True innovators in rapid charging
Petalite’s Head of Research, Dr Stavros Pressas has been named Engineering Innovator of the Year at the Engineering and Manufacturing Awards in Mayfair, London. This award acknowledges our determination to change the technology in charging infrastructure and that true innovation focused purely on electric vehicle charging is long overdue.
Dr Pressas said:
“I am thankful for this recognition; however, I must share this award with those who made a huge contribution to our DC charger development during Petalite’s early R&D years.
Our founder Leigh Purnell trusted me completely to deliver his vision to redesign how we charge electric vehicles. We worked closely together for many years, and he went above and beyond raising the funds we needed, making sure our technology was patent protected. He was told by many that this vision could not be achieved, but he continued to act on his instincts, and I admired his continued stamina to deliver SDC technology.
We recognised a rare window of opportunity. The components we needed to build our DC charger were new, they had not even been published in any academic books. So, we were very early and one step ahead with this knowledge. We were in the right place at the right time.
Our funds were minimal, however, we hired two exceptional Aston University graduates Irfan Yusoff and Tristan Fleet. Their years of research was incredibly important to the continuous testing and build of the final, fully functional demonstration unit. Equally we could not have delivered Leigh’s vision without them. It is important to me that our team of just four engineers (at the time) is equally recognised for the success of Petalite’s DC technology.”
Since our beginnings in 2014, Petalite has been consistently recognised as a true pioneer within the rapid electric vehicle charging industry. Our dedication to specifically changing the technology found within all global rapid DC chargers has resulted in Petalite winning numerous awards
In 2022 our innovation was recognised when we won The Spectator ‘Economic Innovator of the Year’ for the Midlands. We have also been included in PwC’s Net Zero Future 50 report which analyses the UK’s rapidly growing climate tech sector. PwC chose Petalite alongside some of the most exciting innovators and climate tech start-ups in the UK today.
We were proud to be included in WIRED UK Consulting’s 75 Trailblazer list in partnership with HSBC, which aims is to build an innovative community of fast-growth scale-ups who push boundaries and solve social, economic, and environmental issues. We were recognised for our technical innovation and unfailing stamina to solve issues surrounding DC charging infrastructure with a completely new approach.
As we move forward into 2024, we are looking forward to further recognition as we commercialise and form partnerships with leading businesses.
