By Riley Kaminer
It’s one of the world’s leading EV charging companies, and its headquarters are right here in Miami Beach. Blink Charging is driving the future of carbon-neutral mobility, one charging station at a time.
Brendan Jones is at the helm of Blink Charging. With roots deeply planted in the EV space since 2008, Jones has been at the forefront of the industry’s evolution. From spearheading Nissan’s EV programs to playing an integral role at Electrify America, his experiences have culminated in a vision for growth that has seen Blink Charging’s workforce multiply from 40 to 650 employees across 27 countries since 2020. About 40 of those employees are based in South Florida.
“Back when I first started working in the space, the question was ‘How do we charge these things?’” Jones told Refresh Miami.
Since then, the landscape has shifted dramatically – with technological advancements pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. Blink Charging now handles chargers that would have been considered unfeasible a decade ago, underscoring the industry’s rapid and continual expansion.
Looking forward, Jones expects EV adoption levels to continue increasing, pointing to California’s remarkable penetration rates as a harbinger of nationwide trends. With goals like California’s mandate for all new cars to be electric by 2035, the future seems electrically inevitable. However, this future hinges on the availability of charging infrastructure, with an estimated need for 30 million chargers.
On the readiness of the US for the anticipated EV adoption, Jones remains optimistic. “We can produce vast amounts of energy,” he said, “but we have to distribute it better.”
Jones asserted that the majority of charging will be Level 2 – higher-rate AC charging that is most common in public spaces – which requires less infrastructure than DC fast charging. The key is to leverage the time when vehicles are parked, optimizing charging during those periods.
The government’s role, according to Jones, should be that of a facilitator, possibly through incentives. But ultimately, he believes that it’s up to private sector players like Blink to create sustainable business models. With that in mind, he noted that Blink Charging is on track to be EBITDA positive by the end of the next year, a significant milestone for the company.
Innovations at Blink Charging aren’t just hardware-based – rather, the company is heavily focused on the user experience. “We realized that we need to be a development house as well as a charging company, so we built our own development house with Blink employees,” said Jones.
He shared that Blink Charging’s new tech stack allows for features like vehicle-to-home technology. Future developments include silicon carbide chargers, which promise to be smaller, less prone to heat damage, and more durable.
Blink’s clientele is as diverse as its technology, ranging from municipal fleets to healthcare providers, where the demand for charging stations is high. The company’s reach extends beyond the U.S., with exclusive contracts in Europe and partnerships with major corporations like FedEx.
In Florida, Blink Charging secured a seven-year contract as an official EV charging provider for the City of Miami Beach. This agreement will see Blink operate and maintain EV charging stations across the city’s parking infrastructure.
As Blink Charging gears up for the future, with plans to sustain and expand, Jones’s vision for Blink Charging is clear: sustainability. It’s not just about profitability but also about making a tangible impact on climate change. As EVs become more prevalent, the company’s role in creating a greener planet becomes ever more significant.
“The more we lower our emissions output, the more we push back on the climate issues we’re facing,” said Jones. “We’re going to create a better tomorrow – we have to. And EV charging is one way to create a better planet. The science is there, it makes sense and is good for the US economy at the same time.”
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