networks in the UK, we know how important a reliable infrastructure is to give consumers exactly what they need. Neil will be integral to delivering our trusted brand and consumer offering in new markets. Neil’s broad and extensive experiences ideally position him to deliver our international objectives and replicate our reputation for class leading reliability and ease of use. We’ve identified these markets based on their imminent transition to electrification and the need to provide quality charging infrastructure in those markets.”

Neil’s appointment is the latest in a series of new senior hires at the company, as the business embarks on an ambitious expansion plan across the UK and Europe.

This year InstaVolt was named the UK’s best public charging network by Zap-Map for the fourth year in a row and was also awarded the EVIE “Private Sector Infrastructure Strategy of the Year” award for the second year in a row. In July 2022, a survey by Electric Road named InstaVolt as the UK’s best charging network.