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In this episode, host Christophe speaks with Mike Lazelle, CEO and co-founder of Kwetta - a highly innovative hardware company helping Charge Point Operators (CPOs) deploy high-power EV charging sites without the grid headaches. 

From avoiding million-euro upgrade costs to reducing site activation timelines from years to months, Kwetta is bringing a radically different approach to the energy hardware space — with grid-supportive functionality built right into the charger. 

After raising their Series A in November, Kwetta is now expanding into Europe, targeting Benelux, the Nordics, Germany, and the UK. 

What You’ll Learn 

• Why batteries aren’t always the right answer for grid bottlenecks 
• How Kwetta’s technology enables faster, more cost-effective connections 
• What it takes to deploy heavy-duty charging at scale 
• How CPOs can position themselves to win in the flexibility market 
• Why grid-friendly charging will be a key competitive edge going forward 

Chapter Highlights 

• 00:00 – Intro and welcome 
• 00:36 – Mike's move from New Zealand to Amsterdam 
• 01:40 – The origin story: co-founding Kwetta with fellow engineers 
• 03:00 – The turning point: solving charging and grid problems in one box 
• 04:40 – What Kwetta does and how it helps CPOs 
• 06:24 – Kwetta in one sentence: get megawatt charging up in months, not years 
• 06:50 – Rising grid costs, long delays, and how Kwetta addresses them 
• 08:13 – Why Kwetta doesn't require a battery to solve DSO problems 
• 09:00 – Integrating with smart energy management systems 
• 10:30 – Case study: saving €1M and 2 years of delay at a constrained site 
• 12:40 – How DSOs are responding to Kwetta’s approach 
• 15:00 – Flexibility markets and future participation 
• 16:40 – The evolving role of the CPO in grid balancing 
• 18:00 – Kwetta’s rollout strategy and European focus 
• 19:30 – What’s next: partnerships, pilots, and scale 
• 20:45 – Advice to CPOs: why trucks change everything 
• 21:50 – What excites Mike about 2026 
• 22:35 – Final thoughts and wrap-up 

Want to learn more about Virtual Power Plants? 

🎓 Join our free Masterclass on Virtual Power Plants for EV charging, hosted by FLEXECHARGE CTO Robert Brehm. 

 We’ll explore how VPPs work, what they mean for CPOs, and how to prepare your charging infrastructure for flexibility markets. 

👉 Sign up here: https://www.flexecharge.com

You can get more information on our website.

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