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Last Updated on: 21st May 2025, 09:20 am
US presidents come and go, but the global power management firm Eaton has been around since 1911 and it is in business for the long haul. Eaton is joining forces with the EV charging startup ChargePoint to supercharge the electric vehicle movement in the US as well as over in the UK and the European Union, with an eye on the juicy low-hanging fruit of commercial fleet vehicles.
The EV Charging Advantage
Commercial fleet vehicles are a ripe target for electrification because the TCO (total cost of ownership, including fuel and maintenance) already beats conventional vehicles in many cases, and charging cycles fit the routes and schedules for many commercial operations. The brand-building benefits of sending quiet, non-polluting vehicles around the neighborhood is another attraction. Also, in the early years of EV adoption, fleet managers had a limited selection to choose from, but now EVs are available for commercial applications across all vehicle classes, from light to heavy.
Incentives help shave down the upfront cost of EVs, but even if the incentives go away, the other factors are permanent fixtures and they just keep on getting better. Businesses with EV charging stations can earn revenue by participating in their utility’s demand-response programs, for example, or can use their vehicle batteries for emergency backup power.
The new EV charging partnership joins Dublin-based Eaton with the California startup ChargePoint, a familiar face on the pages of CleanTechnica. ChargePoint hit a speed bump of sorts earlier this year, but its recently announced partnership with General Motors and its status as a preferred AAA supplier indicate that it has staying power (see lots more ChargePoint news here).
The new partnership with Eaton represents another strong endorsement for ChargePoint. The two companies detailed their plans in a joint announcement emailed to CleanTechnica yesterday, describing it as “a collaboration to accelerate and simplify the deployment of EV charging infrastructure in the U.S., Canada and Europe.”
EV charging is just part of the plan. The partners also aim to exploit the full advantage that EVs hold over conventional vehicles — namely, their ability to act as mobile energy storage systems that can interact seamlessly with the electrical systems in buildings, microgrids, and grids.
“The companies will integrate EV charging and infrastructure solutions, co-developing new technologies to advance bidirectional power flow and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) capabilities—enabling EVs to act as a power source for homes, buildings and more,” Eaton and ChargePoint explain.
Why Do Your Own Research When Hassle-Free EV Charging Stations Are Here?
Eaton and ChargePoint join a growing number of stakeholders offering turnkey solutions for property owners and managers that are EV-curious but don’t have the time, experience, or resources to go out and shop for EV charging infrastructure.
In terms of fleets, the partnership can be particularly helpful where different classes of vehicles are involved. Depending on the fleet, charging station needs can range from passenger cars on up through medium-duty vans and trucks, and onwards to Class 8 heavy-duty 18-wheelers and similarly outsized vehicles.
Eaton and ChargePoint aim to focus their combined experience on enabling clients to take advantage of everything a grid connection has to offer. Keep an eye on the electric truck field in particular, where Eaton recently formed a partnership with the UK propulsion firm BAE Systems.
“Providing a one-stop shop for the EV charging ecosystem, the companies will deliver chargers, electrical infrastructure and engineering services as turnkey offerings enabling the electrification of transportation, from vehicles to chargers to the grid,” Eaton and ChargePoint explain.
“Eaton and ChargePoint will streamline the purchase, design and deployment of EV charging projects, offering joint solutions that will help customers effectively manage site power requirements, optimize infrastructure and enhance reliability at a reduced cost,” they add.
As for how that cost is to be reduced, the partners suggest that the scale of ChargePoint’s business will be a significant factor. “As EV charging infrastructure matures, core components like chargers and infrastructure must integrate at scale to realize their fullest potential,” the partners observe. “ChargePoint’s work with Eaton and numerous automotive OEMs will enable the seamless integration of chargers, infrastructure and EVs, managed with ease on the ChargePoint cloud software platform.”
Supercharging The EV Charging Infrastructure
Curious? “Information regarding available EV charging and infrastructure solutions, which address every charging scenario, including fleet, workplace, commercial real estate, fueling and convenience, multifamily, residential and public transportation charging needs, is available here,” Eaton and ChargePoint offer — but don’t forget to scroll down and fill out the online form if you want the information to come to you.
Meanwhile, the abrupt shift in federal EV policy spells trouble for the electrification movement — or not, as the case may be. The US-based organization Corporate Electric Vehicle Alliance counts 30 global fleet operators on its roster, all united in the goal of ramping up economies of scale in the EV market.
The furious torrent of activity in the EV charging space is another indication that stakeholders are already looking ahead to Inauguration Day 2029, when a new US president takes the wheel of the federal government, presumably with a more EV-friendly agenda in hand.
The list of new, user-friendly EV charging innovations to emerge on the market includes seamless new payment systems, and reimbursement systems for fleet vehicles that are recharged at the driver’s home.
Pay-as-you-go EV charging station installation schemes are also beginning to uncork some significant obstacles, such as rental properties where neither landlord nor tenant wants to take up the responsibility for shouldering the upfront cost of charging stations.
The rental housing market for new EV charging stations alone can make a significant difference in EV sales. Ford CEO Jim Farley, for example, cites 19 million as the estimated number of drivers in the US who are EV-curious. However, the availability of home charging — or lack thereof — is a profound obstacle, blocking out a large majority of renters. Retrofitting even a small fraction of rental buildings with EV charging stations could help keep the EV sales momentum going despite anti-EV policy-making by state and federal legislators.
The Builders Have Spoken
The all-important construction industry is another factor pushing EV sales, by making on-site EV charging more easily available. In March, for example, the news organization Electrical Contractor noted that more than 50% of home builders and remodelers in the US install EV-friendly electrical panels that can accommodate home charging station connections. Citing a 2024 sustainability survey, EC reporter Katie Keuhner-Hebert also noted that “40% provide a charging outlet on more than half of their homes.”
The survey was commissioned by the National Association of Home Builders and the Dodge Construction Network, and published under the title, Building Sustainably: Green and Resilient Single-Family Homes 2024.” The Executive Summary in the report, signed by NAHB President and CEO James W. Tobin, teases out another significant angle that will continue to stimulate interest in electric vehicles and on-site EV charging regardless of which way the public policy wind blows.
“Resiliency issues…have become increasingly prevalent in the building industry over the last decade,” Tobin observed.
You can say that again. General Motors and other EV makers are already pouncing on opportunities to demonstrate how large, mobile energy storage devices can keep the lights on at home during power outages. If you have any thoughts about that, drop a note in the comment thread. Better yet, find your representatives in Congress and let them know what you think.
Image (cropped): Two powerhouses in the power management and EV charging fields, Eaton and ChargePoint, have joined forces to take the hassle out of installing new charging stations (courtesy of ChargePoint via email).
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